Re: klezmers and fusioneers

[S. Austen & B. Woods <acoustic...>]

I keep wondering as I read these posts, where is this arbitrary magic line
that one crosses to become a "real klezmer" as opposed to being considered
a hack or fusioner who is found to be lacking traditional context. I
certainly know that in my own work learning, studying and performing
klezmer music, I have at times wondered to myself whether or not I was
"really getting it", regardless of positive audience response to my work,
and I do think that this is a healthy part of musical development in any
style. But who decrees when we are/have become the real thing? (This is a
question I'd ask not only for klezmer music, but any traditional folk music
form such as Celtic, delta blues, Appalachian, jazz, and others that I have
immersed myself in.) I don't think we have yet established a modern day
course of study or apprenticeship at the end of which one is really a
klezmer musician. How many old 78s should a person slave over?, how many
dances and weddings should we have played? etc. before we are the "real
thing"? This is a hard thing to measure.

I think much of the traditional versus fusion dialog comes down to personal
taste. What do I like? What moves me to put on the infinite repeat button
on my CD player? What moves me to buy every single CD an artist releases?
and to drive however far to hear them perform live? What moves me to have
to learn a particular tune from a recording or book? The musicians' own
expression and interpretation plays such a role in this. Players in all
genres infuse the material, whether original or traditional, with a
uniquely personal expression of themselves, that draws the listener in
their musical vision.

Anyway, I could probably go on for many more paragraphs, but at this point,
I'd rather get down to the continual and evolving work of crossing that
magical line of being "the real thing" and practice...

Seth

McDuffee's General Store & Recording Co.
Seth Austen & Beverly Woods
3 Pork Hill Rd Ossipee, NH 03864
(603) 539-8301
acoustic (at) landmarknet(dot)net


---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+