Klezmer vs. Polka

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I love 'em both... don't they sound lots alike? Where'd they come from, how'd they get here? I was raised Catholic and on polka and fell in love with Klezmer after my Jewish-friend-who-loved-swapping-Jew/Catholic-jokes-with-me gave me a free CD. Come to think of it, aren't loads of the places where polka fans live Catholic-heavy (Wisconsin, Mexico, Poland... hm, Germany too?)? Innnnteresting... both klez and polka are clarinet-heavy, require an incredible amount of technique considering they aren't taken very seriously in general... polka seems to have a much larger repetoire, or am I wrong? Ooompah!

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Klezmer rocks and I'd take it over Polka any day of the week. Polka has the advantage of regional splintering and a number of sub-genres, but it doesn't have the ridiculous zeal of a smokin' klezmer band.

The clarinet is truly a wonderful instrument and it's regrettable that it never really took off in rock. Unless you're talking about Gyrphon, Henry Cow, Maudlin of the Well, or the other rare bands that actually used it to good effect. It has a wicked voice.

― James Slone, Wednesday, 15 October 2003 00:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Apart from the Andre Popp album I mentioned in a thread a while back, I know very little about polka (aside from the typical places you hear it nowadays: "Home Alone" and various places where the genre is belittled)

Klezmer on the other hand I have a lot of love for, though I mostly know "tainted" (hah!) versions of it, through rock bands/jazz bands that use it in parts of songs etc.
I guess it's something about the scale they usually use there that makes the melodies so appealing to me... Just listening to the likes of Klezmatics and Klezmer Conservatory Band makes me very happy. Great musicians playing such wonderful music (both the jubilant stuff and the more brooding)

Maybe polka needs some Zorn-like type to make it hip, hah.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 00:51 (twenty-two years ago)

If you're looking for really great old (well, not really old, but earlier 20th century) klezmer, check out stuff by clarinetist Naftule Brandwein (the self-proclaimed "King of Jewish Music"), and his rival Dave Tarras (Tanz, which has just been re-issued, especially)

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

And on a quite nicely related note: The band Naftule's Dream is great too. Sort of klezmer-guys going freejazz and generally odd.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 01:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm a little iffy on those guys, actually. Don't really like their guitar player.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 01:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Is Brave Ensemble any good (heard it's 'polka fusion' -- might be a rough equivalent of the New Klezmer)?

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 02:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you mean Brave Combo? Never heard of Brave Ensemble..

Chicagowains should see The Polkaholics when they can... Glam-polka. A hell of a lot of fun to see.

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 10:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Glam-polka? Damn, that's the best band of all time already, just because of that description alone.

Has anyone ever attempted any sort of polka-fusion thing? (errr, like fusion-music mixed with polka elements, I mean; think Mahavishnu Ompastra)
Closest I can think of is Samla Mammas Manna.

― Øystein H-O (Øystein H-O), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 10:48 (twenty-two years ago)

More klezmah suggestions please! God I love this stuff...need more.

Clarinet + accordion = INSTRUMENTATION AMBROSIA OF THE GODS

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Have you heard the Brandwein or Tarras stuff? SO good. Also Nick you might be interested in my friend So Called's hip hop klezmer album (I know, I know, but it's GREAT), called "Hiphopkhasene."

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)

check it: http://www.piranha.de/records/english/all_1789.htm

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:18 (twenty-two years ago)

also: frank london's klezmer brass all-stars! "brotherhood of brass," where they play with serbian & egyptian brass bands, is spectacular!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Listenna this.

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

(Sorry about the shitty sound quality!)

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, my WinAMP is being weird and it won't let me listen to those tracks, but I'm gonna figure it out. (Also: actually S1utsky that looks like something I would absolutely LOVE...I just hope I can figure out why my shit won't play!)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay Dave's track just played on my Quicktime, I fucking love it. I think the clarinet is my new favorite instrument.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Ahhh! Yes, I meant Brave Combo -- I accidentally typed in "Ensemble" because I was looking at the hobbit-fucking Chicago [assssssssstastic] Dance Ensemble review I was supposed to be proofreading! AAAAUUUUUGHHHH!!!!I HATE BEING EMPLOYED! SOMEONE FIRE ME BEFORE I JUMP OFF THE ROOF! IT'S MY TURN TO COLLECT UNEMPLOYMENT! PLEASE! FIRE! MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 22:00 (twenty-two years ago)

nick, e-me if you want a copy!

note to my friend: I did not just say that

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

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