klezmer mandolin

[Jeff Chu]

Hey Guys,

I am interested in learning about the role of the mandolin in a klezmer ensemble setting. Who are some of the popular klezmer mandolinists (besides Andy Statman, and his works with Grisman)? I have seen mandolin appear in Klezmer Conservatory band, and some others, but is not always heard amongst the brass, or rhythm sections. I see tenor banjo more than mandolin, like Henry Sapoznik of Kapelye. Who do you guys like, and what recordings do you recommend? Thanks!

[allenhopkins]

Jeff Warschauer, The Singing Mandolin.

[Gerry Tenney]

Jeff is a great player and teacher, and a great guy as well.:mandosmiley:

[Gary S]

Eric Stein is a talented mandolinist as well as arranger/composer. He plays with "Beyond the Pale".Here is a wonderful video they did. Cameos apearances by Michael Alpert and Zev Feldman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LYGgrQnMe0

[Jeff Chu]

Im in the process of trying to book Jeff and his wife Deborah to play at a exhibit opening up in Glens Falls New York. Well see how that goes. Gig is scheduled for next March. Do you guys play a lot of klezmer? What are some of the tunes that are a MUST in the repertoire?

[allenhopkins]

Do you guys play a lot of klezmer? What are some of the tunes that are a MUST in the repertoire?

Well, hate to say it, but Hava Nagila seems to creep into many of the gigs Love & Knishes perform -- not that it's klezmer! Rather than outline a particular repertoire, let me recommend getting familiar with the freygish mode or scale or whatever you call it. My mandolin work in the klezmer idiom was all snarled up because I was playing standard minor licks in a freygish environment, and messing up badly.

Not enough of a theorist to explain it in detail, but learning about it (from Sherri, clarinetist in Wholesale Klezmer Band) opened my eyes quite a bit.

[Asha]

Klezmer mandolin is just about all I play these days. As well as traditional Hasidic and other Jewish music too, like Shlomo Carlebach, etc..

Andy Statman is obvious, and I assume you have Songs of our Fathers by him and Grisman? Definately also highly recommend The Singing Waltz by Jeff Warschauer, very tasteful. Also look for an old CD entitled The Travelling Jewish Wedding by the Golden Gate Gypsy Orchestra. Lots of good mando there.

If you are looking for klezmer and other Jewish tunes (most with mando tab) you can check out my Sibelius enabled web site at: http://www.caravansari.net/ScoreMenu.php. Let me know if there's a tune you are looking for. I've got these posted primarily posted for our monthly Shabbat Shirah service. (Typically we get 150 folks attending!). You can also hear some of our service at: http://www.caravansari.net/ShabbatShirah.html. Scroll down the page for the tune player.

I can talk Jewish scales theory until I'm blue in the face (or you are), but as allenhopkins suggested learning the Freygish scale is a must, although there are others. Simply put it is: D Eb F# G A Bb C D. That 1 1/2 steps between the 2nd and 3rd degrees is what makes it! Note that this is also similar to the Arabic Hijaz maqam.

b'Shalom
*-- Asha

[McMandolin]

Joey Weisenberg should be mentioned as well as Jeff and Eric and Andy. His Mandolin playing on Michael Winograd's "Bessarabian Hop" cd is terrific.

[Dave Greenspoon]

I have to mention my teacher Charley Rappaport in this discussion. Charley has longstanding kreds in klez, and has been a major force behind the starting of mandolin and balalaika orchestras in Atlanta and Pittsburgh among other similar work. His band is The Great American Gypsies. Here's a url on Charley on wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Rappaport

and this one takes you to the band's myspace page

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=260607923

He's a master musician and teacher, and a wonderful person as well.

[Dave Greenspoon]

While we're at it, Barry Mitterhof is playing mandolin for Margo Leverett The Klezmer Mountain Boys.

[Pete Braccio]

Hey Asha,

Thanks for the link to your site. This will keep me busy for a while.

Pete

[Seth Austen]

As you might deduce from my username, I play klezmer mandolin (among various other styles). There are a couple of free klezmer mp3s on my website, about klezmer ensemble page. The site will be updated in the next month or so, look for newer tunes then.

