Re: Klezmer article in this week's Forward

[khupe <khupe...>]

> In fact, I thought at the time I first heard Alicia Svigals' 'Fiddlin'' CD
> that she was aiming for something like HIP klezmer, likewise Budowitz and
> other "traditionalist" bands.

'Something like' is pretty good. Speaking for Budowitz, our performance is
historically informed in the sense that we love old stuff and studied some
of it. Getting your ears into an older performance style can truly open
doors, and by doing so we added many elements to our playing that I simply
regard Jewish, or klezmer, not HIP. (Hip, though). Going 'back' feels as
exploring and expanding the music -- it's not self-purpose, but exciting,
modern work.
So we're not exactly 'traditionalist', we don't have any magical knowledge
of the pre-record period, we don't do the gut string thing, and my
mouthpieces are modern and play well. (It's the reeds).

Christian Dawid


---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+