Djembe - Scandinavian magazine for Cross Culture

[Ingemar Johansson <hebanon...>]

New issue of Djembe is out, a very well renowned Cross Culture/World
Music-mag in Scandinavia. produced in Copenhagen, Denmark. Some of the
stuff is in English, and although much of the recent issue ain't published
on line yet, you may find interesting reading at URL

http://www.djembe.dk/index.html

The new issue contains an article on Channe Nussbaum & Spielniks, which is
not an ordinary Klezmer-band but experimenting with some new sounds (more
or less successfully), They call it "Jidpop". Nussbaum is a well-known jazz
and entertainment singer in Denmark, but her singing in Yiddish seems
somewhat restrained at times. In this article one of the members of the
band relates how they were the head attraction at a "Festival for Yewish
Music" in Cottbus, ex East Germany, arranged by young communists (!). The
scenery was appropriate: "Back at the hotel (after a successful performance
- IJ) we toasted in Gin and Tonic with six wonderful cooling reservoirs at
the power plant nearby". The writer is a bit astonished that klezmer is so
appreciated in Germany ("more there than in any other European coúntry"), a
feeling I cannot share. For young and middle-age people protesting against
their ancestors - what could be more chic than worshipping the music of the
Jews, die Untermenschen par excellence? Of course there are many true
admirers of Klezmer in Germany, but there are also fans with almost
(homo)sexual overtones.

In this latest issue of Djembe there is also a review of Wolf Krakowski's
CD "Transmigrations" (which has attrected much attention in Scandinavia),
getting five stars out of the mag's possible six.

The theme of the issue is "Music and Censorship" with articles on Iran,
South Africa and Algeria ao. Very interesting.

Ingemar