Re: Celtic/Klez and wider audiences

[Joe Kurland <ganeydn...>]

A member of a South American musical group once said to me:

"You know, your dealing with a prejudice about Jewish music.  I had a job
in which I was supposed to take a group of Latin Americans who were here on
an educational program to cultural activities and was told to take them to
a concert you were giving.  I thought, 'Jewish music.... it couldn't be too
interesting.'  But it was a job, so I took the group.  Well, we had such a
great time.  Everybody danced.  Everybody loved the songs.  People just
don't know how good it is."

Yosl (Joe) Kurland
The Wholesale Klezmer Band
Colrain, MA 01340
voice/fax: 413-624-3204
http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn

At 6:27 AM 11/23/97, bill parker wrote:
>>As a non-Jew, I strongly agree that there is a potentially much greater
>>public for Klezmer and other Jewish music beyond the Jewish community.
>> Looking for klezmer performances led me to Ari's list.  It could be that an
>>assumption that non-Jews would not be interested in concerts has, through
>>publicity/media selections, become somewhat self-fulfilling.
>>
>>The last klezmer concert I attended was at a temple and a member tipped me
>>off about it I'd have missied it.
>
>
>I whole heartedly concur with what Stan says.
>We find that the "world" music and folkloric scene is  much more interested
>(and responsive) and most of our work comes from that area.  The Jewish
>community in Western Australia is relatively small and our colleagues in
>another band which does specialize in klezmer finds itself playing rock and
>roll at weddings and bar mitzvahs.  At  Jewish "folk" concert in 1996, the
>majority of the performers (dancers and musicians) were non Jews, playing a
>wide range of music from modern Israeli pop to hard core klezmer.
>
>Bill
>Red Sea Pedestrians