Re: What is Jewish Music?

[Alex J. Lubet <lubet001...>]

Responding to the message of <B74483F7(dot)12CCC%mrquin (at) nylink(dot)com>
from jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org:
> 
> I hope all will pardon my ignorance or naivete on this subject, but it is
> one I have a perspective on in some way. As a working musician in New York,
> I never know from day to day what kind of gig I may have the next night. I
> grew up playing jazz, immersed myself in classical music and over the last
> few years, klezmer. In order to pay the rent, besides doing shows, I do many
> frum weddings. 
>    I , being Jewish and having grown up identifying myself as Jewish, play
> music in a way unique to my life experiences as a musician growing up at the
> end of the 20th century. Part of that is being Jewish. Is Fred Hirsch
> playing Monk Jewish? I imagine somewhere him that facet exists and somehow
> comes out as part of him.
>   The question of whether a Jew can play Jazz , since he is not African
> American is the wrong question. The question is whether as a Jew , he can
> bring his life experiences to a music  originated by African Americans and
> play it with the same integrity as he would the "Jewish music " he grew up
> with.
> 
The question of whether anyone can play music of someone else's heritage (and in
the year 2001, unpacking what that might mean is way complex) was certainly 
settled long ago.  As humans we have a (relatively?) unique capacity for 
learning.  I would submit that the vast majority of the most important 
innovators in jazz have been African-American, but there have been accomplished 
players from everywhere.  I have at times thought that the emotionality of so 
much of Eastern European music, including, of course, Jewish music, has enabled 
musicians with that background to invest something special of themselves in 
jazz.  Certainly there have been outstanding Jewish players like Benny Goodman 
and Stan Getz, to say nothing of the Jewish tunesmiths who supplied so much of 
the canon on which mainstream jazz players improvise.

None of this, however, is the point I made a few days ago.  African-American 
musicians I have known have been quite embittered by the racism of the music 
industry and the work they lose as a result.  As someone who loves many kinds of
music and wants to be professionally engaged in them, I don't want to deprive 
colleagues who are also my friends from work they deserve and that's why I won't
play African-American musics except on gigs with African-American musicians.   
(I contract almost all the gigs I play, so this means I'm in a position to see 
that African-American and other musicians of color do get work.  I also 
negotiate the best fees possible for whomever I contract and I have a good 
reputation for that.)  Mind you, I earn most of my living teaching so I can 
afford this principle in a way that would be much more challenging if I were 
otherwise professionally engaged.  As Jews and as ethical people we have a 
responsibility to do what we can about racism.

Shevua tov,



Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music
Adjunct Professor of American and Jewish Studies
University of Minnesota
2106 4th St. S
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612 624-7840 612 624-8001 (fax)

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