Calm after the storm

The endless rounds of trite holiday music blaring everywhere are annoying, so I was truly surprised and pleased to hear and see something new to me performed. It wasn't live, it was a recorded performance from a Jewish temple in Oakland, California, an a capella vocal group and a small instrumental group singing and playing Chanukah music. The instrumentation was violin, cello, hand drum, and a bassoon. The songs weren't the children's favorites such as the dreidel song, or the one about the nights of Chanukah; they were old, very Middle Eastern sounding, in minor keys, lots of quarter tones. It was in the wheelhouse of "world music" that has been most enjoyable to hear lately, exotic to my ear and eye. The bassoon player was excellent, using the horn in more pleasing ways than as some old wag described it, " a burping bed post."