Re: Ottoman surprise

[Joe Kurland <ganeydn...>]

Stan Wrote:

>I remember hearing on Sunrise Semester that cities in earlier Ottoman times
>had Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Islamic Quarters.  Everybody had their
>respected identity, trade worked, cultures kept together for cultural
>integrity and dealt around town for economic practicality.  I remember
>thinking that it was a remarkably enlightened system... a far cry from
>"Mohammed or the sword."
>
>I'll bet there was some great fusion proto-klezmer jamming too!
>
>-Stan

In a recent documentary film on Jewish music around the world that I saw at
the Boston Jewish Film Festival, there is a great scene of a chazzan and a
muezin sitting together in Istanbul taking turns singing Jewish and Islamic
prayers in the same style and with similar melodies.  I think the name of
the film was "Chants of Stars and Sand."  But since "klezmer" is Yiddish, I
don't think you could call it  "fusion proto-klezmer jamming."

Yosl (Joe) Kurland
The Wholesale Klezmer Band
Colrain, MA 01340
voice/fax: 413-624-3204