Yankl Falk and the Carpathian-Pacific Express are neo-klezmer and beyond – which is to say, the music has a passport full of old-world Eastern European melodies and a tendency to miss the train on purpose. Klezmer and Yiddish song, mystical Hasidic chant, virtuosic Eastern European violin, and New Orleans roots all find their way aboard. There are dances, soulful turns, and musical moments that take a scenic detour in search of unexplored beauty.
At the front of this expedition, Jack “Yankl” Falk sings and plays clarinet with a lifetime of feeling in the sound. Andrew Ehrlich’s violin catches fire; Ralph Huntley’s piano draws on a wide range of musical styles; Ji Tanzer’s drums keep the whole enterprise on point with precision and uncommon interpretive invention; and Courtney Von Drehle’s accordion and saxophone thread through the music with a few detours of their own. Five excellent musicians, one unusually well-traveled bandstand, and no particular reason to arrive where you expected.
An all-star Portland group of musicians including Eric Stern and Michael Beach, the group performs music from the Middle East and features bellydancers.