I'm playing two concerts as guest mandolin soloist with a community orchestra this month, one of the pieces is an original klezmer tune that I arranged for string orchestra. :)

Seth

[Asha]

For all you west coast Klezmer afficionados, just found out yesterday that Andy Statman Trio will be here in Southern Oregon, March 24th. I'm not sure about other stops on this tour but I imagine he'll be elsewhere on the I-5 corridor as well so keep your eyes open for announcements. I'm trying to arrange for a lesson while he's here.

[djweiss]

Asha, where is he playing in Oregon?

Thanks,
DJW

[Asha]

Andy Statman Trio will be here in Ashland. Admission is $20 in advance. See details at: http://www.stclairevents.com/tickets_20090324.htm. It says he's at the Unitarian Church on 4th and C Streets - but actually I think it will be at the Havurah on Mountain Ave.

[djweiss]

Thanks, Asha...I may even make the drive from Humboldt!

-DJW

[Gerry Tenney]

I play a lot of klezmer mandolin and mandola. Check out www.californiaklezmer.com to hear some of my playing both solo and ensemble work.
Gerry Tenney

[Gary S]

Great music Gene,
Youve got a good thing going on. Here is a Nuftule Brandwein piece I recorded on the mandolin.
Gary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ9IIdq8kqY&feature=channel_page

[Jonmiller]

This is what I love about playing mandolin-coming from a banjo background-both 4 and 5 strings, when you pull out the banjo-it sounds like Disneyland, and you play banjo stuff. Mandolin can play any style and play with it's head held high. It's note just bluegrass or Italian-it's rock and classical, Scottish, Gypsy and on and on.......

[DougC]

Im in the process of trying to book Jeff and his wife Deborah to play at a exhibit opening up in Glens Falls New York. Well see how that goes. Gig is scheduled for next March. Do you guys play a lot of klezmer? What are some of the tunes that are a MUST in the repertoire?


A great deal of info on Klezmer wedding music is on this website by a band called Budowitz. http://www.budowitz.com/Budowitz/+Budo_Wedding_CD.html

Another great recording of wedding music is on a CD called Khevrisa. pronounced with an H - (a silent K) http://www.amazon.com/Khevrisa-European-Klezmer-Music-Traditional/dp/B00004RJX3/sr=11-1/qid=1166145342/ref=sr_11_1/102-0986696-8481765

I study klezmer mandolin with Jeff in Montreal. Great guy and a good teacher.

Regarding popular tunes. A must for weddings is Mazeltov, a tune that comes right after the groom breaks the wine glass at the end of the ceremony. It is a song as well as a tune and I may not have the whole name. But you'd better know this one!

[Gerry Tenney]

Regarding popular tunes. A must for weddings is Mazeltov, a tune that comes right after the groom breaks the wine glass at the end of the ceremony. It is a song as well as a tune and I may not have the whole name. But you'd better know this one![/QUOTE]
It's called Khosn Kale Mazel Tov. It means good luck or congratulaitions to
the groom and bride.

The words:
OY oy oy khosn kale mazel tov 3x (tov sounds like tough in English.)
Mir vintshn aleh, mazel tov haint. (We wish you all congratulaions
today)

Gerry Tenney

[Gary S]

Most people not accostumed to Yiddish music expect to hear Simon Tov and Mazel Tov. We usually play a strain or two of that and then play Chusin Kale Mazel Tov and or any # of klez tunes.

[Gerry Tenney]

Great music Gene,
Youve got a good thing going on. Here is a Nuftule Brandwein piece I recorded on the mandolin.
Gary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ9IIdq8kqY&feature=channel_page

It's Gerry by the way.
That's some nice playing. A great tune. That's also a wonderful sounding, (even over my small computer speakers) F-4. What year is it. I either play My 2003 GibsonF-5 Fern or an A-3 with a cedar top.
The recodings were done with 1916 H-1 Mandola and a 1978 Kettler F-5.
If you're on the west coast,let's do some playing.
Gerry Tenney

[Mark Levesque]

Andy Statman, Charley Rappaport and Jeff Warschauer list the Moldavian
born mandolinist Martin Kalisky as an innovative influence. Does anyone have a recording of Martin or know of one?

