Re: Rock of (Moroccan) Ages

[Joel Bresler <joel.br...>]

We've discussed some of the Ashkenazi/Sephardi songtrading  on the last 
early last year. See:

http://shamash.org/listarchives/jewish-music/000120
and
http://shamash.org/listarchives/jewish-music/000119

 From that discussion:

>There's no doubt that Sephardim have borrowed from Ashkenazim, and v.v.,
>and we've all borrowed non-Jewish music. There is a documentary on Jewish
>music, called Chant of Song and Stars, or some such. In it, a Hazzan from
>the island of Djerba sings, accompanying himself on a lute (and I presume
>in Arabic, but now don't remember) "Vos Vet Zayn Az Meshiakh Vet Kumen"!!!!
>. I have a recording of a Moroccan Seder with the ?Lutheran? hymn version
>of "Maoz Tsur."
>
>It could be that there is some unexplored cross-over between Sephardim and
>Ashkenazim. In addition to your locales I'd also look for possible
>cross-pollination in Vienna and Bucharest and Itzik-Leyb aka Jeffrey
>suggested Bessarabia in an email exchange in 1998. But my guess is that
>most of the influences have been extremely recent. As I've said in earlier
>posts, the only shared song I've seen in repertoires of "straight"
>Sephardic groups is...Miserlou. Going the other way, Klezmer groups in the
>last decade or two are performing and recording a very small slice of the
>Sephardi canon. Los Bilbilicos and Cuando El Rey Nimrod are the usual
>suspects. I was at a Bar Mitzvah this past Monday where list members Hankus
>Netsky, Jeff Warschauer and other KCB-niks were performing, and they did a
>nifty medley with a segue from Cuando to Miserlou, if memory serves.
>
>Best,
>
>Joel

At 08:41 AM 12/19/2001 -0500, Bob Wiener wrote:

>Judith,
>
>Do you have any idea as to how the tune made its way to the north of
>Morocco?  When was it used in the Moroccan synagogue?  Do Moroccan cantors
>use it as part of their Hanukah celebration?   Do you recall in what context
>you've heard it during fieldwork?
>
>Do you have a sense of whether such a melody is integrated into their
>musical practice or seen as exotic?  Would Moroccans consider it foreign or
>traditional?
>
>Are there other examples of similar transmigrations of Ashkenazi melodies to
>the north of Morocco?
>
>Bob
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Judith R Cohen" <judithc (at) YorkU(dot)CA>
>To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 6:38 AM
>Subject: Rock of (Moroccan) Ages
>
>
> > Actually, I don't know. I've heard it during fieldwork and at one of the
> > Moroccan synagogues and Solly used to sing it in the good old Gerineldo
> > days - but I don't even think I have a field tape of it for some reason,
> > maybe an old one of Solly. There aren't that many CD's of Moroccan
> > Jewish religious music, and I don't think it's on the Paul Bowles
> > re-issue (Rounder) which in any case isn't from the north (ex-Spanish
> > zone) of Morocco.
> > Solly is enlisting my help on a project to sing - and produce a fully
> > annotated CD - all or almost all the Tangier repertoire piyyutim, we've
> > been working on them bit by bit.
> > Cheers, Judith
> >
> > > On what CDs *can* we hear what Moroccan cantors do with the tune,
>Judith?!
> > >
> > > Would much like to hear --
> > >
> > > Robert Cohen
> > >
> > >
> > > >re Ma'oz Tsur - you HAVE to hear what Moroccan cantors do with the
>tune!
> > > >It will transform your concept of it forever.... Judith
> > > >
> >
> >
>



Joel Bresler
250 E. Emerson Rd.
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Reflections on Sept. 11, 2001 at: http://joelbresler.tripod.com/Reflections.htm

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