Klezmer for Kids: Oy Vey and Hands of Time
By Lisa Traiger Reviews of:
Oy Vey! Young People's Klezmer Workshop, 1997. Backyard Partners, 205 Rogers Drive, Scarsdale, NY 10583. Call (1-800) Tara-400 or go to tara.com
Rene Boni's Hands of Time, Hebrew English and Yiddish Songs for Children, Shayna Maydl Music, PO Box 1161, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Call (1-800) Tara-400 or go to tara.com
Who says Klezmer music is just for old folks? Certainly not Sruli Dresdner and Lisa Mayer, founders and directors of the Young People's Klezmer Workshop. These two musicians are on a first-name-only basis with the under-12 set. Sruli, a reformed lawyer, and Lisa, an advertising copywriter with Ogilvy and Mather, have created a vibrant program to introduce children to the Jewish music and Jewish heritage of the Old World shtetl. For live audiences- schools and synagogues, JCCs, Ys, bar and bat mitzvahs and weddings -they can present a participatory musical performance. In addition, a recorded version of the show, "Oy Vey!" compiles the music, jokes, songs, explanations and stories into a portable mini-concert, perfect for home or car listening.
The haunting and familiar melodies of the East European freilachs and khusidls (happy dances and slow melodies) are interwoven with jokes, especially featuring that much-loved and maligned Polish town of fools, Chelm, and stories of the bitterly poor but spiritually rich life lived in Chassidic villages. Sruli plays his clarinet like a snake charmer, winding his way through melodies in classic Klezmer style, while Lisa's violin is both achingly heartfelt accompaniment and rhythmic backdrop to the brass and woodwinds. Two youngsters narrate. Jason and Jessica, as they're named, are typical of '90s kids: spouting kidspeak like "cool." But they also lead listeners in a cry of "oy vey!" like the best bubbes and zaydes--grandmas and grandpas.
Most unusual, for a children's release in any case, are the prolific liner notes that detail the complex rhythms, variations and styles of Klezmer music. The explanations, geared to adults, discuss the customs, lifestyle and cross-germination inherent in the development of this uniquely Jewish music. Not many liner notes for kids' music contain footnotes, but a thorough reading is highly recommended to become acquainted with the form and style of Klezmer. Besides, there's even a recipe for Lisa's Bubby's Borscht thrown in.
Don't think that just because it's old, Klezmer music is serious. Sruli and Lisa have fun with "Alter Motke," a Yiddish version of "Old MacDonald's Farm" with the refrain "Oy vey, oy vey, oy" instead of "Ee aye ee aye oh." A niggun, a wordless song originated by the Chassidim, becomes part of the story of Simchat Torah, a fall festival that celebrates the yearly completion of the Torah-reading cycle. The intensity of the melody builds as the children join in and what began as plaintive, finishes festively. A modern version of "Az Der Rebbe" - "As the Rebbi" - describes how devout the Chassidim are in following their rebbe's every move. This, a Yiddish standard, has the rebbe go way beyond laughing and singing: This rebbe sneezes, screams and, ultimately, grepses-burps-and the children relish the fun.
It's taken me months to review Rene Boni's Hands of Time: Hebrew, English and Yiddish Songs for Children, because it's taken months to wrest this tape from my three-year-old. Boni definitely knows her audience: preschoolers. Her simple renditions of songs like "There's a Brand New Baby at Katie's House," "I Like You, There's No Doubt About It!" and a Hebrew and English "Twinkle, Twinkle" are perfect for the youngest listeners. A rousing "Deliver Me," a gospel song about the biblical Exodus, comes from Zimbabwe and it quickly became one of our favorites.
Boni, simply accompanied by guitar, synthesizer and piano, borrows a few Yiddish standards as well: "Oy Mein Keppeleh"(Oh My Head!) teaches basic body parts in the mameloshen (mother tongue), while her version of "Az Der Rebbe Zingt" offers no undue surprises. In Hebrew there's the "Aleph, Bet Song," "Yesh Lee Yad" (I Have a Hand) and that birthday favorite "Oogah, Oogah, Oogah" (Cake, Cake, Cake). "Sweet Dreams" passes on Boni's Yiddish legacy to her child; she has translated this Yiddish lullaby in a touching tribute to her own father. Boni's English composition, "Hands of Time," likewise tugs the heartstrings by reminding parents to savor those precious moments when their children are young. My only complaint about Boni's recording is that it's over before our 45-minute commute to day school.
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