Vie Tsvie Is Naftule Der Driter

Naftule Brandwein “Nifty’s Freilach” “What accounts for the powerful and vivid memories that veterans of the New York Yiddish music scene still have of Brandwein some three [now four –ms] decades after his death? Stories about him abound, and sound as though they were written by a press agent with an overactive imagination. Such as: appearing on stage wearing an Uncle Sam costume adorned with Christmas tree lights and nearly electrocuting himself due to excessive perspiration; his penchant for performing with his back to the audience (à la Miles Davis) for fear of other clarinetists stealing his fingerings; spontaneously dropping his pants while playing at parties; the ‘Naftule Brandwein Orchestra’ neon sign he wore around his neck as he played; being summoned to the Brooklyn headquarters of the notoriouos Murder Inc. to entertain; drunkenly weaving up and down the median of a busy Catskill mountain highway while playing Brahms’ ‘Lullaby.'”

–Henry Sapoznik, liner notes to Naftule Brandwein: King of the Klezmer Clarinet

so, naftule brandwein! rivalled only by the more refined, classical klezmer clarinetist dave tarras (i’ll post an mp3 of his tomorrow), and one of the more memorable, and brilliant, figures of early 20th-century american jewish music. “klezmer” (the word actually kinda means “musician,” only later would it become a genre of its own) underwent the same transformations as so many non-american music forms when transplanted to the new world, with all-day-and-night performances (intended for weddings) gradually honed down to pop-song size, so that they could fit on the side of a 78. this music evokes “the old country” for many, but really it is the epitome of the transformative powers of the new country (and that’s ok).

click here to buy naftule brandwein: king of the klezmer clarinet (keep wanting to spell it “klarinet”) from amazon

ps: a “freilach” is a jewish dance (not to be confused with the hora)

pps: happy birthday matthew perpetua!