breaking bread and secret languages

[Judith R Cohen <judithc...>]

Hi, the description of "Afro-Semitic" music reminded me of the former
Chief Rabbi of the former Belgian Congo (really, truly, there is such a
person), who, when I met him  some years ago, sat me down to listen to
his crackly home recording of shabbat songs sung by him and his family
in their home in what is now Zaire, with drumming by their local
neighbours. It's not anything he wants to copy or release, but was just
a neat thing to listen to, especially in the middle of staid grey
Brussels.
Last week I had the pleasure of giving a paper in the same session as
Joel Rubin, at the "monster-ethnomusicology conference" here in Toronto
(one might ponder why an academic conference in California gets an
evocative name like "Performing Ecstasies" [last month] while in Toronto
we come up with a more solemn "Musical Intersections"). Anyway, yes, one
should attend Joel's lectures whenever possible. And a reminder -those
of you who have listened to and/or own (and/or? would one own it and not
listen?) Zev et al's cd "Khevrisa" know that they took the gorup name
from the word for this secret language.
(I actually didn't even lecture on Sephardic music this time - instead I
gave papers on performance practice changes in Iberian women's frame
drumming; and also on medieval music in the elementary school curriculum
in Ontario - the Jewish element in the latter consisting mostly of
wondering out loud why the official curriculum specifies examining Islam
and Christianity [Grade 4?!] but doesn't mention Jews...)
Cheers, Judith

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