Folk N o t e s ............... October 1999 The Official Newsletter of the Israel FolkStuff Society

Latest issue is also available at: www.oocities.org/tzorafolk and www.galilan.com/ ~folkster

Contents: Profile - Mike Stein - Editorial - the usual, etc. Chuck Brodsky -AACI Song Competition information – Square Dance Weekend
HEAT BEATER AT THE 7TH PLACE: DOUBLE BILLING:
Mike and Jared Stein, Philip Griffin and Marcie Schreier

IFS witnessed an evening of tremen- dous talent yet again in August. Lynn and Judi got the evening rolling with the usual exceptional guitaristry and harmonies. Jared, who must be all of 13, was busy tuning his 12 string, quietly itching to burst on the scene with his seasoned dad, Mike Stein. Mike and co. presented a widely varied set including "Gulf Coast Waltz", a song he wrote which sold a million copies and is so prevalant that some folks think it must be "public domain". He is indeed a veteran songwriter with many recordings including his latest outstanding Rounder children's cd's. A lovely child in a purple dress was seen leaving the scene hugging one of these cd's together with her favorite

teddybear. Good humor and kind spirit prevail in his presentations. And the blues interactions between father and son, as well as the improvised trumpet harmonies were outstanding.

Philip Griffin and Marcie Schreier changed the pace with an insertion of mainly Italian Renaissance and Baroque duos which were just right after a long hot week. Their performance was flawless and relaxed and could transform you easily to another time and another place. You could hear in Marcie's voice and Philip's quiet concentration that they too felt they were entertaining you, personally in your cool, dark, ancient villa (Ray cleverly dimmed the lights for this part of the show). The encore was deeply appreciated.

Finally, under the direction of Larry, every- one in the audience seemed to get involved in the jam finale. Up front you could find Steins on fiddle and 12 string, Lynn on banjo, Philip on guitar, Marc on bass, Marcie with standby flute, and all around an array of vocalists doing every which kind of music. Ray (who had the sound system well-honed for the evening) even passed a microphone to one enthusiast who remembered "Two Brothers", a song that momentarily stymied the up-fronters. Add the air conditioning and the no-smoking and the quiet orchestration by Carol in the back- ground, and you know a good time was had by all, no matter how hot and tired they all started out.

--jg

To all of you from all of us at IFS go the best possible wishes for the happiest of New Years. May the music and good times be plentiful. May the hard times come again no more. Even though you will be reading this at the tail end of the holidays, I thought it might be appropriate to reflect just a wee bit on whether these times can teach us anything mellow and profound about the music we all love. Here goes:

There are almost as many prayer books as there are Children of Israel. There are Conservative, Reform, Feminist, not to mention Orthodox, which should probably be referred to more accurately as Traditional. Beyond that, there is no one Traditional prayer book. There are Ashkenazi, Oriental and Hassidic (also known as Sefarad) liturgies. While these three latter ostensibly are one and the same, there are many minor and some major differences between them. Those who use the Conservative and Reform versions feel that their prayer books are the most relevant because they have instituted major changes in content and procedure. Traditionalists say that their prayer books are the most relevant precisely because they have retained the ancient prayers which are the heritage of Judaism.

I say that they are all correct since, without knowing it, they are all striving for the same thing: the worship of the G-d of Israel. To further complicate matters, many traditionalists regard the prayer book as something fixed in time, immutable and unchangeable. This is not correct. The traditional prayer book contains selections from all sections of the Bible, the Mishnah and Talmud, and a host of marvelous medieval liturgical poets. Indeed it is here that the Oriental and Western liturgies differ the most.

Does all this sound familiar? Sure it does. For could we not describe the current folk music scene in exactly the same terms? There is almost no region of our planet, which has not enriched the music we sing — Ireland and Appalachia, for example. There are eras and epochs which have seen tremendous growth in what is broadly assumed to be folk music, such as the period after the Great Depression, or the early to mid Sixties. Just think about those modern artists who have graced our shores in recent years; singer/song- writers who, guitar in hand, have enraptured us with original material but who are folk singers to the core.

I know some folks who live and breathe Celtic music, and others who can’t stand it. Some folks love bluegrass and others think it boring. Some folks dig old traditional sea shanties.

Some think folk music is not worth anything unless it is relevant to the here and now. But whatever be our favorite, when viewed from a height it is all one. That is why the folk clubs which we frequent have such a marvelous mixture of people playing everything from dulcimers to pianos, and just about anything in between. That is why we can hear such a plethora of styles from primitive rock and roll to primitive Balkan. It is all folk, and may we all be enriched with prodigious amounts of it in the coming year.

Shanah Tovah y’all.

--Larry Gamliel

[OCTOBER, 1999] They say that to tell great stories you have to live an adventurous life. It’s a tip that songwriter Chuck Brodsky took to heart. The stories that Philadelphia-born Brodsky weaves into his songs are musical snapshots from a life that has seen him driving an ice cream truck, laboring as a migrant fruit-picker, and even a short stint as a bank courier, leading to favorable comparisons with such legendary folksingers as John Prine, Bob Dylan, and Woody Guthrie Brodsky will be playing at public venues and house concerts throughout Israel beginning October 17^th (see complete schedule of performances in Calendar).

