MOISHE has never actually shared his bagel recipe – he's never come forward to be identified either but that's another story.

It seems safe to assume, however, that play-dough might be the main ingredient. Certainly the quintet that represents this delicacy seems able to bend itself into whatever shape a composition's musical direction requires.

So we had, from a band that's established a strong reputation over the past decade for playing essentially klezmer music, the world premiere of a piece that began in Spain and travelled to Brazil, changing accent, groove and musical shape with remarkable ease. La Rhumba Salvadora, for such it was named, represents bassist Mario Caribe's grandmother's life journey and it's a superb addition to a repertoire that includes tributes to other relatives, such as accordionist Pete Garnett's zany Uncle Roland, and late friends, including the heroically iconoclastic Martyn Bennett, for whom violinist Greg Lawson composed the beautiful, subtly Scottish-sounding New Morning.

Much of what was played was familiar but its delivery, especially from Lawson with his passionate zest and singing tone in the high register, ensured that it was consistently fresh and exciting and very often deeply moving. The violinist's opening feature, I Will Not Be Sad in This World, was an extraordinary piece of controlled emotional release. There was more passion, and more genre shifting, as special guest, Chilean chanteuse Valentina Montoya Martinez arrived to add milongas happy and sad, ballads, some drama and little good natured cheek to a set that was dedicated to a sponsor who was celebrating his 80th birthday and must have felt that, musically speaking, he'd had Christmas added.

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