Re: Jankowski Tsimbls

[Peter Rushefsky <rushefsky_p...>]

Although I'm a big fan of Jankowski's work and own one of his tsimbls (which I
was playing at KlezKamp in December), I was actually performing on an instrument
made by Theofilios Brass of Athens, Greece at the Syracuse KlezFest.  

Nonetheless, I echo Josh's accolades for Jankowski's work-- this is the real
thing.  I visited Paul Gifford last year and we compared a picture of
Jankowski's tsimbls to pictures of old (some over 100 yrs old) tsimbls that Paul
had taken in a music museum in Belarus and the stylings were very similar.  

Of interest to me is how Jankowski's instruments help inform us as to the range
of sounds and textures that were used in klezmer in the last century.  

In terms of tsimbl revivalists, Kurt Bjorling employs (in his instrument
building and playing) a wonderful "chunkiness" that evokes the sound you hear on
the early tsimbl/fiddle recordings.

Zev Feldman uses low register chordings to get a haunting, dark sound. 

To my ears, Josh's playing shifts from delightful delicacy to unbridled ecstacy
(call it Naftuli with sticks) depending on the tune.  However, in his playing I
always seem to hear the bucolic sound of a wooden stick hitting a string
(through how he plays, choice of hammers/padding, strings, instrument,
dampers).

Jankowski's instruments have neither Feldman's bass range, nor Bjorling's
chunkiness.  I don't know that they really could ever sound quite like Josh's
tsimbl either.  They have a brighter, shimmering sound though still very warm. 
Some of this may come from the motivation of Jankowski to build instruments for
a soloist to use in playing melodies.  But even in ensemble playing, it gives a
different feel to the music.  So this is another sound for the revivalist
toolbox which may be just as "authentic" as some of the others, and may point to
regional diversity.  Also helps inform us as to what tsimbalists did in
ensemble, solo, or duet playing given the limitations/capacities of the
instrument they had.  

Finally, in terms of Upstate NY tsimbl/cimbalom collections, I'm sure I don't
know everyone, but I'd probably have to give the nod to Professor Sam Chianis of
SUNY Binghampton who is a terrific cimbalom player (former teacher of Stu
Brotman) and now builds beautiful instruments (as a labor of love, I don't think
he's selling them).  If I knew the Greek word for "mensch" I'd employ that as
well.

Pete Rushefsky
Buffalo, NY
716-857-4481
rushefsky_p (at) univerahealthcare(dot)org

>>> Sapoznik (at) aol(dot)com 06/25 9:39 AM >>>
I just heard Pete Rushefsky play one of Jankowski's tsimbls at Syracuse's 
"Klezfest" this last weekend and can tell you that, in addition to Pete's 
progress on the instrument since I last heard him play at KlezKamp, the 
instrument did sound beautiful and remarkably evocative of those wonderful 
pre-War instruments. 

Henry Sapoznik
Author
"Klezmer! Jewish Music From Old World to Our World"
(Schirmer Books)


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