Delivered with a soft, wry voice and slick guitar playing, Brodsky’s songs chronicle the lives of everyday people who are trying to muddle through with some grace. “Radio” describes a small community in South Carolina and the severely retarded man it embraces. “Bill and Annie” tells the story of roadside peach vendor still wondering after thirty years if he married the right woman. “The Ballad of Eddie Klepp” tells the story of the first white baseball player in the Negro leagues. Other tunes high- light Brodsky’s barbed sense of humor. His signature number “Blow Em Away” is a delightfully nasty blues about a pistol-packing commuter. Another song that

should strike a resonant chord with local audiences is his tribute to the American holiday season, “On Christmas I Got Nothing.” Ever since his debut recording, critics have repeatedly referred to Brodsky as “the new Dylan” -- a label he valiantly attempts to shake off in his concert favorite “Killin’ the Dylan in Me.” Opening for Brodsky at many of his performances will be our own Sandy Cash, a singer well-known to English-speaking audiences, who contacted Brodsky over the Internet, and arranged his local performances. “Chuck first came to Israel as a volunteer at Kibbutz Givat Haim Meuchad,” says Cash.

“Catching him back here at the end of his European tour is a great opportunity.”

For further information, call Sandy Cash at 02-991-9686.

Chuck Brodsky can be reached directly for interviews via his email address:

Cbrodsky@aol.com

Happy birthday to Sandy Cash, Larry Gamliel, Judi Ganchrow, Eliot Goldstein, Rahel Jaskow, Susan Noy, Jill Rogoff, Natan Shor, and Vernon Whetstone.

Condolences to Laurie Zaazur on the loss of her mother.

Finalists: (in order of appearance)

2. Daddy's Farm by Matthuy Simply

3. You were my First by Dafna Palatin

4. Next by Ziva Hadar

5. Nuthin' by Mindy Kornberg

6. Fools that Care by Larry Gamliel

7. Absolute Truth Blues by Michal Rogson

10. Little Eagel by David Kenner

11. When You say it's Over by Silver Ber

12. Trust by Sivan Davidovits

Special Guest Artist - CHUCK BRODSKY

The competition will be held on Thursday, October 28, 8:00 pm , at the Beer Sheva Conservatory.

Tickets available from Roby (organizer): (07) 610-2533, through the finalists (if you know them), or at the door (from 7 pm on the

night)

Tickets are: AACI Members NIS 40, (Seniors & students) NIS 30, Non-AACI members NIS 50.

TRAD ADS - Free for members - OTHERS - 10 NIS PER MONTH

**Wanted - someone to teach banjo in the fall. Shira Pomeranz pomeranz@netmedia.net.il

NOT TRAD ADS - fee is NIS 10 (NIS 5 for members).

**SHELLEY ELLEN guitar lessons available for performances (03) 674-5356.

**For Sale: Franco Esteva concert model (top of the line) classical guitar with Scudero pickup, plus hard wood case, in MINT condition. Contact Marc Gittelson (02) 671-6803 or (053) 962-600 or NURSEMARC@NEWMAIL.NET

**Jill Rogoff's "THE CELTIC CRADLE" as well as her new album (#3): ACROSS THE NARROW SEAS (ALC 129) are available on cassette (NIS 40) or CD (NIS 60). Tel/Fax (02) 679-0410.

**Bar/Bat Mitzva or Weddings: Have a foot- stomping party with Debby Elnatan, fiddler & caller, square and line dancing, clogging. Have wheels, will travel. (02) 678-9778, 053-806-281.

**LIMITED OFFER ONLY

- Twenty packets of dulcimer string sets (4 strings in each)@ $10 per packet.

- Several albums of BEAUTIFUL harp music are on offer. A CD entitled "Wind Beneath My Wings" (a selection of easy listening, including a folk song, a classical piece, several film themes and some popular standards), played by

Paul Hurst, for $15.

- 6 cassettes ($10 each), four of 18th century music for flute and harp played by Paul Hurst on harp and Alice McGonigal on flute; and two of selections from The Sound of Music and West Side Story, played by De Wayne Fulton on harp and Paul Hurst on keyboards. Postage and handling extra.

Call Jill Rogoff (02) 679-0410

Led by the Doyenne of Dancing - CYRELLE FORMAN-SOFFER, 5th & 6th NOVEMBER, 1999, Kibbutz Sdot Yam (Near Caesaria)

PRICE: 250 NIS per person. 3-4 sharing in a dormitory room with bathroom

350 NIS per person. 4 sharing a two room apartment with kitchen corner and bathroom

430 NIS per person in double room with kitchen corner and bathroom

e-mail address : squaredancing @ netscape.net

or call for information: Judy Admon - Tel:02 5346899

Our Trad Ads section is free to IFS members. Display ads are priced according

to the following schedule:

* Full page NIS 450 * Half page NIS 225 * 1/3 page NIS 180

* 1/4 page NIS 125 * 1/10 page NIS 60 * 1/16 page NIS 45

* 1/20 page NIS 35

FolkNotes Staff: (direct your issues and volunteered time accordingly) Larry

Gamliel (02) 641-1043 or (053) 801-202, Carol (02) 671-4007 or faxes: (02) 675-8376, Sherry (02) 991-5462. And of course: Judi.

Send your email address to IFS to be in a compiled list of folks in the know

for fast- breaking events that develop between FolkNotes issues.

DISCLAIMER: We are not responsible for spelling. FolkNotes is the official

publication of the Israel Folkstuff Society. Views are those of the writers,

not necessarily those of IFS.

FOLKNOTES and all of the articles, photographs and material contained therein

are, unless otherwise noted, copyrighted by IFS 1999.

Printed by Argaman Press

Sat., Sun., Mon. 8-12 P.M. Folk music with Ray Scudero at the 7th Place, Beit Agron, 37 Hillel, (02) 625-4495 Call ahead.

KIBBUTZ TZORA:

Other venues for Chuck Brodsky: