Re: new jewish music

[Leopold N Friedman <apikoyros...>]

Ari, 
Re your categorization of "the Well" as sounding "to non-Yiddish 
speakers more like generic world folk music than like Yiddish":

You missed the point of my comment. I'm not talking about her
authentic pronunciation, although that becomes important when 
it's absent. Her "tone" and that of the CD itself is quite authentic.
"Those listeners who missed her diction" either have a complaint 
about the quality of the sound reproduction on the CD or about the 
quality of  their Yiddish or Jewish education. The language of the 
poetry is a most important part of what is "uniquely Jewish in the 
music to 'The Well.'" 

The inability to identify what is "uniquely Jewish" in such works as 
"The Well" is remediable.  Even regarding Yiddish music, non-Yiddish 
speakers have a right to their opinions, as informed or uninformed as 
they may be, and even non-Yiddish speakers already probably know the
concept (and even the word) "khutspe." My point was: they'll buy the CD 
(or not), but statements like "it sounds more like generic folk world
music
than Yiddish" (without any further details- are  there any?) can't be
made 
without expecting someone to respond. There are still people around who
make Yiddish "sounds." The Yiddish world isn't so mute or dead or senile,

kholile, that such mischaracterizations can be tossed around without fear

of refutation. 

As for the music, arguing about what is "rooted musically in Yiddish 
folk traditions" is about the same as arguing about what is Jewish music.
Certainly the presence of Yiddish poetry whose meter provides rhythms 
to the music would seem to be a first strong indicator that it is, one of
many.  

I can make some guesses (none of them satisfactory, although I thought 
my joke wasn't bad) but I really don't know what you refer to by "generic

world folk traditions."  Ben Mink may or may not take issue with your 
characterization that he is "not particularly aware of any Jewish musical

traditions, per se." I'd suggest that working on (or at) "The Well"
should 
have been an education for him, if he, indeed, hadn't had one up to then.

Itsik Fefer might not have minded contributing to "generic world folk
traditions."
Itsik Manger and Avrom Reyzin might not have minded either. (They are
three of 
the poets who wrote the songs on the CD.) But they'd be the first to
remind you 
that their contribution to world folk traditions is specifically through
Yiddish.

Incidentally, Ari, attention to detail can be important. Between my
signature 
and my email addresses, you had at least two chances to get my name right

(and I didn't even try to complicate the issue by using a Yiddish
signature). 

Lee Friedman
lnf11 (at) columbia(dot)edu

On Sat, 23 Jun 2001 10:46:35 -0400 Ari Davidow <ari (at) ivritype(dot)com> 
writes:
> Leo
> 
>> Chava Albertstein's Yiddish music sounds like it was sung in 
>> Yiddish to me, with a great deal of actual authenticity as well 
>> as concern for it.
> 
> I have nothing to say against Alberstein's pronunciation and singing 
> of Yiddish, which, as you say, is both native and excellent. But those 

> listeners who missed her diction, were unable to identify much that 
> was uniquely Jewish in the =music= to "The Well." That isn't to 
> say that we're not talking about an extraordinary album, just one 
> that may not be as rooted musically in Yiddish folk traditions as in 
> more generic world folk traditions. The wonderful Ben Mink, who 
> produced the album, is very much a "world folk" person (and I 
> treasure his '70s work with the Canadian "String Band"), and not 
> particularly aware of any Jewish musical traditions, per se. 
> Alberstein, in her stage shows, makes a point of describing how 
> melodies from many countries are appropriated and become "authentic 
> Israeli folk songs" within a short period, and sings songs to 
> illustrate.
> 
> Having said that, it seemed worth noting two albums that were 
> absolutely rooted, =both= lyrically and musically in Yiddish music 
> traditions (although Mikveh especially benefits from Lauren Brody's 
> years of working with Bulgarian music, as well as the klezmer 
> backgrounds of most of the band members), and which then extend the 
> poetry they sing to subjects that are more current, or which weren't 
> addressed before.
> 
> I hope that, in my attempt to identify something new, I am not heard 
> as if to deprecate works of the calibre of "The Well" that came 
> before. (You have only to read my review, and others who wrote about 
> "the Well" on the Klezmershack to get a sense that the recording 
> moved me.)
> 
> ---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org 
> ---------------------+
>