KlezKamp 26:

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Peter Sokolow: A Living Tradition

As a tribute to the great masters of klezmer music from whom he drew inspiration, Pete Sokolow and co-producer/engineer Ken Maltz have crafted a deeply moving retrospective of some of the greatest Yiddish players of the 20th century. With Pete Sokolow playing all the instruments, he expertly invokes the styles and repertoires of Dave Tarras, Paul Pincus, Sid Beckerman and Maxie Epstein and reminds us why they – and he – enjoy their tremendous renown.

Peter Sokolow - piano, synthesizer, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto and tenor saxophones

Songs:

This project is a tribute to the ideal of complete cooperation between two like-minded people, colleagues and close personal friends, in producing a truly excellent product, musically and technically. When Henry Sapoznik approached me with the idea of an album of my own in the "Living Traditions" series, two things entered my mind: I could conceivably play all of the parts myself, and Ken Maltz would be the only one I would trust as collaborator.

For Ken, this was a singular opportunity to learn computer-driven recording programs, from beginning to mastering. The idea fired him up, bringing out his complete enthusiasm; Ken’s meticulousness and extreme patience guaranteed success. The long hours and concentrated work that he put into the project far exceeded whatever work I put in, and I can truly say that it never could have come to fruition otherwise. My feelings go far beyond gratefulness – this man is in a class by himself. I dedicate this album to the memory of the beloved musicians who befriended me in the fifty-plus years I have been in this business and taught me all I know about Jewish music "on the job" – Dave Tarras (1897 – 1989), Max Epstein (1912 – 2000), Paul Pincus (1917 – 2005), Sid Beckerman (1919 – 2007), Howie Leess (1920 – 2004), and Rudy Tepel (1914 – 2008). Most of them spent time on the teaching staff at KlezKamp.

The selections on this album come from the preferred repertoires of the players mentioned above. I took my reed instruments "out of mothballs" – clarinet, alto and tenor saxophones, and even my bass-clarinet, which Paul Pincus once played on a record date we did together. The basic "unit" was: clarinet, alto and tenor saxes, piano, and synthesized accordion, rhythm guitar, and bass, the synth being my trusty Yamaha DX-7II, which I’ve been using since 1987. The piano is Ken’s Yamaha electric, and it is a tribute to his aural sensitivity and engineering skills that the piano and synth sounds turned out so superbly. One of the Max Epstein medleys, "Shiroh/Sheyibone" was done as a piano solo. On the Shloymke-Sidney "Father and Son," the ensemble consists of three clarinets, bass clarinet, and rhythm, and the "Mayn Tayere" track has two reed sections juxtaposed: a Glenn Miller sound (two clarinets, two altos, and tenor doubling the lead) and a standard sax section (two altos, two tenors).

The two aforementioned pieces and the Paul Pincus "Tzufil Lieb," which features Paul’s sub-tone clarinet sound, are the only selections which required orchestrated reed parts; all the rest, including the final jazz sextet, were "faked" on the spot. The sextet included clarinet, piano, synthesized vibraphone, guitar, bass, and, in his only appearance on the album, my Japanese "drummer," Dr. Roland "Boss" Yamaguchi (DR-220 – Dr. Rhythm). If you recognize some Goodman Sextet and Shaw Gramercy Five licks, give yourself extra Brownie points. The title "Nutzil" (from "Nushiele") is a pet name my sister called her late husband.

I tried to vary my clarinet approach to hint at the styles of the original clarinetists, and I included a lot of Howie Leess-style accompaniments in the saxophones, especially the tenor, and in the bass clarinet.

This turned out to be a real "tour-de-force" for both myself and Ken. I’m thrilled that he kept after me to complete it, and I feel fulfilled, and vindicated, that I was able to play all the parts myself, giving the album a working title of "VUN-MEN-BENT", which is the appellation given by Chassidim to the so-called keyboard players who have virtually monopolized wedding music in their circles. In my case, it sounds more like a real "BENT" than "VUN-MEN."

— Peter Sokolow, April 2010