Re: Klezmer article in this week's Forward

[r l reid <ro...>]

Like opinionS, the work tradition needs to be plural - traditions.

The problem with revivals is everyone's afraid of being busted as a fake.
Yet the "return to Jewishness" n America is a real factor in the evolution of 
the traditions of Jews.

To be traditional you have to be somehow part of the tradition.  There are
many ways to do it, but it comes down to "Jewish" being in the foreground
of daily life.

For me, that's davening with the old men and young women in the morning (talk
about evolving tradition!) and kashrut and sometimes remembering to bentsh.

While not musical activities per se, and Yiddish only in the sense that 
the old men still sound like Poland, it keeps the Jewish rhythms in the
forefront and as the background noise.

We have many ways of being Jewish, but what they all share is pattern,
and rhythm.  Whether it's daily traditional prayer, Carleback on the
walkman on your Shabbat stroll on the beach,  following the Daf Yomi or
the Perek Yomi, counting the Omer or counting how many are coming for 
Pesach, there are many traditions and they change.

What doesn't seem to work is Jewish music with Jewish identity.  A bunch
of guys with Jewish monthers who eat, drink, work, sleep, rest, play, and
live like Ordinary Secular Americans try to play music and it's only rock and
roll.  It's not about halacha, it's not about your catechism or your
beleif in a Diety exactly - but its got to be about SOMETHING besides learning
licks off of records.

It cannot be reduced to science.  It can't just be about historical sociology.
It has to be personal.

Boy don't you hate these meta-conversations.  I try so hard
to sit on my hands.



-- 
r l reid        ro (at) rreid(dot)net


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