American Yiddish Instrumental Fusion Music in the 1950s and 1960s

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

What makes up American Yiddish Music


1. Ashkenazi Instrumental Music in the Old World

Biblical to Middle Ages

European

Performance Venues and Musical Genres

Enlightenment


2. The Diaspora and Evolution of Yiddish Music in America, 1900-1945

Yiddish Theatre

Heyday of Yiddish Instrumental Music

Some Attempts at Jewish Fusion Music in the 1930s and 40s

Bei Mir Bistu Sheyn

Freilach in Swing / And the Angles Sing

Yiddish Melodies in Swing Time

Savoy Sessions


3. New Fusions of Yiddish and American Musical Forms, 1945-1970

1945 to 1970

Postwar American Cultural Context


4. Fusion Musicians of the 1950s and 1960s

Dave Tarras - Sammy Musiker

Mickey Katz

Irving Fields

Terry Gibbs

Shelly Manne


5. Five Jewish Fusion Albums Examined in Depth

Bagels and Bongos

Tanz!

Music for Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, and Brisses

My Son the Jazz Drummer!

Terry Gibbs Plays Jewish Melodies in Jazztime


6. Conclusion


Appendix A

Al Tijuana and His Jewish Brass

Mazel Tov, Mis Amigos

Raisins and Almonds Cha Cha Cha and Merengues

Bei Mir “Twist” Du Schön and Twistin the Freilach


Bibliography

Books

Articles

Discography


Acknowledgments


Here is my masters thesis as submitted to Brooklyn College in December 2008 with slight changes to fit  being published on the web. The largest change is the addition of 30 second audio examples in place of an included CD of audio examples.

 © Matt Temkin 2012 - 2015