RE: [Fwd: Re: Correction]

[Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky <reyzl...>]

>One of the Black man's greatest contributions to world civilization is 
>blues music, from which jazz, rock n roll and other music derive.
>Barrelhouse and jazz was born in  bordello (or sportin' house) parlors,
>both to complement and stimulate the upstairs activities.


What's the proof of that?   This sound to me as if it was the 50's 
conservatives who made such claims in order to besmirch the music, but was 
later accepted simply because people who didn't know better just repeated it.

Now I will present my own theory which may have as many holes as swiss cheese 
but I just don't know cause I haven't researched it.   I say this only because 
I have had partial conversations about this with people who do go to these 
weddings.

I have not been to a chasidishe khasene in years, but I understand from people 
who do that instead of the bands, they hire a very small group to use 
synthesizers.   This deeply slashes the price of the music at an expensive 
wedding.   Since most of these families have kayn ayne hore a lot of 
kinderlakh, saving money in this way is very much appreciated.   They have 
become totally acceptable, even though the synthesizers are limited in the 
styles of music they plays.  So, in the interest of saving money, this is the 
kind of music they are settling for.  

Next theory, no holes in it:
Chsidishe kids, born in America, also have a right to be bored with that "old 
stuff" and may want music that is "modern" just the way we know they want 
their: houses, furniture, clothing, vacation packages, vcr's etc. to be 
"modern".   Have you ever seen the ads in khsidishe papers?   They all love to 
use the word "modern".   (Trust me on this.)   They are not choosing the latest 
musical 1999 sound.  They are using black music as it has been commericialized 
and filtered by white American (Jews.)  They are choosing a somewhat older 
American standard pop sound because this is what is considered "modern" by 
them.  Since no one is dancing sexily at those weddings, no one can claim that 
sexual expression or sexual release is their goal.   American or contemporary 
music has a different connotation and symbolism for them than it has for us and 
people on this thread are trying to impose their secular world's musical 
association on the minds of the chsidim.   It don't necessarily woik like that 
culturally.  Most countries in southern and Western Europe did the same thing 
with American sound.    

I will resort to my favorite example.   Chsidim buy mylar and paper Christmas 
decorations to decorate their sukkas, but they believe that they have 
de-Christianized it by using it in a Jewish context.   The Jewish context has 
redefined it as a Jewish artifact so all that christmassy connotative stuff 
just went poof, out the window.   It's the same with the music.  They have 
redefined the form and made it Jewish.   I still hate it, but they are 
convinced that they are real cool with the world now.  They are the chsidim who 
are with it, and the women, especially, want to be with it.   Modern Orthodoxy 
already went through this period in the 60's, 70's, and 80's.

 
Reyzl



----------
From:  Kame'a Media[SMTP:media (at) kamea(dot)com]
Sent:  Wednesday, January 06, 1999 9:35 AM
To:  World music from a Jewish slant.
Subject:  [Fwd: Re: Correction]

Eliezer Kaplan wrote:
> 
> Okay. I give up. I'm wrong and all you folks who've disagreed with me are
> right- I was just sitting here, softly humming 'Sunshine of Your Love' to
> myself, and tapping out the hedonistic, horny 4/4 rock rhythm on the desk,
> and my wife couldn't handle it any more, and just grabbed me. Also, our two
> cats, who normally hate each other, started pitching woo by their food
> bowls. I guess the Chassidim like secular music because they want to have
> many children.
>                                 EK

One of the Black man's greatest contributions to world civilization is 
blues music, from which jazz, rock n roll and other music derive.
Barrelhouse and jazz was born in  bordello (or sportin' house) parlors,
both to complement and stimulate the upstairs activities.

The fact that rock n roll has been embraced around the world (even where
it was strenuously banned) is a testament to its wide and irresistible
appeal.
Much of this appeal has to do with its inherent sexual rhythms, since
people everywhere enjoy sex.

Khsidic youth,  living in a sex-repressive/sex-restrictive environment,
cannot help but to respond to "the beat", because the music simply feels
good and provides an acceptable  form of  psycho-sexual release.  

I havn't been to one, but I read that there are now khsidic "raves",
all-night 
parties  driven by loud "rock"Ýmusic.    I'm sure its not only Moshiakh
that's on the minds of the ravers.  This is a way for people who do not
normally question their lives, to rebel.  Young people everywhere want
the same thing:   their own style of fun.  And "everybody knows what
happens when you start having too much fun" (Rick Danko:  The Last
Waltz)

The "woo" should come off with a little salt and vinegar.

Wolf Krakowski
www.kamea.com