Folk Notes The
Official Newsletter of the Israel FolkStuff Society
Current issue and
archives at: www.oocities.com/tzorafolk
Contents: Editorial;
Daniel Pearl Concert at JFC; Unknown Legends; Andy Statmen; A New Book
Editorial - Daniel Pearl, IFS and JFC
Daniel Pearl was a journalist for the Wall
Street Journal on assignment in Pakistan when he was murdered by radical
Muslims. Daniel Pearl was Jewish and proud of his Jewish heritage. As part of
that heritage, he loved the city of Jerusalem. In addition, it transpires that
Daniel Pearl was a lover of bluegrass music. He loved to hear it and play it.
It seems that he was an accomplished fiddle player who performed at various
Bluegrass venues in America.
During the late summer, our colleague and
friend Paul Graham learned that a variety of events were being planned
to mark what would have been Daniel Pearl's 39th birthday. It occurred to him
that there could be no more fitting participants in such a celebration than the
wonder- fully talented members of the Israel folk community who know and love
Bluegrass music. So Paul approached Judi Ganchrow, who approached Carol
and me. It
goes without saying that we
were all very eager to participate in keeping Daniel Pearl's memory alive. And
what better venue for such an undertaking than the Jerusalem Folk Club,
in the city he so loved.
Daniel Pearl
The Jerusalem Folk Club and the Israel Folk
Stuff Society, which runs it, undertook to work with Paul to put the show
together. Marc Gittelson and Jane Gruman, together with
Paul, found available
artists and molded them into a coherent program. Carol Fuchs had the difficult
task of coordinating the publicity. I had the pleasure of recording the event.
Suffice it for me to say that the performers were top notch, the soundman was
wonderful, and the audience vast and great. As a rule, the Jerusalem Folk Club
does not use sound equipment, but in order to accommodate representatives of
the media we permitted it this time, and it was perfect. As you may know, we
hold our get-togethers at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, and for this special
event it proved to be an intimate but not overly-crowded place, even though we
drew the largest audience ever for a folk club.
I for one had never met Daniel Pearl, and do
not believe anyone involved with the commemorative concert knew him personally.
Never-theless, in every respect, he was one of us. On behalf of the Israel Folk
Stuff Society, the Jerusalem Folk Club, and all who participated, may I venture
to hope that the Pearl family, (for whom the recording of the concert was made)
will see our endeavor as a token of love for them and their martyred son. Am
Yisrael Chai.
--Larry Gamliel
It was an act of love from beginning to end
— a love for the music, an appreciation of one of the guiding principles in
Daniel Pearl’s pre-empted life that sharing music could build bridges between
cultures, peoples and neighbors; and a deep-felt compassion for his family back
home in the U.S. who were missing Daniel the most on what would have been his
39th birthday on October 10th.
The seed for this concert was planted in a
Jewish newspaper that Jerusalem bluegrass musician Paul Graham happened
upon while visiting London in late summer. The paper reported that a rolling
worldwide concert event would be held to mark the birthday of Daniel Pearl, the
talented bluegrass fiddler/chamber music violinist who took his journalistic
day-job seriously enough to lose his life pursuing an al-Quaeda related story
(for details, see http://www.danielpearlfoundation.org/).
How could
Jerusalem
not be part of this event?
Paul began to set the wheels in motion. His
dream was realized on the designated evening before an overflowing Jerusalem
Folk Club audience at the Tisch Family Biblical Zoo with CNN’s cameras (among
others) there and rolling. Daniel’s portrait was up on stage, his reassuring
smile facing the audience and, in some tacitly understanding way, joining in
the music. Marc Gittelson, co-organizer, MC and itinerant musician read
a powerful message to the audience from Daniel’s father Yehudah, following
which Marc assembled everyone to sing Pete Seeger’s Well May the World Go.
The Bluegrass Incident
led off the evening with a solid, driving set. In the spirit of drawing
diverse people together from many corners, this band materialized from
extraordinary musicians scattered all over the country including Paul Graham
(mandolin), Lynn Lewis (slide guitar, banjo, mandolin), Danny Sharbon
(fiddle), Elimelech Ben Meir (guitar), Hillel Mogel (banjo), and
Yedidiya Frayman (bass). They played well off each other with precision and
verve.
