The Pale was the name for a limited geographical area of Tsarist Russia within which Jews were allowed to live. So is the perfect name for a band that plays music (the jazzy music of Eastern European Jewry) but refuses to be bound by stylistic limitations. And a live recording is the perfect way to experience 's joyful, sophisticated, and frequently humorous music. Led by mandolinist , the group takes you on a tour of music past and music future. There are songs both touching (a Yinglish song of unrequited love titled ) and hilarious (the slightly risque song here reworked into a galloping groove and retitled ), as well as original instrumentals of both scintillating energy ( ) and quiet, bittersweet beauty ( ). Not a single track is weak, obvious, underplayed, or overplayed -- is probably the best album of 2004. ~ Rick Anderson