Klezmer is Yiddish music, the music of the Jews of Europe and America, a music of laughter and tears, of weddings and festivals, of dancing and prayer. Born in the Middle Ages, it came of age in the shtetl (the Eastern European Jewish country town), where "a wedding without klezmer is worse than a funeral without tears." Most European klezmorim (klezmer players) were murdered in the Holocaust; in the last 25 years, however, klezmer has been reborn, with dozens of groups gaining large followings throughout the world. The Book of Klezmer traces the music's entire history, making use of extensive documentary material; interviews with forgotten klezmorim as well as luminaries such as Theodore Bikel, Leonard Nimoy, Joel Grey, and Andy Statman; and dozens of illuminating and stirring photographs.
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An important, well detailed coverage:
Klezmer is a form of Yiddish music, and for a definitive guide to this specialized genre, choose The Book Of Klezmer, Yale Strom's in-depth coverage of the music's entire history. Documentary material, interviews with notable players and luminaries, and many previously unpublished photos of klezmer bands and players covers both the music and the folklore, from the 14th century to the 21st. An important, well detailed coverage.
