Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2004-01-18 23:10
Steve,
Kids of immigrants wanted to fit in, and playing ethnic music was not the ticket for this. My parents, not musicians, were tremendously embarassed by their parents' and grandparents' old-world ways. They wanted more than anything to appear mainstream.
But theirs was also a different age, one that was not as friendly. There was a tremendous amount of racial and ethnic hatred in the U.S. Think that lynchings didn't really disappear until the 1950's, if that soon. They were still prevalent in the south when my parents were kids. Father Joe Coughlan was spouting anti-semitism on the radio each week. In Detroit, Crystal (swimming) Pool had a sign that said "No Jews Allowed". The environment was not tremendously conducive to fostering ethnic pride. Things are a lot different now, which may make it difficult to fathom all of peoples' motivations 60 years ago.
Ralph
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The Ethnic Clarinet
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