The Apples at Krakow Jewish Festival (28.06)

The Apples' concert opened this year Krakow Jewish Festival with a true funky blast. This definitely was not your typical klezmer music concert, a clear reminder that Jewish music can surprise you in many ways.

The Apples are: Arthur Krasnobaev (trumpet), Yaron Ouzana (trombone), Oleg Nayman (tenor and soprano sax), Yakir Sasson (baritone sax), Yonadav Halevy (drums), Alon Carmelly (bass), Erez Todres (turntable), Ofer "Schoolmaster" Tal (turntable), Uri "Mixmonster" Wertheim (sound console & live effects). Oldschool funk is obviously a foundation of the group's music but it got spiced up with ingredients as diverse as big band swing, eastern folk flavour and modern club music appeal.

There's just one judge factor for a funk band - the audience having fun. And it was impossible not to dance and jump and laugh with this band playing. The horn section was tight, the grooves fat, the turntable scratching downright nasty, the horn solos roaring (brass) and honking (reeds).

The highlight of the night is the energetic cover of Rage Against The Machine's "Killing in the name", started as ... a late night jam-style ballad, with all the horns taking sweet and slick solos before going into the funk-guerilla mode.

You may enjoy the band's latest LP/CD "Fly on it" in its entirety on bandcamp, undisputedly fine piece of groove music. Yet the studio polish and clarity doesn't give the justice to the band's raw and mad energy on the stage. Simply irresistible. If you ever have a chance to see them live, don't miss it and get ready to dance your socks off. Funk yeah.

The Apples:

Arthur Krasnobaev (trumpet), Yaron Ouzana (trombone), Oleg Nayman (tenor and soprano sax), Yakir Sasson (baritone sax), Yonadav Halevy (drums), Alon Carmelly (bass), Erez Todres (turntable), Ofer "Schoolmaster" Tal (turntable), Uri "Mixmonster" Wertheim (sound console & live effects)

Przestrzenie Forum. Krakow Jewish Festival 2013. 28.06.