In Modern Klezmer, 'The Oldest Old Guy' Is The King Of The Scene
During the the 1980s, when the traditional dance music of East European Jews known as klezmer was enjoying a revival, Pete Sokolow was called "the youngest of the old guys."
"Now I'm the oldest old guy," Sokolow says. "Most of the old guys are gone. Pincus is gone. Dave. Sidney is gone. All my old friends. I miss them."
Sokolow started playing klezmer in the summer of 1958 with some of those older musicians at resorts in the Catskills. He was a college student then, and it was there that he met the great klezmer clarinetist Dave Tarras.
Sokolow also played with the three Epstein Brothers, whose orchestra had been a force on the American klezmer scene since the 1930s. He says that a single piece of advice from clarinetist Max Epstein, the eldest of the group, changed his playing style forever.
"He said to me, 'Kid, you play terrific clarinet, but you should understand that in this kind of music, the dreidlach' — which are the ornaments — 'are there to enhance the melody, and not the other way around,'" Sokolow recounts. "'If you lose the melody,' he said to me, 'you've got nothing.'"
Sokolow began his career playing clarinet and saxophone but switched to piano, an instrument that was not originally associated with klezmer. His cramped Brooklyn living room is dominated by a Steinway baby grand from the late 1800's.
"My father was a piano teacher; this great big Steinway here was his," he says. "He was a helluva piano player, my old man. He played, like, Gershwin style. When I was 17 years old, I picked up one of my father's old 78s of Fats Waller and I sat at this piano, teaching myself how to play the Fats Waller style. And damned if I didn't do it." (Sokolow suffered a stroke less than a week before our interview, which has claimed some of his dexterity on the keys. "But I was a good player," he affirms.)
Sokolow played both jazz and Jewish music throughout his career. Interest in klezmer started petering out after World War II, but made a comeback in the late 1970s. Before long, Sokolow found himself playing with younger musicians whose only previous exposure to the music was the recordings on old 78s. Henry Sapoznik was a key player in what came to be called the klezmer revival; he says Sokolow taught those kids a lot.
"He's a tough bandleader and he's a tough teacher," Sapoznik says. "Should have t-shirts: 'I survived Pete Sokolow and I'm a better musician for it. I'm a better person for it.'"
For his part, Sokolow says he was a little baffled by the klezmer revival.
"All klezmer was, was dance music. To me, it was the shockaroo of my life at that point that anybody would want to sit and listen to a concert of dance music," he says. "Well, I should've known better, because in the swing era Benny Goodman did that in Carnegie Hall — and there they were, sitting in Carnegie Hall, listening to dance music."
In 1985, Sokolow was on hand for the first KlezKamp, which became an annual gathering in the Catskills prompted by the klezmer revival. There he taught both clarinet and piano, and helped bridge the generations. "My main job in the revival was as the go between," he says. "I brought the old guys into the scene."
One of them was clarinetist Sid Beckerman, who knew tunes that Sokolow had never heard before. Soon the two were playing in a band with their younger peers.
Today, Sokolow is continuing that cross-generational collaboration with Tarras Band, named for klezmer legend Dave Tarras. The group is led by clarinetist Michael Winograd, who studied with Sokolow at KlezKamp.
"He's a musician's musician," Winograd says. "You know, like, he has perfect melodic sense, perfect harmonic sense. He's a great arranger. When we're working on arrangements for Tarras Band, I'm like, 'What's this harmony?' He knows it immediately."
Winograd is one of the younger musicians incorporating contemporary elements like rock into klezmer. And that's fine with Pete Sokolow — but for himself, he's content being the oldest old guy.
"I don't wanna, you know, create new ground and become totally new creative guy," he says. "I'm an old time guy. I like to play music that's fun for me. I want to have fun doing this."
Jon Kalish is a Manhattan-based radio reporter, newspaper writer and podcast producer.
9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
Transcript
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Peter Sokolow is considered an elder statesmen among klezmer musicians. He's one of the last living links to the musicians who brought klezmer to America from Eastern Europe. And now he's sharing his first-hand knowledge with a younger generation of musicians. Jon Kalish has this profile.
JON KALISH, BYLINE: During the 1980s when the traditional dance music of East European Jews known as klezmer was enjoying a revival, Pete Sokolow was called the youngest of the old guys.
