Re: Klezmer music

[Joe Kurland <ganeydn...>]

On 12/28/95, Stanley Eherenpreis wrote:

>Dear Joe,
>
>  I am interested in obtaining music for starting a klezmer band.  I
>have some of the basic books but are you aware of any others that
>particularly feature the clarinet  and/or provide some insight and
>guidance.
>
>I can be reached on baxh29a (at) prodigy(dot)com
>
>  Shalom
>
>             Stanley


Dear Stanley,

Probably the best book for a beginner in starting a klezmer band is "The
Compleat Klezmer" by Henry Sapoznik and Pete Sokolow, published by Tara
Publications.  But the best way to learn to play this music is to listen to
it and to learn directly from those who play it.

There is much too much going on in the music to transcribe it all onto
sheet music, and you wouldn't want to anyway, it would freeze one
interpretation of a tune as definitive for all time.  I've seen some
transcriptions that try to capture every ornament and the stuff is
unreadable.  Listen to your favorite bands, listen to the old stuff- 78 rpm
recordings or the collections that have been reissued on 33rpm or cds, and
listen to recordings of old eastern European cantors.  What those cantors
did with their voices is what you want to be able to do with your clarinet.
Use the books of sheet music as a guide to the skeleton of a tune and then
make it your own with your ornaments, countermelodies, and rhythmic
variations (keeping in mind that rhythmic variations should reflect the
rhythms of the Yiddish language.)

If I had seen your letter a few months ago, I would have said, come to
KlezKamp to learn all about it.  Now you'll have to wait till next year.
It happens during that week every December when the world shuts down but
it's not our party (i.e. around December 25.)  To find out more about
KlezKamp, email to Sapoznik (at) aol(dot)com (Henry Sapoznik), director of 
Living
Traditions, the organization that produces KlezKamp.  Maybe we'll see you
there next year.

BTW, where are you?  Do you have a group?  And have you visited our website yet?
        http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn
Good luck with your efforts.  Keep us posted.

Joe Kurland
The Wholesale Klezmer Band
Colrain, MA