 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-08-23 23:12
Are any of you interested in Klezmer music. From what I have found the Clarinet is the number 1 in importance. I'm going to looking into it. I have always liked the sound and the beat of Jewish music. No I'm not Jewish, but my leader is.
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2000-08-23 23:43
Go to Tara Publications, at www.jewishmusic.com, for everything about Jewish music. But don't stop there. So - called Jewish music is only a small slice of Eastern European and Middle Eastern music. Plug the word Balkanarama into your search engine (sorry I don't recall the group's url) and check out the music of the parts of the world that were once in the Turkish, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian empires. The clarinet has a huge tradition in this diverse genere of music.
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2000-08-24 09:20
Also look up Joel Rubin at Tara Publications. He has published an excellent book on the technical aspects of Klezmer using examples drawn from Dave Tarras. He has also recorded a CD of the same material with the Epstein Brothers Orchestra. The book and CD are available as a set for about $45.
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Author: Sam
Date: 2000-08-24 22:57
Dear Bob,
Klezmer music is awesome. A CD that masters this music is one called "Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz" Yes, Don Byron, the current king of jazz clarinetists. Prior to his fame in the jazz world he led the Klezmer Conservatory Band for many years. The CD has stunning aray of other musicians such as Dave Douglas on trumpet. I think it was put out by Nonesuch records in 1995 or something. It's is amazing. The CD was rated on of the best CD's of the 90's in the Jan 2000 issue of Downbeat Magazine.
If you like Klezmer music this is a must!!!!
Sam
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2000-08-25 07:32
I haven't heard the Mickey Katz CD, but I feel confident that you'll love Bug Music.
One note on Mickey Katz and his music. Katz was a comedian, and much of his music is on the fringe of straight-ahead Klezmer.
I'd be sure and also look into the names Giora Feidman and Joel Rubin. There are also some good David Tarras materials on the market.
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-08-25 14:18
i went looking for the material you suggested and the only thing that came up was wedding music. Any other suggestions.
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2000-08-26 20:36
Is Bug music like Powerhouse by Raymond Scott. If so I just got a Raymond Scott CD and I LOVE it.
I think I saw Giorni Feldman play in SF years ago, I liked it but not as well as the old Folkways recordings from the thirties. I love those clarinets. Did the old guys use Ebs? or just sound like that?
Ginny
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-08-27 02:50
Giora Feidman is arguably the World's Greatest Klezmer Clarinetist.However,lest you think Giora only plays "Klez", think not, because he's equally @ home with K.622 as well. Giora's legit!
Please follow the Link below for a simple, yet wonderful, album by Giora. The album is called "The Magic Of The Klezmer".
Go down the page (the URL listed above) to "Listen to Samples" and play the first offering, "Songs of Rejoicing". Listen to the Giora's Clarinet **LAUGH** out of sheer happiness!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000071T/o/qid=967343747/sr=8-1/ref=aps_sr_pm_1_3/002-9365952-2963220
BTW: This is NO COOMMERCIAL PLUG for Amazon; only a way to demo Klezmer to those who haven't had an introduction. Finally, "Songs of Rejoicing" is my personal favorite. Whenever I need a little pickmeup, I play this tune.
As Don says, "luck all". mw
PS If the Link doesn't work, simply go to amazon.com ... click music ... search ... FEIDMAN. The
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2000-08-27 16:55
My favorite G Feidman recording is "Clarinetango", a celebraton of his "other" heritage. Also available from Tara.
In answer to Ginny's question, I once read somewhere (probably in a post on this board:) that some of the early klezmer clarinettists used C clarinets (they probably used whatever they could afford and get their hands on). Kurt Bjorling, a modern player wth the "new Jewish classical music" group Brave Old World, plays on a custom - built extended fingering C - clarinet, essentially a basset clarinet in C. He has the extended fingerings to improve intonation more than to increase range. I think it was built by that guy in Toronto, but I'm not sure.
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-08-27 18:20
Great info. Think you mean Stephen Fox.
Yes, ClarinetTango is great stuff. Ken Shaw here on the Nulltein Board called it to my attention when he was hunting for a copy. GREAT STUFF, too.
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-08-28 00:29
i ordered about 3 cd ---looking forward to listening to them. I hear and from what you all say they must be fun.
What names,--bug Music, jews with a horn and other somesuch.
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2000-08-29 05:35
The name of the Joel Rubin book is Mazltov: Jewish-American wedding music. The CD title translates as "Grandfathers and Grandsons" This is a pretty nice set, and the book has quite a bit of technical info on Klezmer styles, modes and performance practices.
Andy Statman has an instructional video, also available from Tara.
BTW, I also have Giora Feidman's The Magic of the Klezmer, and it's a great album.
ps - rent the German movie "Beyond Silence" and see Fiedman perform. It's at most of the larger video stores.
Allen
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2000-08-29 21:31
I am taking a jazz history class, and Klezmer is not mentioned in the text. I thought it was jazz! Like Yiddish Dixieland.
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2000-08-30 03:37
A few years ago I was reading a posting about klezmer percussion from, not surprisingly, a klezmer percussionist. I believe this may be found somewhere in the archives of Ari's Klezmer Shack, if that site still exists. Basically, this turned out to be a revealing look at the history of klezmer in America. The klezmer drummers were heavily influenced by ragtime and dixieland, and as they came to America, they influenced them back with their European band techniques. (Think of Irving Berlin tunes to see the klezmer influence on jazz, in general). But by the time swing rolled around, they had become jazz drummers. They had assimilated, Americanized. They saw klezmer as part of the immigrant culture they no longer wanted to be a part of. This guy traced out the history literally beat by beat, as far as the drum is concerned. So that's why klezmer has this dixieland / ragtime feel and sound. They say (whoever "they" are:) that Spike Jones was heavily influenced by klezmer.
Not all klezmer is or was jazz. There was a conservatory of Jewish classical music in Russia around the time of the revolution. These were people writing and performing classical music modelled after Jewish folk music, in the manner that Bartok and Kodaly made classical music from Hungarian folk music. This Jewish "nationalism" eventually lost its appeal to the czarist or communist authorities, whoever was in power at the time, and the school was closed, the musicians persecuted, etc. The group Brave Old World, which features Kurt Bjorling on the custom - made basset clarinet in C, and on basset horn, has revived this music and added their own in this style. It is the farthest thing from jazz. Synagogue audiences (a typical venue for such a group) usually go away muttering uncomfortably at the end of a performance, having expected to hear wedding frailachs.
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2000-08-30 04:27
Thanks Steve, that clears up some of my confusion. I must have read (years ago) about the connection.
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-08-30 14:38
Many say that KLEZMER has been described as European-Eastern European Folk-Soul Music. Ive heard it said that it was probably closest, in form, to the folk music of the Gypsies (Hungarian?).
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