The Chopped Liver River Band
Klezmer Band Affiliated with
Congregation Shaarai Shomayim
Lancaster PA
Klezmer Music
A New Era
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, hundreds of thousands of Jews arrived on the shores of the United States. They brought with them a style of music, klezmer, that had flourished in the Eastern European countries from which they came. As the original immigrants died, so did their music until the 1960's when Klezmer was rediscovered.
Uncontrollable Joy
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About the artist.
Klezmer
music is uncontrollable joy fused with irrevocable pathos. Echoing the sounds of
its long-lost homeland of Eastern Europe, it mirrors and interweaves with the
musical kaleidoscope of its new home in America. Klezmer music, which originated
in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, then forsaken by the self-conscious
Americanized immigrants, has bounced back to life, and boy is it kicking!
Rich Tradition
The klezmer revival sprung up as generations of Americans set out in search of their roots. The comeback was inspired by the same 1960's self-expression movement that revived bluegrass old-time swing, folk, soul and many other vanishing styles. As the social and cultural backlash for being "too Jewish" was disappearing, many Jews sought to learn more about their background, of which they had only a vague romanticized "Fiddler on the Roof" notion. In their attempt to understand their heritage, these Jews discovered a rich tradition of Klezmer music that perfectly expressed their yearning for the Old World and their need to find a solid, powerful, and expressive culture.
From an article on
Klezmer music by Inna Barmash ibarmash@alumni.princeton.edu