All about the gonifs CD: Tants a freylekhs

Peter Jaques learned this tune by ear from a recording of Shloimke Beckerman, who either composed it,  or learned it & then made it his own by embroidering it with his unique tone, timing & ornamentation.  The guy had a sound like no other:

Shloimke Beckerman Kolomeyke

Beckerman was one of the great klezmer clarinetists
of the 20th century. When late-night klezmer parties dissolve into drunken discussion of who was the greatest ever, most people fall into one of two camps: Naftuli Brandwein or Dave Tarras. Me, I like Shloimke Beckerman.

I’m not going to post the gonifs’ version, because honestly, I think we’ve played it better at a few late-night parties of our own; or early in the morning, for that matter, when me & Peter used to play for commuters in the subway with Evan Kumar (the original gonifs drummer).

Beckerman also played jazz with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Could this be him on the first known recording of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in blue”?