“There are those who know Andy Statman as the virtuoso klezmer clarinetist - violinist Itzhak Perlman, for instance, who chose Statman to lead his klezmer album.There are those who know Andy Statman as the down-home mandolin player with a stack of straight-up bluegrass albums to his credit.

 

Discs that attempt to cross-pollinate jazz with the soulful sounds of klezmer tend to be hit-or-miss; usually you just end up wondering if today's players are half as proficient as the forefathers they're trying to upstage. Andy Statman's credentials don't allow for such doubts. He apprenticed with klezmer legend Dave Tarras (and was even bequeathed the master's clarinet), and whether on clarinet or mandolin, his playing is impeccable. On Between Heaven & Earth, Statman reaches a (thus far) career high point and creates something completely gorgeous and new. The quartet is modeled on the jazz paradigm (horns, piano, rhythm section), and the occasional virtuoso guest (banjoist Bela Fleck and mandolinist David Grisman) joins in. The results are spectacular: extended meditations on Hasidic themes and compositions that quite literally blossom before your very eyes, with shades of klezmer, bluegrass, and jazz all thrown together. The tunes may not come out swinging, but, filled with gorgeous reflections, a gentle pace, and haunting solos, they simmer to great results. The cuts were recorded live in single takes, and the effect is moving and spiritual; there are quiet moments here, and (thank God) the ensemble never sounds rushed. --Jason Verlinde