Shlomo Carlebach/Giora Feidman

[Sam Weiss <SamWeiss...>]

At 06:12 AM 12/2/03, Moshe Berlin wrote:
>Carlebach grew into the Jewish culture and tradition. He was [familiar 
>with] the
>variety of the musical traditions in every Chassidic dynasty. So, he could
>develop his own musical interpretation to the Baal Shem Tov's way.
>     On the other hand Feidman is a bit outsider to klezmer tradition...

Nevertheless, if you stand back and look at what each of them did in order 
to popularize the two musical traditions respectively, the comparison is 
valid.  Carlebach took the Ethos and a tiny bit of the Melos of an 
incredibly complex and varied vocal music tradition, sprinkled it with 3 
chords and melodramatic stories, and said to masses of people entirely 
outside of the tradition "Now join me:  Lai-lai-lai, Lai-lai-lai, 
Lai-lai-lai, Lai-lai-lai, Lai-lai-lai, Ta-ram."  They did, and suddenly 
felt as if they always were part of that tradition.  They spread the gospel 
of Lai-lai-lai Ta-ram, while a tiny percentage peeked behind the wizard's 
curtain to discover the riches of Chassidut and Chassidic music.

Feidman (who can possibly be included in the masses of people referred to 
above) similarly captured audiences worldwide and empowered a generation of 
(especially German) musicians to feel part of a tradition of Jewish music 
by removing the obstacles of content and specificity while emphasizing the 
"we are all in this together and share in the eternal je-ne-c'est-quoi-ness 
of Klezmerhood."  In the case of the musicians, a greater percentage took 
the voyage of musical discovery further.

Ironically, the analogy is brought full-circle in the last few years by a 
number of instrumentalists who are being taught to create instant Nigunim 
by tapping into their inner Ba'al Shem Tov.


> > At 09:15 AM 12/1/03, Ari Davidow wrote:
> > >Heiko Lehmann, of Sukke, writes: "Giora Feidman took klezmer as a
> > >philosophical conception, saying that everybody and every music is
> > >klezmer; klezmer is a matter of intention--which he called "inner 
> voice"
> > >or "energy"--while playing."
>
> > The relationship between Feidman and klezmer music is analogous to the
> > relationship between Carlebach and traditional Chassidic music; only
> > Carlebach was successful in turning the world in his direction while
> > Feidman (thankfully, some might say) has not.
> >
> >_____________________________________________________________
> >Cantor Sam Weiss === Jewish Community Center of Paramus, NJ

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