The mood gently shifted with the subdued
flowing vocals of Laurie Ornstein (accompanied by Marc Gittleson and
Judi Ganchrow) whose lead-in song (written by Tommy Sands) gave credit to
parents who “sew the seeds of freedom in their daughters and their sons.”
The music shifted back to “bluegrassoid”
with a special set of songs prepared by Jerusalem favorites, Unstrung
Heroes (Mark Clarfield effortlessly harmonizing with Ora Paltiel,
accompanied by Lynn Lewis and Marc Gittleson). The cherry in this
fine performance was in their touching finale presentation, appropriately
entitled Daniel (Elton John, music; Bernie Taupin, lyrics) …Your eyes
have died but you see more than I, Daniel you're a star in the face of the sky….
After the break, the mellifluous voices of
Judi and Lynn Lewis, together with Judi’s first husband’s uncannily
musically rich hands on guitar offered a dazzling burst of country/ bluegrass
music and their own special spontaneous brand of humor. Lynn deserves special
kudos for his marathon performance on about 200 different instruments during the
evening, and his pink-shirt disguise donned for his last set that didn’t fool
the audience one whit. The music said it all.
For all the glitter and pizzazz of the
evening celebrating Daniel Pearl’s birthday, perhaps the last act was the uncut
gem of the field. Daniel Pearl loved to share his music with others, and
inspire them to play and communicate using diverse musical forms. Tamima
Suskind is obviously a talented fiddler. Her Kehati Street Klezmer
Band was comprised of a group of women (Valerie Bovaziz,
Sarah Cordish, Rachel Orbach, Sue Tourkin-Komet and Lynn
Geffen) playing viola, bassoon, tambourine and clarinet. Perhaps most of
these women would not be playing their instruments at all had it not been for
the inspiration of Tamima and Daniel. Their music was tentative but sweet and
together. It was past the bedtime of some in the audience who made quick exits
at the beginning of their set. The soundman (Tzvika, who did an
outstanding job all evening) began packing up his equipment, leaving them unamplified.
But the instruments produced their own volume, and the group continued playing
with good humor and fortitude. Kehati Street Klezmer needs some time and
nurturing and they will surely grow. Daniel would have known that and
encouraged them.
Thank you Daniel for pulling this community
together to play for you. Many more would have been honored to join in, had
time and circumstance permitted. We hope each person will continue to carry
outwardly the spirit of the evening.
--Judi Ganchrow
by Richie Unterberger
Miller Freeman Books, San Francisco c.1998
I shall
take a break from the esteemed and formidable Nick Tosches (I have already
reviewed two of his books [FolkNotes April 2002 and August 2002]), although in
the future I shall apply my pithy commentary to a third Tosches book about
country music. But allow me to mention two comments I’ve received to these
reviews. Larry Gamliel says that Nat “King” Cole did indeed, early on, dabble
in rock ‘n’ roll. I defer to his superior rock ‘n’ roll erudition and stand
corrected. I still wonder, however, if Nat Cole should have been included in
Mr. Tosches’ pantheon of unsung heroes. Josh Goodman told me he enjoyed the
reviews and found them sanguine. Now, sanguine is a fancy word for
“optimistic” and if he was referring to my message that in a flawed book there
can be much value and much to learn, I can live with that.
I now
turn my limited attention span to another writer about popular music, Richie
Unterberger. The title of his book, Unknown Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll, is
an oxymoron. One cannot be a legend and be unknown. If it is meant to be ironic
the irony is lost on this reviewer and a more fitting title should have been
found.
Mr.
Unterberger gives us 61 profiles of performers and bands in 13 categories. To
his credit he concentrates on the music and its originality rather than
biographical rock gossip. If the innovative music of a given band is a primary
criterion for inclusion, in the debit column a secondary criterion seems to be
a cult following, sometimes decades after the band ceased to exist.
Most of the bands and performers are indeed
unknown to this reviewer. It can become tedious reading profiles of bands whose
music you do not know and in genres in which you are not particularly
interested. While some of the profiles are fascinating, others are not. The
author slips in an occasional short essay on a musical phenomenon or sub-genre,
which is often the best reading in the book.
