Re: What is Klezmer ?

[Solidarity Foundation <svzandt...>]

> Question: What is Klezmer? I have been listening to a lot of klezmer.
I would like to have input, on a classification system; i.e., classic,
improve, fusion, vocal, big band, etc.. This is for use, for the music
library, at the station. Thank You.

Jacob Freedman

______________________

What is klezmer? Or rather, what kinds of klezmer are there? You ask a
mighty good question, podner. At one time, I could have told you. But
nowadays your guess is as good as mine. However, here is my guess:

First of all, the most traditional styles, recorded aprproximately 1905-
1930 -- bands like Abe Schwartz, Abe Elenkrieg, Harry Kandel, Lt. Joseph
Frankl; soloists like Joseph Moskowitz, Joseph Solinski, et al.

Also early Tarras, and all of Naftule Brandwein.

Next, a later, more Americanized form of the above. (Obviously no hard
& fast line -- American influence is already clear in some of the peppy
arrangements recorded by Abe Schwartz's band in 1929 -- but this stuff
is definitely an American form of klezmer. I'm thinking of later Tarras,
often working with Abe Ellstein (1930s and later), Epstein Brothers,
Marty Levitt, Klezmer Plus, and so on.

This shades off into Yiddish swing, which seems to have been popular
from the mid-1930s through the early 1950s.

Parallelling the above styles are pop and theater vocals, often to music
composed by Alexander Olshanetsky, Joseph Rumshinsky, Sholem Secunda...
technically not klezmer, but closely related stylistically. Tarras does
solo breaks on many of these recordings. Some early theater songs, though
in Yiddish, are basically related to ordinary "western" theater styles
of the day and have little resemblance to klezmer, though of course
played by the same bands.                                   

In the fifties and early sixties you have a large proportion of novelty
numbers. The king of this genre was of course Mickey Katz. 

Then comes the klezmer revival.

About 1975. 

I would start this with neo-traditional: Statman & Feldman (actually   
pupils of Tarras), Kapelye, Joel Rubin, Brave Old World, more recently
bands like Wholesale, Budowitz, and others...

And cartoon-music klezmer: Klezmorim and others...

neo-schmaltz (KCB)

and here we come to the "cutting edge" -- fusion klezmer:

modern jazz-klezmer
country & bluegrass klezmer
rock & heavy metal klezmer 
art-music klezmer
Euro-klezmer
Afro-klezmer
Latino-klezmer

and what have you.

Many modern klezmer bands have in their repertoire a lot of socialist
and labor songs, which are not and never were klezmer... Also, of course,
most of the revival bands mix styles, so are difficult to classify
neatly. For example, Klezmatics are rock & heavy metal klezmer, but
have strongs roots in traditional, so can play more that way when they
want to -- Brave Old World has an extraordinary command of traditional
klezmer, but much of their repertoire now is what you might call
art-music klezmer or Euro-klezmer. And so on. Good luck.

Itzik-Leyb Volokh (Jeffrey Wollock)