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Jewish jazz musicians


Dmitry

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There's that whole "New York Tenor" school - Liebman, Grossman, Brecker, Berg, Mintzer. This in a parallell to the whole "Brothers" school of Lester Young disciples of a few years earlier. In fact, I once drew a cartoon of Prez greeting Trane at the Pearly Gates, extending his hand and saying, "You too?". Nobody I showed it to got the joke...

Historically, the biggest non-African-American contributions to jazz have come from Jewish-Americans & Italiain-Americans. Why that is probably as much sociological as musicological, but Dan Morgenstern, in the notes to a Sonny Berman Onyx LP entitled, iirc, SOME BEAUTIFUL JEWISH MUSIC, went into a bit of commentary about the similarity between the melismatic, "wailing" quality of certain cantorial (NOT Eddie! :g ) traditions and jazz. Pretty interesting stuff.

And speaking of Ziggy Ellman, is it "common knowledge" that his classic solo bit on Goodman's "And The Angels Sing" was based on a traditional Jewish dance/rhythm? Sorry, I don't remember exactly which, but it was called a fralich or something like that. Again, sorry I don't know the exact name. I'd be more than glad to be enlightened, however. Whatever, it was an early (and overt) use of what I guess could be called "Klezmer" elements in a "mainstream" setting.

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Although his wide spread fame was made as a comic, he started out as a big band sax player.....Sid Caeser.

Also, this may have suggested already.

There is a good book on Klesmer music, and it touches on the evolution of Jewish musicians in America. It doesn't neccessarily address jazz specifically, but it is a good book worth having on the reference shelf.

The author is Henry Sapoznik, and the book is entitled "Klezmer (Jewish music from old world to our world)"

good luck

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As a Jew myself, I had wanted to start this thread for a while but I thought it would encounter backlash as the black opionion thread did.

Stan Getz!

Lennie Niehaus

Flora Purim

Harry Connick, Jr.

Ben Sidran

Add to the young generation:

Kurt Rosenwinkel

Chris Potter

Ben Perowsky (bassist)

Fima Ephron

Adam Rodgers (brecker's guitarist)

Mark Feldman

David Fiuczynski

Aaron Goldberg

both Avishai Cohens (trumpeter and bassist)

I think as far as knowledge of yiddishkeit, Don Byron could be a Jew. In fact, in addition to the Mickey Katz record, he played in Hankus Netsky's fabulous Klezmer Conservatory Band when he was a student at NEC.

p.s. - I really don't think dave douglas is jewish though I was thinking about it recently.

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And speaking of Ziggy Ellman, is it "common knowledge" that his classic solo bit on Goodman's "And The Angels Sing" was based on a traditional Jewish dance/rhythm? Sorry, I don't remember exactly which, but it was called a fralich or something like that.

"And The Angels Sing," also known as "Freylekh In Swing," is an adaption of "Der Shtiller Bulgar."

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And speaking of Ziggy Ellman, is it "common knowledge" that his classic solo bit on Goodman's "And The Angels Sing" was based on a traditional Jewish dance/rhythm? Sorry, I don't remember exactly which, but it was called a fralich or something like that.

"And The Angels Sing," also known as "Freylekh In Swing," is an adaption of "Der Shtiller Bulgar."

I appreciate that info, and found HERE that

The FREYLEKH ('joyful'), also called 'hopke', 'redl', 'karahod', 'dreydl', 'kaylekhiks' or 'rikudl', is a lively  Jewish circle dance. A lyrical joyful piece could  also be called freylekh. The freylekhs can also be heard as lyrical pieces in a joyful mood.
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Besides Alfred Lion and Frank Wolff, many independent jazz (or other type of music) record producers were of Jewish descent:

Bob Weinstock

Don Schlitten

Lester Koenig

Herman Lubinsky

Max & Sol Weiss

Moses Ash

Milt Gabler ?

Herb Abramson

Their importance for the jazz scene can hardly be underestimated.

No question on Milt Gabler - Commodore Records Founder

And he was Billy Crystal's uncle - as Crystal has often commmented

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also:

Paul Whiteman

Harry James

Ziggy Elman

Mel Torme

Herbie Mann

Herb Alpert

and don't forget great composers who provided a starting point for jazz improvisation:

Irv-ing Berlin

Jerome Kern

George and Ira Gershwin

Oscar Hammerstein

Richard Rogers

Lorenz Hart

Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe

Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg

Are you sure - Harry James?

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Serge Chaloff

I think Chaloff was Russian [not a Jew of Russian descent].

Serge Chaloff's mother was not jewish indeed. She was a Presbyterian. But his father was. Even if he converted to Christianity 'after getting miffed at the rabbi from his synagogue who was pressuring him for money' (quote from Vladimir Simosko's biography of Serge Chaloff).

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Byron could be a Jew. In fact, in addition to the Mickey Katz record, he played in Hankus Netsky's fabulous Klezmer Conservatory Band when he was a student at NEC.

p.s. - I really don't think dave douglas is jewish though I was thinking about it recently.

Don is not Jewish, but you're absolutely right about knowledge of Yiddishkeit.

I think you're also right that Dave Douglas isn't.

But Josh Roseman (trombone on "Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz") definitely IS.

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