Venting My Splean 2 - The Sequel

[Klezcorner <Klezcorner...>]

Since Reyzel chose to this was posted on the list, I'm afraid I have to 
answer here as well, personally, I don't think it's worth the time reading, 
but since "Law & Order" doesn't come on till tomorrow night, what the heck!

In a message dated 4/11/0 12:08:25 PM, reyzl (at) flash(dot)net writes:

<< 
<<Simon,
.......  You may get calls from all over the world asking for Lamm's music, 
but you are not getting these calls from people who know Yiddish.   I can't 
believe that you are taking this position on this issue, just because the 
record sells well for you. >>

 1)Reyzel, I don't pimp anybody's music. There aren't enough sales of ANY 
recording that I would 'hype" to make a buck. If I like it, I say so, if I 
don't I keep my mouth shut. It is not for me to tell people what to buy or 
not to buy. If someone wants my opinion, then that is what I give them MY 
opinion.

<<I never heard Lamm's music directly, but only know it from Kempin's UN 
concert of Lamm's music and the one song Wolf recorded of his, and now 
understand that Lamm is the source of the problem. >>

2) You "NEVER HEARD Lamm's music directly".....>but you are so knowledgeable 
that you can tear it apart without hearing it or the fact that one MIGHT 
happen to enjoy it...for what ever reason it is that they do.  Since you 
brought up Wolf's name, do you think he isn't a "native Yiddish speaker"? How 
could he have been so shamelessly duped. I'm sure he appreciates the fact 
that you have put him back on the right track.

<<But since I am not sure where Lamm ends and Daniel Kempin begins, I am 
going to group these two together in my comments.>>
3) Hmmm, collective guilt!  Zat Iz Verrry Interezting!

<<I think the reason why people say that Lamm and for sure, Kempin, don't 
understand the music they are singing is.......>>

4) Do you know who those people are, let me just tell you who a few are in 
that "ignorant" group.  Daniel Kempin's recording of "Krakow Ghetto Notebook" 
was a collaboration by Gratz College and The US Holocaust Museum in Wash,DC - 
I do believe that there is someone on staff there that IS a "native Yiddish 
speaker". I don't believe that this is the best Yiddish recording I have ever 
heard, but I can give you many more that I think aren't even as good.
 
<<because they sing Yiddish with German intonation and rhythms.>>

5) Do you think that might be because....THEY'RE FROM GERMANY??? When was the 
last time you heard a German Jew speak Yiddish....I mean one who lives in 
Germany today, not one who came to the US 50 years ago.

<<Every song I heard Daniel Kempin sing (and I believe that they were all 
Lamm's compositions)>>
6) I don't know what you heard in concert, but every recording Kempin has 
made consists of traditional songs, including an entire CD of Gebirtig>

<<had totally false rhythms>>
7) I bet you're only saying that "cause he's WHITE! (that was the comedy 
portion of our show, folks!)

<<For a native Yiddish speaker, listening to these guys sing Yiddish is akin 
to listening to a foreign language in which you are trying sort the 
individual building blocks in the flow of the sentence...>>

8) Years ago, when I went back to Europe to visit relatives in Europe, they 
got such a laugh at the way I spoke Yiddish. It had become so "American". 
Anyone of them could have criticized me in the way you are attacking Kempin 
for HIS Yiddish because it is not YOUR Yiddish.  The fact that you might not 
like his phrasing when he sings -or his voice which is not extraordinary- is 
a musical problem not necessarily one of his "Yiddishness".

<<These two can "compose" Yiddish music only in a Europe devoid of real 
Yiddish speakers and a world unfamiliar with the spoken language.   People 
who depend on translations to understand the words may like their singing 
or passion, but Yiddish speakers quickly understand that these two "don't 
know the language".>>  

9) What do you know about this man. For your information. Kempin is Jewish 
born in Mainz Germany, "studied music in Darmanstadt, followed by Jewish 
Studies in Frankfurt and a "Talmud college" in Jerusalem.....Intensive courses
 in Yiddish in the Israel and UK <<talk about a Yiddish accent>>.

<<I have wondered why no one in the post-War years took on the role of 
writing "Gebirtig" style melodies to his his texts.>>
11) That is because they know that no matter what you do, rather than being 
appreciated, you will always be reminded of your shortcomings, real or 
imaginary.
When Many Patinkin released his Yiddish recording, Mameloshen, he got 
lambasted , "and how dare he do it, he had to learn it phonetically because 
he doesn't understand Yiddish". SO WHAT!! I was not particularly fond of this 
CD at all, but it got people interested in Yiddish music whether YOU or I 
like it or not. Hopefully, that Cd which they only bought because it was 
Mandy Patinkin, will get the individual interested enough in Jewish music to 
expand their horizons and try other things. That has been the case at 
Hatikvah  many times. People's tastes do mature, and they should be encourage 
to learn. You don't kick their teeth in because you are and expert "Native 
Yiddish Speaker" << at first I thought that meant that you were an Apache who 
spoke Yiddish>>.

<<So the hell with waiting to hear Lamm directly in order for me to be 100% 
accurate to make this particular criticism.   98% percent is good enough.   
Your comments Simon confirm this again......I think Jews record Christmas 
music for a whole other reason.>>
12) Oh how wrong you are!!! Any recording you own, Jewish or not is a 
"business", from the artist, publisher, writer, etc. Who is going to 
manufacture Jewish music if no one buys it? That unfortunately is the whole 
thing in a nutshell. Somebody has to pay for this. The Jewish community does 
not support this. Why is it that so many artists  state on the CD that the 
project was funded from one grant or another. We ONLY have 8,000,000 Jews in 
this country, and yet your average Jewish recording will not Soudscan at 
2,000 units. That, Reyzel, is the shame, NOT that the only artists who are 
willing to make these recordings aren't up to your standards...and should 
somebody actually make a Jewish record, they get their teeth kicked in, 
mostly from people who will only go to a "free concert" to see them. (I'm 
sure many of the artists on this list can verify that).

In the Woody Allen movie, "Annie Hall", two Jewish ladies were complaining 
about the food at the restaurant--how bad it is and such "small portion". 
That is OUR problem.

I do agree with you that there are many great artists who could do a better 
job than the two artists that you've been trashing, but until they do, my hat 
is off to them for at least doing what they did. Anyone if free not to 
purchase their recordings.

Lastly, the name is not "Lamm", it's Lemm. You should at least know who 
you're ripping!

Let's Eat!
Simon



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