I was perusing the internet, looking for Klezmer flute and I found Fleytmuzik, so I ordered it from cdbaby.com - I like the slow bits. I figure I should listen to/play every style possible on these wooden flutes that I love. My grandmother sure would get a kick out of hearing me play this style of music. It took her a while to embrace my love of Irish music. So…does anyone here play Klezmer?
Talk about etiquette!
I don’t get it.
I’m not sure I get it, either. But I think it’s something about Jewish people having unspoken rules of conduct. It’s certainly true. 
I’m not sure I’d say I’m “in to klezmer”, but I have that CD, Ms. Greenbaum advertised it on the FLUTE mailing list (Larry Krantz et. al. moderating) and I bought it directly from her. I enjoy listening to it every now and then. (Just started up the CD here) If you read the CD notes, you’ll see that all the pieces are played on Boehm flutes all wooden.
It’s a very different sound than anything else I have. There are a few net sources for sheet music of Klezmer tunes. They also have a whole set of unwritten rules for ornamentation. I’ve played the tunes downloaded from a couple of sites, but I’ve never learned the Klezmer style.
A bunch o tunes at http://www.klezmer.de/Noten/noten.html
[edited to add the tune URL]
I’ve got a fiddle friend who’s alot into kletzmer. I’m not particularly fond of the stuff but it’s ok, and can be fun to play.
I play it on Boehm flute tough, when I do play it. It tends to be very chromatic, infact extremely chromatic for folk music.
You may recall the Yiddish song, Donna,
which Joan Baez recorded.
On a wagon, bound for market,
There’s a calf with a mournful eye…
I play that; I think it’s Klezmer, maybe.
I play several Israeli dances on the street, not
Klezmer, but very effective on the
the wooden flute, too.
And there is a song we sang in
synagogue when I was a child that
I play on the flute, which is
very haunting and beautiful.
I think it has to do with the session etiquette wrangling going on on the woodenflute mailing list.
Just a guess :roll:
Aodhan
I’m not really into Klezmer but I am Jewish and every body thinks I am not I don’t know why. 
Yes, Aodhan, you got it. What with the neverending discourse of what is ITM and correct session etiquette in one or more of the forums at just about any time, one could picture the same sort of thing going on about Klezmer. Perhaps I coined a phrase with KTM, perhaps not. Maybe there is even some Yiddish term for “Pure Drop”! Just think parallel TMs.
KTM doesn’t really work that is just what I think…
Jessie, you might do better on the whistle board.
Wendy Morrison (aka wendina) used to frequent the whistle board, but AFAIK doesn’t any more; her website is www.klezmusic.com ; she’s a consummate whistler and plays various squeezboxes. No flute, though. I haven’t listened to much of her klezmer, but absolutely love the Celtic Consort, another of her bands.
I’m into Klezmer, “Russian Sher”, “Rezele”, “Hopkele” and “Baim Rebn in Palestina” are some of my Klezmer favorites.
That’s actually why I started making whistles that are in Ahava Rabba Mode (Freygish) to play these easier. Learning the modes is part of the trick to playing and performing Klezmer, there’s “Adonai Moloch”, “Ahava Rabba”, “Mishberak”, etc. are names of the modes. They are named from songs in liturgical Judaism that use the particular mode. Also, don’t forget harmonic minor keys as well.
If you know the mode, it allows for proper ornamentation (Klezmer ornamentation is different than Irish)
There’s the classic Klezmer 1900-1950’s, then there’s Budowitz 1800’s era Klezmer and then Modern Klezmer (a very broad term).
I like the classic era, musicians like Dave Tarras, Naftule Brandwein, Abe Schwartz. Try to play something like “Pappirosn” on a simple flute is quite a workout.
I like Klezmer music since I was introduced to it in graduate school some 17 years ago. A classmate of mine was in a Klezmer band in Toronto and being on the graduate entertainment committy, we hired them four times during the school year to come a play at functions. They were always a hit.
Now that I am the music librarian for our system I have increased the amount of Klezmer music CD’s in the collection along with a lot more World music etc. I just did a check on the Klezmer CD’s and most have gone out on a regular basis. So there seems to be a need for Klezmer music. And at the same time I have added some titles to my collection.
I would love to learn to play the clarinet just to play Klezmer music but alas I have enough to learn and play with the flute.
Thanks for posting the topic Jessie!
MarkB
A local band, Prague 29 (or is it ‘29?), have offered up some fantastic klezmer music to the public hereabouts. I don’t know if they’re still together, so I’ll refer to them in the present tense. Anyway, they’re quite the classy act --they dress in black semiformal attire-- and have a flute player whose flute is backwood or ebony, and keyed, but whether the system was Boehm or not I don’t recall. Given klezmer modalities, it probably was. Last time I saw them was a few years ago in a Dunn Brothers’ coffee shop, of all places. Pearls before swine…
…
Cool! I just ordered it.
Hmm…we learnt that in primary school at maybe 7 or 8 years old. The words have come back to me many times since. How it never made me veggie I really don’t know!
Trisha
I just got Ceilizemer a couple of days ago in the mail and have been listening to it yeterday and today. My daughter is half Jewish and half Irish, so I think it’s a great CD to listen to. The same people play Irish and Klezmer, with alternating pieces, rather than each piece sounding like both. Vut the Klezmer is more subdued than some I have heard, and the Irish is, too. It is a very calming album. Thanks for calling my attention to it.
I knew i had her info somewhere:
http://www.klezmerflute.com/
http://www.klezband.com/
I believe she was teaching Klezmer in last year’s Boxwood festival?
I haven’t met her, but i enjoy her posts in FLUTE and WOODENFLUTE.
g