Re: My statment (Matt Temkin)

[Mattflight <Mattflight...>]

    I feel the need to respond to my own statement and fill in some issues. 

    This past Saturday the 2nd night of khánike the Hillel House at 
Northeastern had its annual party. They had a DJ in the basement, and 
different things going on the first floor. From past dealings with DJ's I 
know how much "Jewish" music that they have with them (less than none, or if 
your really lucky they have a version of Hava Nagila.) So my jacket just 
happened to have a couple CD's with me that had a couple of tracks that I 
thought would be interesting to listen to. They had a stereo on up stairs and 
it just happened to play the music that I brought with me the whole night. 
People went back and forth, with a some people staying in one area more than 
others. But my inform survey comes from talking to about 20 people over the 
course of the evening.
    A number of people commented on the different types of music that I 
played. (You could say that the theme of the music that I brought with me how 
does Frank London figure into.) Nigunim was disliked, that is the first 
couple of minutes of the first track. I didn't want to press the issue, so I 
went on to Kabalogy the 1999 release by Hasidic New Wave. People like 
Kablogy, it sounds "Jewish" yet has a cool jazz vibe to it. 
    Along with those two for a holiday spin I had the first Festival of Light 
CD with me (yes I know that most it has nothing to do with the Holiday it is 
marketed to). The first and last tracks, Rock of Ages-Ma'or Tzur (Marc Cohn), 
and Lighting Up the World - (Peter Himmelman & David Broza.) 
    Why do young Jews connect to this music, because it is similar to what 
they hear yet "Jewish." Which leads me to the last CD that I played some 
tracks off of, the JAM disk "A guide for the perplexed" from 1998. The two 
tracks that people liked off this disk were the Klezmatics "Mizmor Shir 
Lehanef" (they had no idea what the Yiddish meant, that just thought it was 
"cool." A few of them had heard the Klezmatics before.) The other track that 
people liked was Yosi Piamenta "David & Goliath," must be the ulta-hip 
crossing musical genre style that he has. 
    I'm thinking of working there ears into the older tunes through the 
Klezmatics and the Epstien Brothers. I personally don't see many harmonic 
differences between Dance music that was being played downstairs and the 
Klezmer music. Neither of the styles like to change cords. 
    I would also like to add on more place on to the list of where I study 
and that is the Chabbad House. I go there occasional for shabbat dinners 
where some great tish-nigum can be heard, and sung. The key to my learning 
style is listening to as much as possible. Buy as many CD's as possible, 
don't stay with just one band. As I write this I'm listening to Budowitz, and 
I have no idea what I will turn to next to infuse the mode(s) into my blood.

Matt Temkin

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