Re: Klezmer Clarinet

[Bob Jacobson <bjacobs...>]

Sherry Mayrent wrote:

>I don't know about why the trumpet players aren't choosing klezmer, but it
>seems pretty obvious to me that trumpets could never really "shine" in
>traditional Yiddish music because they simply lack the ability to produce
>all those elements of the vocal style that have been described and
>discussed here over the past few days.  While they have the element of
>wind, which in my view is what brought the clarinet to pre-eminence in this
>style, the metallic sound is a definite obstacle.  Yes, there have been
>wonderful, expressive trumpet/cornet players -- Manny Klein and the Klezmer
>Conservatory Band's current cornet player (sorry, his name escapes me) are
>two excellent examples whose work I enjoy very much -- but they can't do
>anywhere near what even a second string fiddler or clarinetist could do
>with respect to expressivity.

I don't mean to get brass-defensive here, but I disagree with Sherry on a
couple of points. I recognize that a lot of listeners seem to prefer a
stringy or reedy tone to a brassy one when it comes to traditional Yiddish
music. But the trumpet and other brass instruments can produce a huge
variety of sounds in the right hands, including those that mimic the human
voice warbling, sobbing, etc.Just listen to jazzers like Miles Davis and
Lester Bowie. In klezmer, however, brass players are discouraged from using
those sounds--read for example Pete Sokolow's essays on orchestration. As
for the squawks of second string fiddlers and clarinetists, I would
hesitate to characterize those as expressive.

I think Lori Lippitz was onto something when she wrote that klezmer is one
of the few places where clarinetists can shine these days. The clarinet
player in my band, who is not Jewish, has said pretty much the same thing.
Trumpet players are allowed to shine more elsewhere. I guess the question
this leads to is, why do we all only want to play music in which we get to
"shine"? Maybe that's one for all you klezmer bass players out there.

Now y'all can carry on with your battle of the clarinet titans. And btw,
Sherry, I like your playing quite a bit.

Bob Jacobson