South America’s biggest pop star is a fan of klezmer, if her latest CD is any indication.
Colombian singer Shakira, who has topped charts with her Spanish and English lyrics, samples the Jewish musical genre on her new album, “She Wolf,” which debuted at 15 on the Billboard album chart dated December 12 .
The 16-track CD — heavy on electro pop and dance music — dabbles in the sounds of the shtetl on “Long Time,” a seduction number that features a distinctive klezmer solo on clarinet.
Co-written by Pharrell Williams, a producer of past hits by Jay-Z, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, the track also features characteristically clunky lyrics by Shakira, a native Spanish speaker who has both charmed and annoyed critics with her occasionally choppy writing in English. “How can you do me so much good/I’m so happy I should get sued,” the song declares before the klezmer solo kicks in.
Of Lebanese-Christian descent on her father’s side, the 32-year-old singer was educated by nuns before achieving fame with songs and dance steps partly influenced by the Middle East. Known for belly dancing both onstage and in her music videos, the singer shared her signature moves with Beyonce in the 2007 hit “Beautiful Liar,” which reached the top 10 in dozens of countries. Her new CD has received mostly positive reviews, with Rolling Stone magazine praising the album as enjoyably “kooky” and “ridiculously catchy.”
Perhaps because of her background, in 2002 the singer became the victim of rumors that she had made anti-Israel statements to MTV. The network later rejected the allegations — as did the singer, in an interview with the Israeli youth magazine Ma’ariv L’Noar.
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It IS NOT a klezmer piece, but rather a reference to Colombian Caribbean "big bands" of the 1940s-50s, where the clarinet was/is a critical element. Lucho Bermudez and Pacho Galan are the pillars of this genre of Colombian music. This has NOTHING to do with Ashkenazi musical traditions.
Mr. Burstein should have done his research before jumping to conclusions.
http://www.last.fm/music/Lucho+Berm%C3%BAdez/Serie+Inmortales+-+Los+Ritmos+Coste%C3%B1os+Favoritos+Del+Maestro
I'm aware that every clarinet in a minor key ain’t necessarily klezmer, but the clarinet break in “Long Time” sounds very klezmer to me. I base this on the _krekhtsn_ and _dreydlekh_ —which typify klezmer clarinet (and violin) solos— that abound in the 14 second clarinet solo. It's not just my ears and those of Nathan Burstein, reviews of _She Wolf_ in _Vanity Fair_, _The Village Voice_ and the _New York Daily News_ noted the klezmer clarinet sound. In a like vein, _MTV News’_ review referred to the clarinet solo as “Roma-esque,” perhaps influenced by the track, “Gypsy.”
Having listened the Lucho Bermúdez tracks at last.fm, I found “Matildita” and “Minarete” used trills similar to _dreydlekh_. I could not detect any _krekhtsn_ in Bermúdez’ articulation. The tracks available at last.fm lacked the feel of vocal _khaznus_ that is the model for much of klezmer instrumental work.
I haven’t been able to locate a detailed list of the musicians employed in the production of _She Wolf_. Perhaps a klezmer-cognizant clarinetist was hired for “Long Time.” Just as likely, production duo The Neptunes may have sampled the clarinet bridge from Naftule Brandwein or Dave Tarras record.
As for the similarity between the clarinet on “Long Time” and the music of Lucho Bermúdez and Pacho Galán, given the dates of their careers, it’s more likely they were influenced by jazz and swing music from the United States, where Ashkenazi Jews played a prominent role in the development of jazz in the early 20th century.
Those were SAMPLES. Both Bermudez and Galan have a much more extensive musical repertoire that goes beyond 10 items. There is also copious information available on Colombian musical history (in English, too), but it didn't occur to him (or you) to consult it.
These men had classical musical training, were immersed in Colombo-African music (Bermudez was also in a military band). They picked up the clarinet as youngsters/young men. Yes, they of course were very aware of jazz and it is WELL KNOWN that Bermudez and Galan gave a deliberate "big band" arrangement to Colombo-African rhythms. As a note of interest, Ay Cosita Linda, one of Galan's greatest hits, was even sung by the great Nat King Cole. 20th century music in the Americas is a conversation between north and south, a conversation based on African musical traditions/developments in the Americas. So, yes, of course there is a shared link.
But the point is that Shakria is rendering homage to Colombian big band music, NOT klezmer per se, and Burstein rather than carry out a responsible musicological inquiry reaches a distorted, ignorant conclusion.
I had always thought a sample was supposed to be representative of the whole. Having only heard of Bermúdez and Galán from Silvia’s comments, it seemed like a logical place to start. Live and learn, I guess.