PETE SOKOLOW: Now I'm the oldest old guy. Most of the old guys are gone. Pincus is gone, Dave, Sidney is gone - all my old friends. I miss them. I miss them.
KALISH: Sokolow started playing klezmer in the summer of 1958 with some of those older musicians at resorts in the Catskills. He was a college student then, and it was there that he met the great klezmer clarinetist Dave Tarras.
(SOUNDBITE OF DAVE TARRAS MUSIC)
KALISH: Sokolow also played with the three Epstein brothers, whose orchestra had been a force on the American klezmer scene since the 1930s.
SOKOLOW: In one sentence, Max Epstein changed my entire style. He said to me - kid, you play terrific clarinet, but you should understand that in this kind of music, the dreidlach - which are ornaments - are there to enhance the melody, not the other way around. In other words, all that (imitating clarinet playing) doesn't mean a thing. If you lose the melody, he said to me, you've got nothing.
(SOUNDBITE OF KLEZMER MUSIC)
KALISH: Sokolow began his career playing clarinet and saxophone but switched to piano, an instrument that was not originally associated with klezmer. His cramped Brooklyn living room is dominated by a Steinway grand from the late 1800s.
SOKOLOW: My father was a piano teacher. This great big Steinway here was his. He was a hell of a piano player, my old man. He played like Gershwin style. When I was 17 years old, I picked up one of my father's old 78s of Fats Waller. And I sat at this piano teaching myself how to play the Fats Waller style. And damned if I didn't do it.
(SOUNDBITE OF PIANO MUSIC)
KALISH: Pete Sokolow suffered a stroke less than a week before our interview.
SOKOLOW: After the stroke, the damage was done to my right hand and I'm going to have to take the therapy. To my standard, it's like I fell back all the way to the beginning. But once my strength is back a little bit in the hands, I'll be able to really do what I do. I was a heavyweight strike player. I was really good.
KALISH: He was.
(SOUNDBITE OF PIANO MUSIC)
KALISH: Sokolow played both jazz and Jewish music throughout his career. Interest in klezmer music started petering out after World War II, but made a comeback in the late 1970s. Before long, Sokolow found himself playing with younger musicians whose only previous exposure to the music was old 78s. Henry Sapoznik was a key player in what came to be called the klezmer revival. He says Sokolow taught those kids a lot.
HENRY SAPOZNIK: He's a tough bandleader, and he's a tough teacher. Should have T-shirts - I survived Pete Sokolow, and I'm a better musician for it. I'm a better person for it.
KALISH: For his part, Pete Sokolow says he was a little baffled by the klezmer revival.
SOKOLOW: All klezmer was was dance music. It was the shockaroo of my life at that point that anybody would want to sit to listen to a concert of dance music. But I should have know better because the swing era - Benny Goodman did that in Carnegie Hall - and there they were, sitting in Carnegie Hall, listening to dance music.
(Playing clarinet) Something like that (scatting).
KALISH: In 1985, Sokolow was on hand for the first KlezKamp - what become an annual gathering in the Catskills prompted by the klezmer revival. There he taught both clarinet and piano and helped bridge the generations.
SOKOLOW: My main job in the revival was as the go-between. I brought the old guys into the scene.
KALISH: One of them was the clarinetist Sid Beckerman, who knew tunes that Sokolow had never heard before. Soon the two were playing together and in groups with their younger peers.
(SOUNDBITE OF KLEZMER MUSIC)
KALISH: Sokolow is continuing that cross-generational collaboration with Tarras Band, named for klezmer legend Dave Tarras. The group is led by clarinetist Michael Winograd who studied with Sokolow at KlezKamp.
(SOUNDBITE OF KLEZMER MUSIC)
MICHAEL WINOGRAD: He's a musician's musician, you know? It's like he has unnatural ability. He has perfect harmonic sense, perfect melodic sense. He's a great arranger. When we're working on arrangements for Tarras Band and we're like what's this harmony? He knows it immediately - one of those minds that every once in a while you bump into, you know?
KALISH: Winograd is one of the younger musicians who's incorporating contemporary elements like rock into klezmer. And that's fine with Pete Sokolow. He's content being the oldest old guy.
SOKOLOW: I don't want to, you know, create new ground and become a totally new creative guy. I'm an old-time guy. I like to play music that's fun for me. I want to have fun doing this.
KALISH: And, he says, he still does. For NPR News, I'm Jon Kalish in New York. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad