Damage control/promiscuous fusioneering

[Kame'a Media <media...>]

>  Dear Folks:
>
>  I have been unsubscribed for awhile and recently resubbed to post an
>  Announcement for the Concert of Dec. 19th  At National Yiddish Book
>  Center
>
> > (Sunday, 2 PM --Hampshire College Entrance -- Amherst, MA)
>
> ********DISCLAIMER********NOT A =KLEZMER= CONCERT*******************

> No matter what you may read and no matter what National Yiddish Book Center 
> mailing tells
> you,  the concert will be Yiddish Americana World Music
> consisting of: Yiddish folk, theatre and pop tunes wrapped  up in the

> blues, country music, rock 'n roll, reggae and other musical clothing.  
> Country-rock and
> rhythm 'n blues instrumentation includes female back-up
> vocalists

> ************There will be NO  bulgars, freylekhs, hongas or 
> horas.****************
>

> In  the best of all possible worlds , I would  be somewhat secure in
>  the fact that the IDEAS of what I and others like me do in music are
>  not dismissed  because of seemingly incongruous pairings and twinings
>  -- or that artists are derided because they
>
> are marginal, autodidactic, lacking in pedigree or just plain
> misunderstood.
>
> Again, in the best of all possible worlds (and in the interests of truth
> in adverstising):
>
> A Program Director for any Yiddish/Jewish cultural institution would
> respect the artist and NOT over-ride the artist's own carefully selected
> terminology for advertising his own show,  and NOT substitute PD's own
> false advertising in the  mistaken belief that PD knows better than the
> artist how to best describe his own music.

> ******The scary part is: that
> PD did and does know, but feels PD has to use "KLEZMER" to attract an
> audience, even with the awareness that it is false advertising.  !!!!!

> I am not too concerned  about folks on this list, --
> but 30,000 people were misinformed outright.
> And continue to be misinformed.

> I did not "go public' with this information, but now after months since the 
> careless,
> erroneous
> mailings, and following discussion and the renewed exchange of
> information, --local newspaper listings are now advertising

the Wolf Krakowski and the Lonesome Brothers & Friends show as a "Klezmer 
Concert" , as well.
Come one, come all.

> (You could live, if they'd let you).
>
> >
> >  Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky wrote:
>
> > .   I have listened to my husband Josh's
> >
> >> fabulous Jazz rendition of a Yiddish folk song "Afn yam veyet a
> >> vintele" (I
> >> was so astounded at such melding on my first hearing of the song
> >> that I
> >> fell in love with him on the spot - so don't tell me I am against
> >> fusion).
> >
> Wouldn't dream of it.  Josh's stuff has got a lot of =kheyn=.
>
> >>     I think you blended Yiddish songs and rock in a wonderful
> >> way in your Transmigrations albums which was fresh, sassy and
> >> invigorating,
> >> i.e., your version of "tsen brider", and the review of album that I
> >> wrote
> >> for Ari's web site and I wish I could find, clearly says so.   But
> >> we can
> >> not say this about all the music that is being done today.
> >
> Kind of you to say so on the List.  You lost your review?

> =A brokh=.  Must be my karma.

> >>
> >> >In my experience, the word "promiscuous" is usually trotted out by
> >> the
> >> envious
> >> >and the vengeful in an attempt to besmirch somebody's character
> >> because
> >> they
> >> >are perceived as having too much or the wrong kind of close
> >> interpersonal
> >> >contact.
> >> >I don't like it.
> >>
> >> I don't think that that is at all correct, but you often like to
> >> give this
> >> rationalization for various criticisms.
> >
>                     ???
>
> >>  For many musicians and listeners, the goal is to capture and
> >> reproduce the
> >> authenticity of a traditional style that is absent in one's
> >> environment and
> >> if that is your goal, then your standards are very distinct.   I
> >> personally
> >> come from that point of view and that is why I studied Jewish
> >> folklore.
> >>  There is nothing wrong with wanting to modernize an old style, but
> >> as
> >> Henry wrote very well again is, you have to know the rules before
> >> you break
> >> them.   These guys took a quick lesson and thought they got it all
> >> in a
> >> quickie Klezkamp course or by listening to 10 records.  Es makht
> >> zikh nisht
> >> azoy gikh [=it doesn't happen so fast.]   Or maybe the whole problem
> >> at
> >> that Friday night Ashkenaz concert was that New Jazz and klezmer
> >> just can
> >> not be mixed.  It is possible.
> >
> I wasn't there, but I'm with you there.
> I've heard a little kako-klez .
> I just want to be able find the melody.  And get with some kind of
> groove.
> I'm not terribly attracted to the idea of  a wall of sound
> klez-dammerung .
>
> >>  >Please, -- Kabalas, Alan Eder/Pesach Posse, Klezperanto, Neshama,
> >> et al.,
> >> >keep making more great, original and  "promiscuous" music
> >>
> >> Sorry, Wolf, I haven't heard any of these.
> >
> Kabalas:  Psychedelic polka.  Will make you laugh.  Mid-West US.
> Alan Eder/Friends:  Trad. Hebrew/English w/Afro-Jamaican drums, reggae.
> Klezperanto:  Queen of the Qlarinet Ilene Stahl in a hot band.
>                           Dense, polyrhythmic, superb musicianship
> Neshama Carlebach:  Father's musical legacy plus her own songs.
>                                        Hebrew/English. Devotional.
>
> >>
> >> I don't know why you so often take comments as if they were personal
> >>
> >> affront to your music.  They weren't that at all.
> >
> Sorry if I am giving you this impression; not my intent.
> I see where I might have given you this idea in the past.
>
> >> All I can say is I wish
> >> there would have been more rocker-Yiddish blends that recorded their
> >> music.
> >>   I know of people having done some of that in the sixties and
> >> seventies in
> >> camps such as Boiberik and Camp Hemshekh, but none of those are
> >> recorded.
> >>   You probably need to sit and squeeze Josh, Zalmen, maybe Steve
> >> Meed and
> >> Moyshe Rosenfeld to elicit some to those.   You seem to be the only
> >> one out
> >> there these days.  If there are others, I really would like to know.
> >
> There are Jewish blues singers.
> As far as I know, I am the only Yiddish bluesman.
>
> Thank you for taking the time to futher clarify your thoughts so
> thoroughly and eloquently.   Great writing.
>
> 'bye.
>
> Wolf
>
> >>
> >>
> >> Reyzl
> >>
> >> > Henry Sapoznik wrote:
> >> >
> >> > >I think klezmer suffers from both high artification and from the
> >> > promiscuous
> >> > >fusionizers who meld it with music forms they understand far
> >> better than
> >> > they
> >> > >do klezmer.
> >> > >IMnotsoHO...
> >> >
> >> > Very well said and right on target.   "Promiscuous fusionizers"
> >>
> >> H-mm.  So the creative non-conformist who expresses him/herself
> >> witha lot
> >> of
> >> personal and contemporary style, and not from an expected  position
> >> based
> >> on
> >> archived yiddishkayt-in-a-box nostalgia or novelty, is now musically
> >>
> >> immoral,
> >> too?  Interesting concept.
> >>
> >> In my experience, the word "promiscuous" is usually trotted out by
> >> the
> >> envious
> >> and the vengeful in an attempt to besmirch somebody's character
> >> because
> >> they
> >> are perceived as having too much or the wrong kind of close
> >> interpersonal
> >> contact.
> >> I don't like it.
> >>
> >> Please, -- Kabalas, Alan Eder/Pesach Posse, Klezperanto, Neshama, et
> >> al.,
> >> keep making more great, original and  "promiscuous" music.
> >>
> >> Remember to practice safe sax.
> >>
> >> Wolf Krakowski
> >>
> >> Kame'a Media
> >> http://www.kamea.com
> >>
> >> > - I really
> >> > like that phrase very much.   They are the ones filling up most of
> >> the
> >> > concert halls, because where else can such artifice go today?   I
> >> can say
> >> > that very little of it is really creative and I have been to the
> >> last
> >> > Ashkenaz Festival where some of the best of that was presented.
> >> (There
> >> > was one moment [in the concert of all new compositions] where the
> >> noisy
> >> > jazz in the all new compositions program was so annoying that I
> >> truly
> >> felt
> >> > like throwing a Molotov Cocktail just to stop that pure noise.  I
> >> soon
> >> > found out that many others were equally annoyed.)  There are
> >> reasons why
> >> > opera companies know that they can present the same operas year
> >> after
> >> year,
> >> > and theaters succeed in showing revivals and mothers keep on
> >> baking the
> >> > same meatloaf for generations or people continue listening to the
> >> same
> >> > classical musical repertory.   When people have refined a
> >> grammatical
> >> form
> >> > to become a classics in that genre, they respect and cherich it.
> >> >
> >> > Reyzl
> >> >
> >> > ----------
> >> > From:  ganzl azoi freyl [SMTP:d6l (at) hotmail(dot)com]
> >> > Sent:  Wednesday, October 13, 1999 12:27 PM
> >> > To:  World music from a Jewish slant
> >> > Subject:  re: klez go classical
> >> >
> >> > i'm flattered to be described as "difficult to keep on a leash"
> >> <smile>
> >> > and 'course i don't mind being shredded and reassembled, but i
> >> would
> >> prefer
> >> > my tangents and asides be less central to your response, josh...
> >> >
> >> > my basic point (as distinctly opposed to your 'socratic summary')
> >> has
> >> > always
> >> > been about *emphasis*, not exclusion (the first time "banning"
> >> anything
> >> > came
> >> > up in this thread was when you put it in my mouth--please take it
> >> right
> >> > back
> >> > out, 'kay?).  i'm in no way opposed to sitting in a concert hall
> >> listening
> >> > to klezmer (or tuvan 'throat singing' or stravinski for that
> >> matter).
> >>  what
> >> > i see as potentially dangerous is the concert hall becoming the
> >> *only* or
> >> > *primary* site for klezmer music.
> >> >       the 'change and development' in music which i've said is
> >> necessary
> >> > can
> >> > happen in any context.... *but* when it mainly happens in concert
> >> halls
> >> it
> >> > seems to me far more likely to lose its connections to other parts
> >> of the
> >> > culture it's rooted in than when the experimentation is happening
> >> in a
> >> > variety of venues (among which the concert hall should of course
> >> be
> >> > present,
> >> > but not dominant).
> >> >
> >> > incidentally, you imply that there's a contradiction between
> >> dancing to
> >>  and
> >> > listening to music.  if anything, i'd want to argue that the
> >> opposite is
> >> > true-- you just *can't* dance without paying serious attention to
> >> the
> >> > musicians; it's easy to sit and drift...  it's also worth
> >> mentioning that
> >> > venues with space to dance tend also to accomodate those who just
> >> want to
> >> > sit, while concert halls tend to frown upon dancing (with some
> >> > exceptions--the 'in the fiddler's house' tour being the first to
> >> occur to
> >> > me).
> >> >
> >> > finally, it seems more than a bit disingenuous to describe
> >> "listening" in
> >> > the concert-hall sense as part of the traditional wedding context
> >> of
> >> > klezmer.  then again, it seems thoroughly unnecessary to appeal to
> >> that
> >> > context to establish something as worthwhile for klezmer in 1999
> >> (yes, i
> >> do
> >> > think that concert-hall type listening is worthwhile)
> >> >    --unless, that is, you want to insist that all klezmer contexts
> >> should
> >> > include dancing, wine, and a rabbi (which is probably closer to my
> >>
> >> position
> >> > <wink>)--
> >> >
> >> > that's it for me....
> >> > ideologically yours,
> >> > zayt gezunt,
> >> >
> >> > daniel
> >> >
> >> > p.s. "hidden agenda"?  what's *hidden*?
> >> >
> >> > p.p.s.
> >> > for reference, snipped for concision--
> >> > josh wrote:
> >> >
> >> > >That "variety of directions" excludes the classical venue,
> >> seemingly
> >> > >because it doesn't allow for you to breakdance and also because
> >> it
> >> > >encourages the act of listening (in your former email, you refer
> >> to
> >> >this
> >> > >as the "sit-in-yer-seat experience").
> >> > >
> >> > >In spite of the fact that listening was a part of the original
> >> context
> >> > (the
> >> > >wedding) in which klezmer music developed, and represents a
> >> further
> >> > >possibility for "change and development," it >is banned from your
> >> list
> >> of
> >> > >outlets which allow klezmer music to >evolve.
> >> > >
> >> > >Rather than antithesize the contradictions in your argument, I
> >> would
> >> > >rather manipulate them into a synthesized Socratic summary, using
> >>
> >> >
> >> > >In spite of actually sympathizing with some of your sentiments,
> >> Dan,
> >> > >it's hard to resist uncovering a hidden agenda in your ideology.
> >> Josh
> >> >
> >> > ______________________________________________________
> >> > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
> >> >
> >>
> >> ---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
> >> ---------------------+
> >>