Polina Shepherd

sing out! the folksong magazine

You have to love an album that starts off with the inspired madness of the wordless “Ai–Yai–Yai.” But it′s quite atypical of this album, which is all new Yiddish songs, the lyrics taken from poems and set to music by pianist and Shepherd. However, if you′re expecting something akin to klezmer, you′re in for a surprise. There are elements of that here, but for the most Part, this casts its musical net wider and more amorphously. With some ingenious and inspired arrangements, the singers and musicians do a sterling job (kudos to Merlin Shepherd, who not only sings and plays several instruments but also produced the disc). There′s plenty of depth to the words, as you might expect from poetry (luckily, there′s an English translation), but the most important thing about this album is the way it helps revitalize Yiddish music, intent on making it a vibrant artistic force once more, as it was in the 1920s and ′30s. The difference is that this really doesn′t hark back, but views Yiddish music as something very contemporary and alive. It′s a shining experience, one that′s by turns wistful, joyous, introspective and melancholy. A new direction for Yiddish music? Time will tell.

songlines magazine

… Shepherd′s compositions are highly original and sensitive musical settings of interesting, lesser–known Yiddish poems.
Delicious dissonances sit within tight vocal harmonies. Yiddish or Slavic–style melodies ebb and flow. And here and there we hear a classical vocal style, something more operatic, or a flourish of a music theatre. Instrumental styles are just as varied: Jewish musical modes weave together with a klezmer-sounding clarinet, jazz–style saxophone and bass or rock guitar.

All of the musicians are excellent. Merlin Shepherd displays his versatility on clarinet, saxophone and guitar, while Polina′s piano playing enhances her distinctly beautiful compositions.The music expresses contemplation, exuberance, humour and pathos. “Tsvey mol Tsvey Is Fir” (Two times Two is Four) is sung by Evgenya slavina in a lovely, mellow cabaret style with memorable guitar, piano and bass accompaniment. The a cappella singing on several tracks is great, with “Vos Vilstu” (What Do You Want?) suggestive of a Yiddish Sweet Honey In the Rock.

musicians union

Brighton–based Polina leads stunning Jewish a capella group The Vocal Quartet Ashkenazim through 14 great cuts of original music. Featuring lyrics from a wide range of sources, with considerable success. Ai–yai–yai opens with intriguing linear lines from the sax of Merlin Shepherd and sympathetic double bass from Simon Russell, before launching into the incredibly catchy, cleverly arranged and joyful main theme. Shpitzn berg, with its emotive reflections upon a peaceful night, and the pure Der Heyliker Balshemtov exibit Polina′s skilful range. A lovely and unexpected gem.

ari davidow′s klezmer shack

When James Joyce wrote about the East shaking the West awake, he was thinking of Asia. In Jewish cultural life, however, just as a mass migration 100 years ago totally changed Jewish life in the United States, a new wave of migration, both physical and cultural, is doing the same again now that the totalitarian regimes of the last century are gone (in some cases, replaced by new and improved totalitarian regimes, but that is sarcasm and political discussion better suited for elsewhere). In particular, the understanding that the world Jewish community was going to help the remnants of Jewish communities, survivors of the Holocaust and Communism, refind the Jewish culture we carefully preserved for them, are being laid to rest with increasing force.

One excellent example of new Yiddish music comes from Polina Shepherd. Founder of the Quartet Ashkenazim, her latest CD shows how much new Yiddish poetry and music is springing from the former Soviet Union. Now residing in the UK, she is accompanied on this recording by Ashkenazim and husband – now Ashkenazim member – Merlin Shepherd (whose solo saxophone perfectly opens the CD). Much of this music is a capella or sparsely accompanied. And the music itself? A feast of harmonies and new music, some sounding familiar and Jewish, or familiar and art song–ish; all sounding marvellous.

… a copy of this CD is now an essential part of any library where interests tend towards Yiddish, art song, choral music, or simply, “music that makes you joyful.”

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infos über künstler, CDs und bücher

Polina Shepherd, geborene Tovshteyn, stammt aus Russland und war Mitbegründerin des Ensembles Simcha, welches als erstes Klezmer Ensemble nach der Wende in Russland in den frühen 1990ern neu entstand. Im Jahre 2001 gründete sie das Vokal-Quartett Ashkenazim, dass international große Erfolge feierte und mittlerweile vier CDs aufgenommen hat. Die Musik des Ensembles lässt sich am besten mit mehrstimmigen Gesang beschreiben, spärlich begleitet durch Klavier und zeitweise auch Kontrabass und Saxophon. Ähnlich wie beim A–cappella–Gesang werden Instrumente mit der Stimme nachgeahmt …

… Diese CD verdient Aufmerksamkeit bei Liebhabern des jiddischen Liedes. Hier werden nicht die ewig gleichen Stücke des traditionellen Kanons auf die ewig gleiche Art verbraten, sondern es werden neue Werke kreiert, basierend auf alten, aber starken Texten jiddischer Literatur. Polina Shepherd steht in einer Reihe mit Beyle Schaechter–Gottesman, Joshua Waletzky und dem Duo David Wall und Marilyn Lerner. Hier entsteht ein neuer Reigen von jiddischen Liedern, der bald zum Kanon des traditionellen jiddischen Liedgutes hinzugefügt werden muß.

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jewish journal: jewish news, events, los angeles

The Polina Shepherd Vocal Experience (featuring Quartet Ashkenazim): “Baym Taykh” (Oriente). I will admit that my Jewish music listening habits are hardly ordinary. I get paid to listen to a lot more new Yiddish music than you. So you can take my word if I tell you that this dazzling new recording is a distinct change of pace from what I usually hear.

The songs are all originals, composed by Polina Shepherd and sung by Shepherd and a quartet that includes her and husband Merlin Shepherd (who also contributes memorably on reeds and guitar), Yana Ovrutskaya and Evgenya Slavina. This is elegant chamber music that dances nimbly from post–modern a cappella to jazz to art song without missing a beat.

A beautiful, frequently moving CD. You can′t dance to it, but you can listen for hours without losing interest.