Klezmer steel guitar?

[Gerald Ross]

My Klezmer buddies from Cleveland, the band Yiddishe Cup where in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago to play a concert at the world famous "folk" club The Ark.

I sat in with them for 3-4 songs in their second set.

This is not a traditional Klezmer tune. It's a Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme tune "Halleluyah".

They liked the steel. I'll be doing some gigs with them in Cleveland this summer.


Halleluyah - Yiddishe Cup w/Hawaiian Steel

[Mike Neer]

Can Jewaiian music be far behind? Nice.

I've been playing with a Simcha band for about 10 years now and I've been dying to play steel. It's much more raucous than your friends band is, though. The musicians are absolute killers, though, and they'd love it if I did.

[Don Kona Woods]

The steel guitar goes klezmorim!

Nice job and notice how the audience enjoyed it with a round of applause after you played.

Aloha,
Don

[Brad Bechtel]

Nice job as always, Gerald! The band I'm in (Go Van Gogh) plays a couple of Klezmer tunes like "The Odessa Bulgar" and "B Freit Sich, Yiddelach (Be Happy, Jews)". Of course, we don't do them like yours.

C6th tuning works out very well for these types of tunes, in my opinion.

[Manfred Nabinger]

Mickey Katz had a version of "Hawaiian War Chant". You can find a great cover with a little bit of steel guitar on "Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz".
In the late nineties two musicians from Bulgaria made a record with songs from eastern Europe played on dobro and traditional Bulgarian instruments. I never heard this record, only read a review. Unfortunately I can't remember the names.

[AJ Azure]

My band does Klez and jewish music among our mix. I was born in Israel. I gotta

[Gerald Ross]

Mickey Katz "The Klezmer From Cleveland", the father of Broadway actor Joel Grey and former member of Spike Jones and His City Slickers recorded a huge catalog of Klezmer Borscht Belt comedy records.

One of the tunes he wrote and recorded using the Hawaiian steel was called "It's the Mechiyah In Hawa-yah". Mechiyah is Yiddish for "It's the life!".

[Derrick Mau]

As always, excellent job Gerald.

[Doug Beaumier]

Nice playing, Gerald!

I have some very good friends who play in a Klezmer band, and it seems like 80% of the songs are in minor keys. I would go with a Minor tuning for that music, of course C6 tuning is also Am7. But I would consider a tuning with two minor triads (1, 3b, 5) for Klezmer music.

I'm playing "Jerusalem of Gold" in Cm with one of my guitar students now. I haven't worked out a lap steel arrngement yet, but I'd like to because this song has some interesting chord changes/melody. It's not really Klezmer, but it's considered a Jewish music standard now.

[Stacy Phillips]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc9zdoWmSxM

[Herb Steiner]

Stacy
Such a freylach! Your bubbe is kvelling.

[Mitch Druckman]

That's some hot playing, my yiddishe friend.

Remember... If you can make it in Cleveland you can make it anywhere!

[Brad Bechtel]

That's some fine pickin' Stacy! Your middle song Khupah Tanz sounds especially good to me.
Are you using regular open G tuning? It seems like it.

[Gerald Ross]

I just got confirmation on the Cleveland gig I'll be playing with Yiddishe Cup.

It's Sunday June 28, 2009.

The Workmen's Circle 31st annual Yiddish Concert in the Park.

This will be a first for me.

[AJ Azure]

Nice playing, Gerald!

I have some very good friends who play in a Klezmer band, and it seems like 80% of the songs are in minor keys. I would go with a Minor tuning for that music, of course C6 tuning is also Am7. But I would consider a tuning with two minor triads (1, 3b, 5) for Klezmer music.

I'm playing "Jerusalem of Gold" in Cm with one of my guitar students now. I haven't worked out a lap steel arrngement yet, but I'd like to because this song has some interesting chord changes/melody. It's not really Klezmer, but it's considered a Jewish music standard now.

Find the Ofrah HAzzah version on youtube you'll see a middle eastern-y twist. very cool

[AJ Azure]

My Klezmer buddies from Cleveland, the band Yiddishe Cup where in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago to play a concert at the world famous "folk" club The Ark.

I sat in with them for 3-4 songs in their second set.

This is not a traditional Klezmer tune. It's a Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme tune "Halleluyah".

They liked the steel. I'll be doing some gigs with them in Cleveland this summer.


Halleluyah - Yiddishe Cup w/Hawaiian Steel

I don't think they are the originators of the tune, i grew up hearing this in Israel for years and it wans't their version. It's definitely not klez. it's Israeli pop. Your steel sounds great. No comment on the singer's vocal snd pronunciation

[Gerald Ross]

I'll take your word on in AJ.

All I know is that my part was in 'A' then we modulated to 'Bb' for the sax solo.

[AJ Azure]

I'll take your word on in AJ.

All I know is that my part was in 'A' then we modulated to 'Bb' for the sax solo.

lazy sax players! tell him: learn to play in A dude! lol

[Stacy Phillips]

That's some fine pickin' Stacy! Your middle song Khupah Tanz sounds especially good to me.
Are you using regular open G tuning? It seems like it.

Yes. I rarely retune and never with a 6th note. Doesn't do it for me. Thanks for the kind words.
Stacy

[Gerald Ross]

The 6th tuning is the only tuning I use for Western Swing and Hawaiian.

It has minor chords without much work. And for bluesy stuff you just avoid the 6th note.

For years I played bottleneck guitar in open D and E and could not get the sound I was looking for. Sure, for bluesy stuff those tunings are fine but for the swingy, Waikiki stereotypical tourist sound... the world opened up for me when I discovered C6.

Yes... I discovered the C6 tuning. Jerry Byrd stole it from me in 1939.