Bublitchki

Dave Tarras's "Bublitchki" — named for the small bread rings sold by street vendors — is klezmer at its most charmingly narrative, the music evoking a specific street-corner scene from the vanished world of Eastern European Jewish urban life. Tarras was Brandwein's great contemporary and sometime rival — where Brandwein was wild and extravagant, Tarras was precise, warm, and impeccably musical. His clarinet here is smooth and singing, the ornamentation tasteful rather than overwhelming, the rhythm feel buoyant without becoming frantic. The melody itself is a minor-key gem — slightly wistful, slightly comic, the musical equivalent of nostalgia for something specific rather than vague. Tarras anchors it with his characteristic combination of technical polish and genuine folk authenticity, producing a sound that educated and uneducated listeners alike could love. The recording captures a particular kind of immigrant longing: affectionate, specific, alive with the texture of remembered streets.