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"If they had come together at the height of America's Yiddish culture explosion a few decades back, this quintet might've had to skulk around under a banner like "The All-Girl Klezmer All-Stars." While that might have made for some interesting historical footnotes, Mikveh's decidedly modern take on the traditional music combined with a heavy (but not heavy-handed) dose of feminist lore adds up to something much more. On a purely musical level, Mikveh - which takes its name from the post-menstrual ritual bath used to "cleanse" very Orthodox Jewish women - keeps one foot firmly rooted in tradition, while using the other to traverse a wide expanse of sonic territory. It's virtually impossible not to get caught up in the joyful accordion swirl that Lauren Brody imparts to Sorele's Bas Mitzveh, while the air of melancholy she and violinist Alicia Svigals bring to Gutn ovnt Brayne is just as affecting. Vocalist Adrienne Cooper provides the mortar that holds it all together, ranging deftly from quiet meditation (on Royz, royz) to wide-eyed wonder (Vos vet zayn), trilling and growling tales that link heaven to the tenement stoop with astonishing ease."
- DAVID SPRAGUE - (July 23, 2001)
The Klezmer Shack
Ari Davidow's Top Ten Recordings!