I did manage to chase down “Fiesta de Negritos,” a piece by Bermúdez with a clarinet melody that definitely sounds to have a klezmer influence. I could not find the recording date for “Fiesta de Negritos.” However, the earliest recording date I could find for Bermúdez was 1946, which would have given him ample time to absorb klezmer-inflected Big Band music recorded in the United States. Early 20th century klezmer would have also been available to Bermúdez, e.g., Abe Schwartz’s “Tantz, Tantz, Yiddelach” was recorded in late 1916 and appeared in Latin America as “Continua Bailando — Baile Nupcial Hebrero” [Keep On Dancing —Jewish Wedding Dance].
Researching “Fiesta de Negritos,” I found an interesting exchange at Radio Paradise [http://www.radioparadise.com/content.php?name=songinfo&song_id=34013]: Some of the listeners noted the similarity between Bermúdez’ performance and klezmer, which drew vehement negative comments from fans of Colombian music. I don’t know if any of the respondents are trained musicologists, but the strong anti-klezmer response was surprising, but strangely familiar.
The point, sd and Silvia, is not to whom or what Shakira renders homage, but that the clarinet solo on “Long Time” sounds very much in the klezmer style, a point that Nathan Burstein —among others— correctly noticed. The source of the klezmer-like clarinet remains a mystery. The press and internet give no clue. I doubt Shakira or her arranger —do such animals exist in pop music today?— wrote out the clarinet solo. If anyone has bought the album and has access to the liner notes, help would be appreciated. In the mean time, if it krekhtst like klezmer and dreydlt like klezmer, it’s prob’ly klezmer.
"but the strong anti-klezmer response was surprising, but strangely familiar."
BTW-I'm Jewish and proudly so. I caught the whif of the anti semitic imputation.
Of course, as I elaborated on my response, Bermudez and Galan were influenced by jazz and US big bands (yes, possbily Benny Goodman). Yet colombian tropical/big music is a blend and an autochtonous one, it is not klezmer.
It irritates because you and Mr. Burstein fail to understand the broader cultural context and the fact that the clarinet is ONE part of this colombian musical matrix of big band music and furthermore, your interest lies in claiming it narrowly as a northamerican Jewish expression.
It upsets me (as the fans on radioparadise, which I had seen earleir) because there is a failure on your part, Burstein's and others ot contextualize the clarinet as an element in a lusicious, autochtonous yet cosmpolitan musical matrix, a clombian cultural tradition that amounts to much more than a bumbling, ignorant "shakira likes klezmer" statement.
The above statement is what I SHOULD have written in my first response to clarify, upon more careful introspection, what was and is bothersome about Burstein's piece (and what bugs other colombian music fans).
Let us just say that understanding the music of the Americas requires a broader lens than the one most people,even well-intentioned ones, use to understand, appreciate and interpret music.
At least I hope you will listen to more of this music. Here is a bit of Galan. Atlantico is one of the most beloved dance tunes, I dare you not to dance (plus, there's interesting clarinet asides at several points, esp. in Atlantico).
http://www.last.fm/music/Pacho+Galan+y+Su+Orquesta/_/Atlantico?autostart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VNInwBRZOE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-ciE4pbZco&feature=related w/"orientalist" attempts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9DL2lQDNK4
Shakira doesn’t like klezmer!? Now she’ll to do another interview with _Ma’ariv L’Noar!_
No one said “Long Time” was a klezmer piece. Nathan Burstein wrote “...‘Long Time’ [is] a seduction number that features a distinctive klezmer solo on clarinet.” A lot of listeners and reviewers noticed the same thing _about the solo_. I agree with them, noting _the clarinet solo_ contained a _krekhts_ [ca. 2:12 into the song] among other klezmer articulations.
“Autochthonous yet cosmopolitan” sounds like having your cake and eating it, too —no doubt a delicious _torta negra_. This contradiction of terms adds little to understanding Colombian music, or any other music. Unless you specify which elements are native in origin, which are imported, and how they came to be blended, all you do is _obstruct_ any meaningful comparison of musics. You described Colombian music with pretty words, Silvia, but without context these words reek of obscurantism.
What is the difficulty with non-Colombian influences in general, and klezmer in particular? I never meant to imply you were anti-Semitic, Silvia, altho’ I will reserve judgment on some of the Radio Paradise listeners. I could account for the reaction against the suggestion of North American/extra-Caribbean influences on Colombian big band music as chauvinism, or perhaps a defensive response to perceived cultural imperialism from the North, but why the revulsion to klezmer?
You did not read my response. I'll leave it at that. Selective ears, selective eyes. B'shalom/kul tov. SD