Gary S., I really enjoyed your videos on YouTube, both of your mandolins sound great!

[Gerry Tenney]

[QUOTE=Mark Levesque;609223]Andy Statman, Charley Rappaport and Jeff Warschauer list the Moldavian
born mandolinist Martin Kalisky as an innovative influence. Does anyone have a recording of Martin or know of one?


Those are all great players.As well as Eric Stein and Barry Mitterhoff.

I have in mp3 form a live recording of Kalinsky playing tunes, that I dubbed from a cassette that was going 'round a few years back
I'd be glad to figure out a way to share it with others.
I also have somewhere a teaching/ jam between Jeff and Andy and when I find it, I could share that also.

Gerry:mandosmiley:

[Gary S]

Sorry bout that Gerry,
I play a 1917 Gibson F-4 it has got a full refined sound and I am fortunate to be it's caretaker.Thanks for the positive comments on the you tube video. Your Mandolin orchestra sounds great!!! I guess I would need to learn to read music to join in. I would love to have a recording of Martin Kalisky

Happy Chanukah...Merry Christmas and best wishes to all...Gary Silverstein

[mandocrucian]

Mandocrucian's Digest had a couple of klezmer things in it: (Special on back issues still going on through the end of the month. see cafe classifieds)

#19 - The fictional adventures of Mando Mac Hameron in "Embezelling Banjos", History of Mandolin-banjos by Alan Ede, Bluegrass w/Baldry ("Sally Goodin", "Shortenin' Bread"), New England Dance Tunes w/David Surette ("The Cat In The Hopper", "President Garfield's Hornpipe"), Cajun w/Comeaux ("Chez Seychelles"), Klezmer w/Henry Koretzky ("Freylehke Yiden"), Jazz/Swing w/McGann, Mandolin in rock discography - part 4, John Bird essay: "A Picker's Progress", book and record reviews.

#18 - BOBBY CLARK profile ("Oklahoma Twister", "Redwing"), essays: "Why I'd Like To Blow Up My Local Music Store" and "A Tale Of 2 Mandolin Pickers", Irish Mandolin w/Mick Moloney (more "Cregg's Pipes"), Cajun Mandolin w/Comeaux ("Cajun Groove"), Jazz/swing w/McGann (an approach to comping), Rumanian tune ("Hora Mare"), Bluegrass w/Baldry (doublestop licks), Street Performance w/Sean Grissom, 1990 Listening survey, record reviews, comix, letters.

#17 - Review of electric guitar rock/blues instructional books/tapes, Bluegrass w/Baldry (In a Minor Mode), Street Performance w/Grissom (the biggest hats), Jazz/swing w/McGann (Q&A), klezmer tune ("Yoshke, Yoshke"), "Hangman" arranged for cittern/octave mandolin (or mandolin)/voice, Finnish tune ("Purpurrimarssi"), John Bird essay: "Why I Love The Mandolin", Mandolin in rock discography - part 3, record reviews.

(Excess back issue inventory is probably headed to the shredder in 09. Better off taxwise to get it off the books than holding on to excess unsold inventory. Don't look for it to appear later online, either.)

Niles H

[Jeff Chu]

Hey Gary,

Is there sheet music for that? or did you learn it form the recording? sounds great.

[montanasteve]

yea, IS there some sheet music??

where can i find some?

[Gary S]

I learned it by listening to the recording by Naftule Brandwein, a must for anyone interested in Klezmer music. There are a lot of sources for learning and appreciating Klezmer music. First and foremost any recorded music by Naftule Brandwein and Dave Tarras. Here are some Klezmer music links that I hope will be helpful...Gary
http://www.jewishmusic.com/
http://www.muziker.org/resrec/
http://www.manchesterklezmer.org/

[Gerry Tenney]

. I would love to have a recording of Martin Kalisky

Happy Chanukah...Merry Christmas and best wishes to all...Gary Silverstein[/QUOTE]

I could make a CD or try to email it.

Got something to trade?