Aaron Alexander
Midrash Mish Mosh
* * * *  (Four stars)

     On Midrash Mish Mosh, drummer Aaron Alexander administers a wildly exciting, klezmer-induced modern jazz/rock jamboree with his fellow New York downtown scene denizens. Drummer Michael Sarin adds to the overall sassiness, resulting in a dual-traps attack in support of Brad Shepik’s distortion based, thrash-rock guitar riffs and other niceties.

     Featuring perky horns blazing with North African motifs and tinges of Jewish wedding music, the octet renders a semi-structured party atmosphere amid a few free-form episodes. They execute a climactically oriented dirge on ”Kaddish for Carmen” while progressing into hyper-mode, klezmer choruses during "Balagan Balaban."

     The musicians’ in-your-face modus operandi is supplanted by sequences of knotty twists and turns that complement moments of pathos and humor. The somewhat brazen two-drummer attack adds additional meat and bravado to the overall proceedings. Clarinetist Merlin Shepherd’s tremolo techniques and drawling extended notes might also rekindle notions of a comedic silent film music score.

    Firmed up by crashing cadenzas and complex unison lines, Alexander’s compositions are marked by gravitating flows and quirky motifs. Besides the Middle Eastern overtones and jazzy schema, the group touches upon the blues and other genres. This is seriously orchestrated music and not simply a balls-to-the-wall type gala, as Alexander and associates combine invigorating arrangements with a prominently transmitted fun factor.