Re: Mandy Patinkin's Yiddish album

[Ingemar Johansson <hebanon...>]

Seth, I agree with you on most points and your definition of Hank Williams
or Muddy Waters who (...) 
> performed, for the vast part, solely in one "authentic" style or
> tradition, in which they were expert (by virtue of originality or
> technique or other connection to the style).
> 
is right on the spot.

For me the problem was the _pretended_ authenticity of Patinkin's. This is
perfectly mirrored by Aris word, quoted by me already, about this album
being "such an amazing tribute to language, to culture, and to our times
and the times of 75 and 100 years ago". It should also be noted that Ari's
evading my criticism on this point in his reply. Instead he falsely
juxtaposes Patinkin, a pinchbeck plagiarist, to Krakowski, an expert in
Yiddish culture and language.Well aware of Ari's aversion to Wolf, I should
perhaps have mentioned, say, Michael Alpert of "Brave Old World" instead.
I also want to remind you of the fact that I mentioned Jaacov Shapiro as an
authentic Yiddish-singer too (those three correspond to Seth's definition
given above - Patinkin does not).

The question of the voice as an instrument is interesting. I would say that
Sinatra had authenticity, though. He sang with an extraordinarily
sensitivity and musicality (he had, with the words of a friend, "the voice
of a cello"), his most tangible jazz-past is crucial here, I think (by the
way it was Frankie who pointed out that Louis Armstrong was the one who
made an art of singing popular music). Thus, a few - but just a few -
singers are capable of bringing new meanings to seemingly superficial
songs: Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Chet Baker and some
others, but definitely not Mandy Patinkin.

Take it easy,
Ingemar