When I was told last summer that the Kimmel Center was presenting a German cabaret band called Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester, the first word that entered my head was "camp." Or maybe it was "kitsch;" I can't remember precisely. I simply assumed it would be over-the-top imitations of the musical "Cabaret." How wrong I was. This group is like no other since the 1930's.
Listen to one of their CD's, if you can find it in the stores, and you'll think you're back in time hearing the musicians playing on a Hollywood soundstage for Astaire and Rogers. The playing and the arrangements are so uncannily true to the period that it stifles any smirking or laughter. It's almost eerie, but totally infectious. If you go to their website, don't be put off by the clip of Mr. Raabe himself singing. Yes, much of his singing is in German and his biography does have a slightly cloying, mocking tone, especially when he talks about their CD's outselling the Beatles in Lithuania. Click on their music section to sample the clips of "Night and Day," "All God's Chillun," or "Kein Schwein," and you'll be convinced. They've been around since 1986, but only taken rare engagements here in this country. Visit their website. And they're playing at the Kimmel Center on Thursday, December 1. Personally, I can't wait.