Yale Strom: Klezmer Ethnographer-Artist

Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman

I was honored to be able to record this wide-ranging interview with violinist Yale Strom, who is the leading ethnographer-artist of Klezmer music and history, and also has done many years of research among the Roma communities. He speaks to us about some of his many inspiring experiences during over 75 research expeditions to Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. To prepare for this episode, I read several of his books, including his 400 page The Book of Klezmer: The History, The Music, The Folklore, some of which we touched on during this conversation, and he also spoke about two of his upcoming books and other projects. Yale is an energetic and prolific creator; he’s also a filmmaker, photographer, educator, playwright and composer, and we spoke about many of his projects during this wide-ranging interview. Timestamps below.

https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/yale-strom

Video Transcript

Yale Strom Website

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You may be also interested in these episodes: Alicia Svigals (both episodes linked) Polina Shepherd, Josh “Socalled” Dolgin, and Marilyn Lerner.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(02:29) Yale’s career as ethnographer-artist

(04:03) Stoliner shul concert in Detroit Victory Fellowship Baptist Church

(10:44) Oberek Palota, Klezmer music from Slovakia, from the album “Borsht with Bread, Brothers” with Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi

(14:34) ethnographic research, Wandering Feast book, Yiddish, meeting Holocaust survivors

(24:43)The Witches of Lublin

(27:26) Dire Gelt from The Devil’s Brides with Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi, vocals with Elizabeth Schwartz

(31:10) Yale Strom’s films The Last Klezmer, A Great Day in Eldridge Street, the Man from Munkasc, An American Socialist, the Life and Times of Eugene Victor Debs

(35:09)Leopold Kozlowski, The Last Klezmer, Naftuli Brandwein

(39:33) Rom musicians, book Uncertain Roads, Searching for the Gypsies, connections with the Jews

(49:46) Klezmer loshn secret language and culture

(58:46) the lost Stoliner Weinstein manuscript, upcoming book

(01:07:02) other episodes with Klezmer musicians and ways to support this series

(01:07:42) Yale’s compositions and commissions

(01:17:28) Dave Tarras

(01:22:19) Influences of Klezmer and Romani on Russian school of violin playing, Oistrach, Auer

(01:29:25) Shimmering Lights album, Sara Caswell, influences of prayers on Klezmer

(01:33:53) excerpt from Bashir Mizmor, Shimmering Lights album Yale Strom’s Broken Consort, with Sara Caswell improv

(01:35:56) The Expulsion of the Jews, Sephardic communities research

(01:43:33) Schlomo books, new musical about the Chagalls, Sweet Fragrance of Life