Re: Klezmer Clarinet

[Owen Davidson <owend...>]

Bob Jacobson wrote:

>And btw Owen, don't be too quick to write off bagpipes as a klezmer
>instrument. There's some fairly cool sounding use of bagpipe in things like
>Transylvanian village music and probably other vaguely related styles that
>I'm even more ignorant about. You're right, you would indeed look silly,
>but it might sound okay.

Yes, the bagpipe is, or was, used all over eastern Europe (and western
Europe, for that matter).  But its role in the village bands was taken up by
the accordion pretty much as soon as it came on the scene.  It's interesting
how new technology changes the face of folk music.  When it doesn't just
obliterate it by turning it into whatever popular shlock happens to be
washing over from the US at the time, you get interesting cross-pollinations
like that wonderful Bulgarian wedding music from Ivo Papasov, with the James
Brown rhythm section.  I agree with Alex that adopting a completely
conservatorial approach will reduce klezmer music to a stuffed dodo in a
dusty case somewhere.  Fortunately, klezmer is still a living tradition with
enough breadth to accomodate various approaches.  It's important to look
back as well as forward.  There will be casualties along the march of
progress, of course.  The European bagpipe may be one of them.  Already it
seems to be an instrument played only by folklorists.  Maybe we can hear
from someone who goes into the villages, like Josh Horowitz, what the actual
state of the bagpipe is.  By the way, does anyone know of any use of the
bagpipe by Jewish musicians?

Owen
_________________________________________________________________________
        Owen Davidson, Amherst, Mass.
        The Wholesale Klezmer Band

        The Angel that presided o'er my birth
        Said Little creature formd of Joy and Mirth,
        Go love without the help of any King on Earth. 

                                Wm. Blake