Ultimately
there
are clashes of taste. He begins the book with a chapter entitled Overlooked
Originators, where he profiles three rockabilly performers. He totally
neglects the fertile area of rhythm and blues artists of the 40’s and 50’s. He
seems to think a great deal more of the Doors than this reviewer (but
then, most everybody does) and a great deal less of the Rolling Stones.
There are chapters on psychedelic unknowns, mad geniuses, punk pioneers, lo-fi
mavericks, etc. Most of the genres postdate any claim of this reviewer to
expertise.
The
writing is generally competent although there is the occasional turn of phrase
that caused this reviewer to wince. I’m sorry but I can’t help comparing the
writing with the elegant articulate literacy of Nick Tosches.
Ultimately this book is for the serious student of Rock history and/or
those interested in abstruse cult bands. It is well researched and includes a
12-song disc with samples of some of the music. I’m looking forward to his
other books, particularly Turn! Turn! Turn! in which the author tackles
the folk-rock revolution of the 60’s.
He seemed elusive. Andy Statman was
everywhere but Jerusalem. Then, out of the blue, there he was at Tzora! An evening to transform you to a club in
Manhattan, and for only 30 NIS, the bargain of the year. It was their
night. No politics, no sharing the stage
with locals. Just Statman, Whitney and Weiner up there
playing their
Andy Statman
(from www.sonyclassical.com)
finest fusion
mandolin/ clarinet, laced with bluegrass and klezmer themes. I never saw
bassist-mandolin virtuoso interplay in my life like that, not to mention the
fabulously sensitive drummer. Statman played with his back to much of the
audience so he could maintain eye contact.
At the
start Andy said that exits for the sherutim wouldn't bother them and to
turn off your cell phones UNLESS you were expecting an important call. They
floated for about 1 ½ hours virtually nonstop and hardly announcing a song.
Then Andy looked at his watch and said something like, "Gee, I thought
that was about 5 minutes.” And they went on playing! And we all hope
they'll be back soon.
--Judi Ganchrow
Help Needed - Book in Progress
I wonder
if any of you can help me with a project I am developing, writing a book on the
"One Man Band" (OMB) and related novelty music. I need information on
present and past OMBs; pictures, recordings, press cuttings, stories, bios,
etc.
The book
will cover OMB’s such as Buskers, Street Theatre, Circus, Medicine Shows, Tent
Shows, Burlesque and Vaudeville, as well as bands like Spike Jones, the Hoosier
Hot Shots and Bonzo Dog. Current Novelty Music performers will be
covered if special and connected to the main theme. And I’m trying to cover the
world, not just the USA, UK and Australia.
I plan
to make the book fairly visual, with historic facts, humor and stories, so
items both ordinary and extraordinary will be helpful.
As for
me, I was born and grew up in the UK and have now lived in Israel for 20 years.
I am a full time entertainer. Apart from
my main band, the Washboard Wizards -- a 4-5 piece group playing
jug, jazz, blues, Americana, & related Novelty Music -- I also play with Isra-Dixie,
a 10-piece band doing Dixie, klezmer, Jewish jazz, etc. I sing and play
ukuleles, banjo, washboard and other novelty instruments in both bands. My own
OMB consists of me on washboards, banjo, ukuleles, suitcase bass drum,
teapots, zob stick, bath bass, kazoo and lots of
junk. I have even played with the Israel Philharmonic…
Both
bands and my OMB have toured and played festivals around the world and on TV
shows. The Washboard Wizards have one disc out, another in
process and my Web page will be up soon. I can be contacted by fax and phone at
972 (9) 745-7287 or by mail at: 7, HaShalom St, Hod Hasharon, 45204, Israel.
--Paul Moore
Happy Birthday to: Sashi Clarfield,
Diane Kaplan, Adi Katz, Tali Rogoff, Shay Tochner
Refuah Shlema to: Beverly Burge
after her recent surgery.
NOT TRAD ADS - fee is NIS 10 (NIS 5 for members).
