From the bronx to the bosphorus : Klezmer and other displaced musics of New York / Walter Zev Feldman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Feldman, Walter, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Music--New York (State)--New York.

Music.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (213 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam, The Netherlands : Fordham University Press, [2025]

Summary:

Discover the vibrant journey of music from New York's melting pot to the mystical shores of the Bosphorus From the Bronx to the Bosphorus explores the vibrant, yet largely concealed, musical culture of New York, tracing its origins to a period when the city served as a crucible for immigrants and their diverse musical expressions. Walter Zev Feldman chronicles his journey through the musical landscapes of post-WWII New York--from the declining world of East European immigrant klezmorim to the dynamic environments of Greek, Armenian, and Caucasian musicians. These experiences culminate in the klezmer revitalization movement of the late 1970s. Feldman, whose father emigrated from Bessarabia--a region known for its rich interactions among Jewish, Roma, and Greek musicians--connects various musical worlds. From the local Turkish Sephardi synagogue and the Greek Orthodox cathedral in Washington Heights to the lively Armenian and Greek nightclubs of Manhattan, his interactions with a diverse group of musicians, including an Armenian virtuoso who once performed for Stalin and the Shah of Iran, enhance his understanding and appreciation of these interconnected cultures. Finally, at age twenty-five, in a sense he returned to his father's shtetl and studied with Dave Tarras, the greatest living klezmer in America, who had learned his key musical lessons in that very same Bessarabian town following World War I. From the Bronx to the Bosphorus is not just a chronicle of music but a poignant examination of the power of music to connect cultures, transcend borders, and preserve the echoes of a nearly vanished world.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Preface

Invocation: Klezmer Island Revisited

Part I: In the Bronx

1. Meshilim's Legacy

2. The Shul and Sacred Sounds

Part II: Musicians and Mentors in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens

3. Village Rituals of New York: Iranians and Armenians in the New World

4. Balkan Phonograph I: Child of the Makam

5. Greek Town

6. Journey to Byzantium in Washington Heights

7. Limberis: Revelation of the Greek Cimbalom

8. Balkan Phonograph II: The Later Days of Aydin and Nikita

Plates

9. Zebulon: A Survivor from the Caucasus in Brooklyn

Part III: Colorado Interlude

10. Yerevan in the Rockies: An Armenian Winter's Tale

Part IV: The Journey to Klezmer

11. Antranik Aroustamian: From Kharkiv to East Harlem

12. Andy Statman: From Bluegrass to Greek to Klezmer

13. Dave Tarras Plays Again

Postlude

Acknowledgments

Glossary

Readings

Discography.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781531509781

1531509789

OCLC:

1511105650