ABSYNTHE……MONSIEUR CAMEMBERT
(MGM)
Sydney based combo Monsieur Camembert blends
gypsy tango/swing and klezmer with a winning tongue-in-cheek insouciance that
is instantly intoxicating and highly infectious. Finely executed percussion
free stop/start rhythm is delivered often furiously via acoustic guitar and
double bass, allowing horn and reed flourishes to enable Svetlana Bunic’s accordion lead across a landscape shared by, most
recently, the Ennio Morricone Experience. Guttural Yiddish lyrics eschew Hebrew
hubris with madcap Danny Kaye smarts, unfolding as all eyes, sighs and thighs
and culminating in a jaunty cover of a song designed to be sung at a fully
sated wedding reception, A Good Time Was Had By All.
Roger Jessup, The