Pete Seeger, Ladino, Ashkenaz

[Judith Cohen <judithrc...>]

Hi,
First, if anyone coming to Toronto for Ashkenaz wants to get together, give 
me a call. 5332666.

So - did Pete Seeger - one of my all-time heroes, incidentally - record any 
"Ladino" songs? (don't think so...)
The point about him is well taken of course, but, as I pointed out in my 
last message, anyone is, of course, free to use information or not, or to 
the degree to which they need /want it. I don't recall ever responding to 
questions and then being made to feel so chastized for providing the 
information I'm trained to work on , and have spent 2 decades working on as 
a scholar and performer. Obviously, whoever wants to sing whatever songs 
they want to sing, however they want to sing them. But why would I give less 
complete and precise information than I have, just because some people may 
choose not to use it?!
Re Pete Seeger - again, of course we're all indebted to him (would that we 
all did it as well and effectively as he has). But - in general - not 
referring to ANYONE particular at all - there seems to be a tendency to  not 
give Judeo-Spanish songs the serious attention which in many cases klezmer 
has received before making a lot of  kinds of changes and innovations. Many 
of the most interesting and innovative approaches to klezmer have come from 
people who either grew up with it or who spent a long time learning its 
traditional forms, before making creative changes. For the most part, always 
with exceptions, Judeo-Spanish songs have not received this kind of 
treatment from performers, and that's what I'm probably responding to.
Flory, for example, grew up in the tradition, and she and her children have 
made all sorts of changes, including new songs which have entered the 
repertoire; she told me once that she was dubious about some of her son's 
arrangements at frst, then thought "well, they're just harmonizing it in 
their own way". Yes - and I even used that as a title for a paper I wrote! - 
but they grew up with it, THEN changed it. Or, other people worked with a 
tradition, learned it, understood it, understood the language, the musical 
idiom - THEN made changes. No one needs my or anyone else's permission, 
obviously, but I still wonder why Judeo-Spanish song is, by and large, 
treated so differently from other repertoires people learn - witness, for 
example, the close attention many non-Slavic origin North Americans have 
paid to learning Balkan vocal and instrumental music, and dance.
    I'm not sure why Simon is so worried about defending Joel, whom, as he 
said, scholars, including myself, respect for the work he's been doing and 
his initiative in doing it. Did I ever say anything negative about him?? 
Joel has been consistently helpful and generous about sharing his work, 
which has been itself consistent and precise. His valuable work on 
discography is not the same as scholarship on Judeo-Spanish song itself- 
which is precisely why we appreciate him and, I dare say,why he appreciates 
us!
Anyway, I'm happy to provide information - but if one is asking questions,  
:) please specify whether you actually want answers :)
Cheers, see some of you this weekend, perhaps - Judith

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