Re: Flory Jagoda

[Daniel Jay Fox <dan_fox...>]

On Mon, 1 May 1995, Michael R. Leavitt wrote:
> 
> Jagoda is really wonderful.  She's local to the Washington, DC area,
> performs with her family.  They're from Sarajevo, I believe.  In fact
> there was just a tribute to her last night (I couldn't make it).  David,
> if you're listening, how was the concert?  Does anyone have a complete 
> discography of her stuff?
> 
Yes, Flory is wonderful. Yes, I made it to the concert. It was an 
appreciation of her 25+ years of keeping the Sephardic folk tradition 
alive. It was sponsored/organized by Ma'alot, a local (to DC) combination 
cantorial school and advocacy organization for liturgical music. 
Performers included: Rochelle Helzner, Sue Roemer, David Schneyer, Alan 
Oresky, Theo Stone, La Rondinella, Zemer Chai, and Flory's children. 

Rochelle Helzner has a voice that is not easily describable. Beautiful id 
inadequate and perfect doesn't convey the richness. I do sound for such 
concerts as a sideline (I didn't do this one, more's the pity) and I know 
how tolisten to the performer, the system, and the room at the same time. 
She lifted me right out of my awareness/critical mode and suspended 
thought for her solo. Just incredible. I don't know if she has 
recordings, but if there's justice in the world she should. 

Sue Roemer is a fine cantor in her own right, and her material was fine. 
She, David Schneyer, Alan Oresky, and Theo Stone are 4/5 of the founding 
lineup of the Fabrangen Fiddlers, a great group that grew out of DC's 
oldest chavurah. They played a few numbers as an ensemble as well.

La Rondinella is very much in the vein of Voice Of The Turtle, so much so 
that I suspect they're tired of the comparison. Viola da gamba, guitar, 
lute, recorder, etc. 3 multinstrumentalists who do great Sephardic-style 
chamber music. 

Zemer Chai is a choral group. I think I counted 14 voices. They did a 
call-and-response thing with a Sephardic cantor whose name has slipped my 
mind and is not printed in the program. This was the first time I had the 
pleasure of hearing them, and they are excellent. I intend to track them 
down again. 

A great and unexpected pleasure came when Flory's children and others of 
her extended family came on stage to perform. There were 2 daughters, a 
son, a son-in-law, and 2 friends of the family. They did a 25 minute set 
of songs that they had learned "at their mother's knee." It was a 
delightful and rollicking set, and very professionally presented. I have 
worked with Flory and her children before, and they really shone as 
performers (as opposed to "sidemen" or "backup," when they play with 
Flory). 

Flory's husband told a few Flory stories, including how they met, 
romanced and were married in wartime and immediate postwar Europe. She is 
a Holocaust survivor, among other things. 

All in all, a magical evening. It was a pity that I wasn't working the 
console that night, because I would have made a tape! Ah, me.

Anyone interested in more information can email me or contact the House 
of Musical Traditions (301-270-9090, hmtrad (at) aol(dot)com, hmtrad (at) 
cais(dot)com) for 
information about recordings of any of these artists. Ma'alot can be 
reached at 301-309-2310, or 15 W. Montgomery Avenue, Rockville MD 
20850-4140. David Schneyer founded and runs Ma'alot. 

--dan fox