Seth Kibel - Clown with a Stick (2023)

A stick? Most definitely. A clown? Most definitely not. Seth Kibel is far more virtuoso than court jester, especially on his main axe, the clarinet (sometimes referred to as a liquorice stick), as he proves time and again on this inclusive and thoroughly delightful album.

Okay, so the music is for the most part more swing/klezmer/folk than jazz; that hardly matters when Kibel is in charge. While he may not improvise often, he is no slouch when he chooses to, and has much of interest to say. And while Kibel elects now and again to honor his Yiddish heritage, he does so always within an aura of credibility and respect.

Kibel wrote four of the album's eleven numbers ("Waltz of the Rejected," "Stealing from the Past," "12-Bar Schmooze" and the laid-back closer, "Clown with a Stick"), and they are among its many highlights, as is a fascinating version (in two tempos) of the Ziggy Elman/Johnny Mercer standard, "And the Angels Sing." Kibel plays flute on "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Afn Pripetshik," clarinet the rest of the way.

While Kibel slides or sprints through the bill of fare, he doesn't do it alone, as he is backed on every number by one of two splendid rhythm sections, the first consisting of pianist Harry Appelman, bassist Jeff Reed and drummer Joey Antico, the second pianist Sean Lane, bassist Bob Abbott and drummer Wes Crawford—all new names in this precinct, but each one an excellent musician who is at home in any milieu.

To those who may have been expecting an actual clown, sorry to disappoint, but Kibel is the real deal, able to excel in whatever guise or mood he chooses, and Clown with a Stick must be taken for what it is, a self-deprecating send-up of an artist who is anything but a klutz when it comes to klezmer or anything else linked to the clarinet.