Klarinet Archive - Posting 000541.txt from 1995/05

From: Josias Associates <josassoc@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: KLEZMER
Date: Fri, 19 May 1995 06:41:24 -0400

Reading the messages about Klezmer music from David Gilman, Dan
Leeson, Ken Maltz, and Fred Jacobowitz gave me a definite feeling of
"vuja de." Wait a minute. That can't be right, because vuja de is like when
you walk into a room for the first time and you get the feeling that
you've never been there before! Hmmm? So maybe it's "deja vu." Yes, that's
it. It's deja vu all over again.

About six or seven months ago, there was a long string of
interactive messages on Klarinet on this same subject, namely: Klezmer.
Of the aforementioned contributors to the current discussion, I can only
remember Dan Leeson's participating at that time also. If my
recollection is correct, perhaps all it means is that the discussion at
that time predated the entry of the well-informed Messrs. Gilman, Maltz,
and Jacobowitz into the Klarinet Klezmer Konflict.

Reviewing some of my stored files, I noticed considerable
parallelism in terms of discussions of common subjects, such as the
extended reaction of readers of "The Clarinet" to an article on Klezmer
music in the jopurnal, and prominent mention of Giora Feidman, Dave
Tarras, Mickey Katz, and Don Byron.

Notwithsatanding the re-covering of (by now) familiar ground, for
those interested, I include below a message I posted in
1994 together with a reply from Gertjan van Oosten, one of our
Netherlands correspondents, plus another terse one from Dan Leeson.

November 1994 Message from Connie Josias:

I am substituting this week for a friend in the pit for a
performance of "Fiddler on the Roof," and the subject of Klezmer
music came to mind once again. So I thought I would share some of my
observations.

DISCUSSION IN THE ICA JOURNAL

An article entitled, "Ethnic Corner: The Clarinet in
Klezmer Music," by Joel Rubin appeared in the May/June 1991
issue of the ICA's journal, THE CLARINET. The article is
memorable not only because of what it said, but also because of
what it omitted. (I was pleased to learn that I possessed a tape of
the playing of Dave Tarras, who was mentioned prominently in
Rubin's article.)

What Rubin omitted was mention of Giora Feidman, which
prompted a flurry of energetic protest letters to the Editor,
including highly critical ones from such symphony stalwarts as
Kalman Bloch, Michelle Zukovsky, and Yehuda Gilad. There was
also a letter from Giora Feidman criticizing the author for having
missed a golden opportunity to explain to the clarinet community
that the real meaning of "Klezmer" is that it is a concept. (I
smiled with the thought that, assuming that Dan Leeson had read
Feidman's letter, it must have driven him up the wall.) Also
contained in that issue was a rebuttal by the author.

The firestorm did not subside with that issue, however. A
number of additional letters on the subject -- all worth reading --
were printed in the May/June 1992 and July/August 1992 issues.
The printed barrage culminated with a funny, totally tongue-in-cheek
letter from Dr. Robert S. Newman, who offered an ersatz history of
klezmer music. One of the things that caught my eye was mention of the
famous eastern European klezmer clarinetist, Benny Artyshawsky.
What is amusing is that Newman may not have known that, before Artie Shaw
shortened his name, his original name was not too far from Newman's
fictional creation -- something on the order of Arthur Warshawsky -- and
that Shaw could actually play klezmer-style clarinet. An example is his
Gramercy Five recording of "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?" in which he plays
(using pinched and bent notes) a klezmer-like solo based on the Russian
theme, "Kamarinskaya."

OTHER GROUPS

Several years ago, I heard an entertaining group performing
in Leucadia, California. An ensemble that seems to disband and
reform from time to time, they bill themselves as "The BIG
JEWISH BAND: The band that's no aggravation." Led by R.A.
Robboy, many of its players are from the San Diego Symphony.

Over thirty years ago, one of the LA radio stations carried
a program airing every Sunday afternoon, which featured the Barry Sisters
and also offered live (I think) ethnic instrumental music. The program's
theme song was a hard-driving, viscerally exciting quasi-klezmer tune
that never seemed to get announced. After unsuccessful attempts to locate
the recording, I gave up the search. Then a few years ago, quite by
accident, I came into possession of a monaural tape containing this tune,
"Mazeltov Dances," which was the last of a group of eight songs and
dances performed superbly with great technical precision by the same
ensemble. No wonder the band sounded so great. It was composed of top
commercial artists from the jazz and symphony fields. Led by clarinetist
Mickey Katz, an alumnus of the Spike Jones band, the group's other
musicians were: Manny Klein, trumpet; Sy Zentner, trombone; Benny Gill,
violin; Nat Farber, piano; Sam Weiss, drums; and Larry Breen, bass.

I suppose that, to purists, the Mickey Katz recording might
not qualify totally as klezmer music, but to me it's close enough,
and whatever it is called, it's still my favorite of the genre.

Connie

>From gvoosten@-----.NL Thu Nov 3 16:51:42 1994
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 09:21:37 +0200
From: Gertjan van Oosten <gvoosten@-----.NL>
Reply to: gvoosten@-----.nl
To: Multiple recipients of list KLARINET
<KLARINET%VCCSCENT.BITNET@-----.EDU>
Subject: Re: Klezmer Music: More in Response to Lisa Clayton's Question

As quoted from Josias Associates:
> Then a few years ago, quite by accident, I came into
> possession of a monaural tape copy of some old 45-rpm vinyl records
> containing this tune, Mazeltov Dances [...]

This name rang a bell, and after some thought, I realised that Don
Byron's klezmer ensemble had played this song on the North Sea Jazz
Festival two weeks ago.

> No wonder the band sounded so great. It
> was composed of top commercial artists from the jazz and symphony fields.
> Led by clarinetist Mickey Katz [...]

And now it all makes sense: the concert was titled "Don Byron plays the
music of Mickey Katz" (as is the CD).

> I suppose that, to purists, the Mickey Katz recording might
> not qualify totally as klezmer music, but to me it's close enough,
> and whatever it is called, it's still my favorite of the genre.

Klezmer or not (and I don't know much about it), the concert was
fantastic, especially Don's clarinet playing -- blazingly fast, yet
absolutely crisp and clear.

--
-- Gertjan van Oosten, West Consulting bv
-- Estec, gvoosten@-----.nl, +31-1719-85668

>From leeson@-----.edu Thu Nov 3 16:52:11 1994
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 17:05:08 -0700
From: leeson@-----.edu
Reply to: leeson@-----.edu
To: josassoc@-----.com
Subject: Re: Klezmer music

You are quite right. When I heard Feidman say that Klezmer was a
concept, I quietly threw up and went back to work.

====================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
(leeson@-----.edu)
====================================

Conrad Josias
La Canada, California