Re: Drawing the line

[Bob Wiener <wiener...>]

For our wedding, we hired a klezmer band and played some recordings of other
stuff that I had made when they took a break.  In other words, I was the DJ.
I think that it worked out fine.  And I never dreamed of asking Andy Statman
to do anything he wouldn't be comfortable with (although he may have done a
mandolin "Goodnight Irene" for my wife to dance to with her father.)

Bob

----- Original Message -----
From: "allen watsky" <awatsky (at) nj(dot)rr(dot)com>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 12:52 PM
Subject: Re: Drawing the line


> Alan, Often what is done is to hire a person who can play most of the pop
> requests and sing them and lead the band through that set or sets, who can
> also double as a traditional musician for the traditional eastern european
> music( why, a guy just like me!). So you have to have a rhythm section
that
> can cross over and a specialist that can "cover" the pop requests. You can
> also elect to have the client hire a DJ( feh!) . The DJ option allows you
to
> avoid playing stuff you dislike or can not deliver, but it gives the
client
> the impression that you are in some way unprepared to play the party. ( I
> have been on both sides of this) At times you can play a polite little gig
> with the acoustic E.Euro Yiddish vibe and some American song book stuff
and
> basically do a "society gig" with the bulgars on top. At times you have to
> just about hire a whole 'nother band to do the stuff you don"t know. If
the
> client has the dollars they can have it all. Just add enough pieces to get
> the job done and when you play your featured ethnic stuff let the ringers
> take a break.That's what is done. If the budget is limited you have to be
> very clear with the client about  what is and what "is not" possible. If I
> may leave you with this phrase that I have found invaluable, and was first
> taught to me by my friend the bassist the" genius" Brian Glassman,here it
is
> (pay attention),"IT'LL BE TERRIFIC !" Say this to the client over and over
> again.(and to yourself as well) The checks in the mail.. AW
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <ALANEFALK (at) aol(dot)com>
> To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 12:00 PM
> Subject: Drawing the line
>
>
> > After receiving a request recently to play "Chopin's Etude #3' for a
> wedding hat
> > service, and YMCA and the Twist at the reception - I thought this might
be
> an
> > interesting topic for discussion (although it probably has been
discussed
> in
> > the past (I have only been on this listing for a year or so)). So here
> goes:
> >     As our band's local reputation has grown, and we receive more
requests
> to
> > play Simchas, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs etc, we seem to be faced with
> ever
> > increasing dilemma, one which I am sure has been faced by most of you.
> Trying
> > to maintain a balance between 'aesthetic' goals and standards of
> integrity,
> > yet at the same time trying to attract as wide an audience and play as
> often
> > as possible, seems to lead inevitably to Simcha bookings. And this, in
our
> > case, leads to the 'dilemma'.
> >     That is, where to draw the line when it comes to requests for
certain
> > popular musical 'standards' which have become part of the 'party'
> landscape.
> > I'm referring to such standard 'fodder' as 'YMCA', Electric Slide, etc,
> etc.
> > I understand that Jewish bands have since the 'dawn of klezmer' found it
> > necessary to play the popular music of their day alongside the freylechs
> and
> > bulgars, but it seems to be such a musical 'chasm' nowadays between the
> two -
> > Mayim to "Shout" is quite a leap! Let alone Hip Hop and Techno thuds!
> >     Alongside our Jewish repertoire of Klezmer, Yiddish, Israeli song
and
> > dance music etc, we offer classical, Big Band/Jazz era, latin and 'soft'
> > (slow Dance) rock, but, "Who Let the Dog's Out?".
> >     I'm interested in finding out what other bands have experienced and
> how
> > they deal with this situation - a general consensus perhaps? - where and
> when
> > to draw the line.
> > Alan Falk
> > Nefesh Klezmer Band
> > Connecticut, USA
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>


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