Re: interesting new CD of Jewish and Irish music

[andyrubin <andyrubin...>]

9/03/03

Shalom Adrianne and the Jewish music list,

Filmmaker Valerie Lapin Ganley, supplied me with the following schedule of film
festival showings for Shalom Ireland:

Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival - Oct. 20, 2003
Australia Festival of Jewish Cinema - Nov. 13 - 30, 2003
Boston Jewish Film Festival - Nov. 13, 2003 at 8:00pm
Miami Jewish Film Festival - Dec. 6 - 15, 2003
Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival - Dec. 4 - 14, 2003
San Diego Jewish Film Festival - Feb. 5 - 15, 2004
Washington Jewish Film Festival - Dec. 4 - 14, 2003

The film is also under consideration at the following festivals (more to 
follow):
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival - Feb. 3-8, 2004
Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival - Nov., 2003
International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam - Nov. 20 - 30, 2003
International Jewish Film Festival (Los Angeles) - Oct. 28 - Nov. 9, 2003
Maine Jewish Film Festival (Portland) - March, 2004
Minneapolis Festival of Jewish Film - March, 2004
Montreal Jewish Film Festival - May, 2004
New York Jewish Film Festival - Jan., 2004
North Caroline Jewish Film Festival - Feb. 28-29, 2004
Tucson Jewish Film Festival - Jan. 8 - 19, 2004
UK Jewish Film Festival - Oct 25 - Nov. 6

As to your question about our (i.e., Ceilizemer's) soundtrack music, you are
correct, the tune list doesn't indicate a specifically Irish-Jewish repertoire.
Rather, we approached the project by attempting the delicate task of applying
Irish musical sensibilities to tunes largely of Eastern European Jewish origin
(here I'm referring to the Jewish, not the Irish, tunes on the disc, of course).
As I indicated in my first email, the results are resolutely traditional
sounding, though certainly exhibiting a mix of influences. For example, Dem
Trisker Rebns Khosid is carried by uillean pipes and fiddle, with banjo and
mandolin supplying the tsimbl-like back-up. (As we comment in the liner notes,
this is the way the Rebbe would have played it had he possessed of a set of B
pipes.)

Though I suppose I could be wrong, I'm inclined to say that a specifically
Jewish-Irish repertoire is either very small or doesn't exist. My guess would be
that Irish Jews, who were predominantly of Eastern European origin, listened to,
sang, and played similar music as their counterparts in England and America.
Given their struggle to survive as a community (a major subject of the film), my
further guess is that assimilatory tendencies would have been as present in
their musical affinities as they were for anyone else.

Kol tuv,

Andy Rubin
Ceilizemer and The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band
www.freilachmakers.com


> How can we find out when this film will be aired? 
> 
> As some know I've been interested in the Irish/Jewish relationship and, 
> particulary after teaching klezmer at Boxwood where mostly Irish and Cape 
> Breton 
> music is taught, I'm "hooked" even more, now learning the Irish flute itself 
> - 
> which at least helps in learning the simple system flute for klezmer anyway, 
> thankfully. I'm gathering from the set list that there was no piece of music 
> that was traditionally Irish that was played by Jews, right? When I was 
> approached by the Irish flute star Desi Wilkenson to give him a klezmer tune 
> or 
> two to 
> take back with him I said "But let me hear what Jews are playing over there!" 
> Nothing....
> 
> But anyway, is there a schedule of when this film will be aired?
> thanks,
> Adrianne
> 
> _________________________________________________
> Adrianne Greenbaum
> Associate Professor of Flute, Mount Holyoke College
> Klezmer flutist: â??FleytMuzikâ?? and â??Family Portraitâ??
> Classical: "Sounds of America"
> fluteworld or cdbaby
> 

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