** Marc Miller's CD Bring It With You When
You Come. Contact Marc at (055) 901-740 or e-mail him at mmiller@afik.org
or send a check for 50 NIS
(including postage and handling) made out to
Kibbutz Afik and send to:
Fatman Productions
Kibbutz Afik
Doar Na Ramat HaGolan 12938
Larry Gamliel wrote,
"Get it, whatever you do."
Ray Scudero wrote "My
only complaint is that he priced his work too low."
**Sandy
Cash's new CD, EXACT CHANGE, is available for 60 NIS, plus 15
NIS shipping (per order). Send a check, along with your name and shipping
information, to P.O. Box 1639, Bet Shemesh, 99522. For more information, call Sandy at (02)
991-9686 or contact her at: sandycash@bigfoot.com
**SHELLEY ELLEN
- guitar
lessons, also
available for performances (03)
674-5356.
**Jill Rogoff's
THE CELTIC CRADLE and ACROSS THE NARROW SEAS (ALC
129) are available on cassette and CD. Tel/Fax (02) 679-0410.
**DAY OF REST
-- Rahel Jaskow's CD. Renditions of traditional and slightly
off-the-beaten-track Sabbath songs. NIS 65 plus NIS 10 postage. Contact Rahel
Jaskow: rjaskow@actcom.co.il
** Voice and/or flute lessons. Call Marcie Schreier: (053)
834-174.
**Computer Support.
Free telephone support, and house calls. Very reasonable rates. Ben Hizak.
(050) 280-644.
**The New Country
Klezmers -- a foot-stompin' good time -- 2-5 musicians for your simchah.
Call David Baron (054) 955-997 or Bruce Brill (051) 565-479.
**CAPA (Computer
Assisted Production and Arranging) -- from your musical masterpiece to
demo, playback, finished CD? Call
David Baron (054)
955-997.
DISCLAIMER: 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 2002.
The disclaimer is so
that people do not "steal your article." In every case that people
turn to FolkNotes for permission, we refer them directly to the author of the
article. Advertisement tariffs for FolkNotes
are available on request.
FolkNotes Staff: Sherry Whetstone,
Larry Gamliel, Carol Fuchs, and Cecile Panzer
C A L
E N D A R
November 2002
JERUSALEM AREA:
Tuesday, November 12th,
11:00 am. Meeting of the Harp Circle at Shoshana Levy's home. There will
be a minimal entry fee to help defray various costs. For further details,
please contact Shoshana at (02) 624-3435.
Thursday, November 14th,
8:30 pm. JERUSALEM FOLK CLUB – Peter, Paul and Mary night
at the Tisch Family Biblical Zoo Auditorium. Admission NIS 25/20. For
information, call Larry (053)801-202 or Carol (053) 850-098.
Saturday, November 16th,
9 pm. AACI/IFS Sing Thing. British Invasion, Part II. At the
AACI, 6 Mane St. Admission NIS 30 (25 for members). For information call Larry
at (053) 801-202 or Carol (053) 850-098.
Tentative fall Dulcimer Society
schedule: First 3 consecutive Mondays of
the month. On the 3rd Monday
other instruments are welcome to come and play with us. For more info, call
Judi (02) 679-8448 or Dena (02) 561-8910.
TEL
AVIV AREA:
Wednesday, November 6th, 8:30 pm. TEL
AVIV FOLK CLUB. With Barry Gilbert (new
immigrant & folksinger), Judy & Lynn
Lewis, Marianna & Shaun and others... Bikurei Ha'itim, 6 Heftman St.
Admission NIS 22. For more details, call Ariela at (03) 683-7441.
Wednesday,
November 20th, 8:30 pm. TEL AVIV FOLK CLUB. With Robby
Shmerling,
Sunita
Stanislaw & Rina Sheleff doing Stories with Harp, plus Gilead Cohen and
Koby Hadar. Bikurei Ha'itim, 6 Heftman St. Admission NIS 22.
For more details, call Ariela at (03) 683-7441
Mondays - Shelley
Ellen at the Yellow House in Yehud every Monday nite., 9- 11 pm.
Blues, Folk, Folk rock
& a touch of jazz; Good food & music. Yehud Center pass the mall at
light left & right on Hatzmaut,
round the bend on left.. For more info,
call Shelley 03 6745356 come on down...
