Klezmer trumpet

[Solidarity Foundation <svzandt...>]

On Sun. 25 Jan 1998 07:40;22 -1000, Sherry Mayrent wrote:

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.

I really don't agree. Maybe the problem is that we haven't heard enough good
traditional klezmer trumpet players. The "bite" and "growl" of a good klezmer
trumpeter like Abe Elenkrig (died in the early 1960s) work beautifully in
klezmer. Listen to the "Berdichever Khusid" or the flip-side "Simkhas Toyre",
recorded around 1916 by the so-called "Jewish Orchestra", for it is none
other than Abe Elenkrig on trumpet. Also, listen to the magnificent anonymous
trumpet soloist in the Doina recorded in Istanbul that is featured on the
new edition of Martin Schwartz's historical klezmer anthology on Arhoolie
(recently released). I think it'll knock your socks off.

Itzik-Leyb