KIBBUTZ
TZORA and area
Monday, November 4th,
8:30 pm. BET SHEMESH MUSIC NITE (BSMN), with Larry Gamliel, Eliot
Dobin, Larry Brandt and more! 10 NIS, at the home of Ian &
Bethia Rubinstein, Hashushan 1 (in the Nofei Aviv neighbourhood). Further
details; call Roby at (02) 999-2106.
Wednesday, November
27th, 9 pm. KIBBUTZ TZORA FOLK CLUB -
Call Judi & Lynn Lewis at (02) 990-8382 or (051)
348-061 or email them at judilynn@tzora.co.il. Also see their website:
KARMIEL
AND NORTH
Ada will be continuing the Saturday
Morning Clil Concerts as usual, solo at times, with Diane at times,
and with others. During the Olive Festival (the first 3 weeks of November),
they will perform in Clil at 11 am and at 2 pm every Saturday, and at Shorashim
on Fridays at 1.30 pm at Makom Bagalil. For info or reservations please call
Ada: (04)996-9540 or (050) 601-774 or Diane: (04)980-0718.
Thursday, November 7th, 9 pm. KARMIEL
FOLK KLUB at Beit HaNoar Karmiel with dulcimerist Judy Ganchrow
& friends, square dance caller and singer Cyrelle Forman-Sofer, the
ubiquitous Shay Tochner, and Larry Gamliel with Jane Gruman
and Marcie Schreier. The price per person for the KFK is now only 25 NIS
(15 for Sarona participants) There is a map with directions in the Photo
section of the IFC home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/israelfolkcommunity. For
further details, call Larry Rosenfeld at (04) 990-2455.
Sarona Weekend 2002 has
been set for Thursday, November 7th – Saturday, November 9th,
2002. Registration is NIS 50 (free to IFS members). This year, everybody
books his or her own accommodations. Most suites have a double bed in the
bedroom, and up to 3 or 4 beds/cots in the salon area. Numbers to call about
accommodations: Polina Manuel (04)
676-5680; Pnina Hazan (04) 676-7725; Dorit Mire (04) 676-6013; Rahel Carasso (04)
676-0380; Sasson Family (04) 676-6012. If you would like to perform, contact
Carol (053) 850-098 or Larry (053)
801-202.
Various workshops will
be held late Friday morning and afternoon and Saturday late morning and
afternoon. Among them: The Turn Of the Century Revolution: African Cadences and Tonalities Invade Popular
American Music, with Marc Miller. The
Petting Zoo – get to touch/play an instrument new to you.
Guides so far are Judi Ganchrow and friends with their dulcimers. Dance
workshop with Cyrelle. Get a closer look at the 7000 instruments
available on Larry’s keyboard. How To Develop and Use Your Voice
with Judi Buchman-Ziv: not a specific style, but how to use
your voice correctly. The Fairy Circle with Rina Sheleff:
stories and story telling.
THE SOUTH
Friday-Saturday, November 22nd-23rd at Sde Boker.
Autumn Dulcimer Retreat. Contact Laurie (08) 653-2080 or Judi
(02) 679-8448.
Try to get your information to us for the Calendar, as early as
possible, so we can meet publication deadlines (15th of each month). Contact
Larry Gamliel at (053) 801-202, or by email: carolf@savion.huji.ac.il
To receive the (more or less) twice-weekly email updates, write Carol:
carolf@savion.huji.ac.il
ISRAEL FOLKSTUFF SOCIETY
Membership (clip and MAIL today)
Oh, YES! I'd
like to become a member of/renew my membership in IFS. Includes a subscription
to FolkNotes, discounts on IFS-sponsored concerts and Home Hoots, etc. (Send to
IFS, P.O.B. 12188 Jerusalem 91120 Israel)
Single: NIS 50: Family: NIS 65: Outside Israel: NIS
75
Name: __________________________________ Birth
month: _____________
Address:
_________________________________________________________
City: ________________ ZIP
_______email: ____________________________
Phones:
Home: _____________ Work: ___________ Cellular: ______________
YES!!!
I want to be active - write -
organize - do something ___________________