Exploring Brooklyn's Yiddish Scene: A Blend of Historical Archives, Performative Arts, and Cultural Community
In a groundbreaking move, Yiddish New York, one of the flagship events of New York Jewish culture, hosted "Oy, I Like They...A Queer Tribute to Aaron Lebedeff" - an evening concert that reimagined the work of Yiddish theater legend Aaron Lebedeff.
The concert, which was originally planned as a triumphant return to in-person events, was instead held online due to the surge of the Omicron variant in New York City. Despite the digital format, the event attracted a diverse group of singers, including Mikhl Yashinsky, a star of "Fidler Afn Dakh," the recent Yiddish language production of "Fiddler on the Roof."
The house band for the concert was composed primarily of young musicians, not drawn from the "usual suspects" of the New York klezmer scene. Frank London, a founding member of the Klezmatics, served as music director, constructing arrangements of Lebedeff's songs that drew heavily on the sounds of psychedelic cumbia.
One of the standout performances was Mikhl Yashinsky's rendition of Lebedeff's 1941 song "Az Men Farzucht, Un S'is Gut," which was revamped with new lyrics that incorporated gay themes and specific Jewish content. The arrangement included a doina, a non-metered instrumental section characteristic of klezmer performance, and featured borrowings from current American pop music.
The Queer Tribute to Lebedeff concert showcases how deeply the concept of queerness is baked into the culture of Yiddish New York. The musical accompaniment blurred stable boundaries of identity, mirroring the event's aim to promote diversity and inclusion within Yiddish cultural events.
The concert was a reinterpretation of the work of Lebedeff, known for the iconic hit "Roumania, Roumania" (1941). Erica Mancini, a synthesizer player, began the arrangement with a distorted organ solo, referencing late 1960s rock. The exuberance and physical presence that are at the core of theater, especially events like the Queer Tribute to Lebedeff, have been hobbled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Queer Tribute to Lebedeff concert is part of a broader movement to reinterpret, reinterpret, or recontextualize classical Yiddish works in contemporary contexts. Such tributes could serve several purposes: promoting diversity and inclusion, modernizing traditional Yiddish music, and preserving cultural heritage by showcasing the enduring relevance of Lebedeff's work in a different context.
Archival research has undergone a surprising boom during the online Yiddish New York festival and other digital gatherings, moving away from the traditional solitary research model to create community around the shared experience of music and learning. "Notes on 'Camp'" by Susan Sontag was referenced in discussing the queer frame for the Lebedeff tribute concert.
Shane Baker, who focused on the uncertainty of the immediate future of theater and performance during the event, expressed hope that events like the Queer Tribute to Lebedeff would continue to push boundaries and attract new audiences. As the world navigates the challenges of the pandemic and beyond, the spirit of innovation and inclusivity embodied by the Queer Tribute to Lebedeff concert remains a beacon of hope for the future of Yiddish culture.
- In the realm of lifestyle and pop-culture, the Queer Tribute to Lebedeff concert was a significant event, showcasing a unique fusion of fashion-and-beauty, music, and entertainment.
- The concert's digital format didn't deter career-development opportunities, attracting a diverse group of singers, such as Mikhl Yashinsky, a star in the fashion-and-beauty industry from "Fidler Afn Dakh," the recent Yiddish language production of "Fiddler on the Roof."
- For those seeking education-and-self-development, the concert provided an insightful exploration of personal-growth and the integration of queer themes into Yiddish culture.
- The collaboration between musicians in the house band represented a refreshing change in skills-training, as they were not from the "usual suspects" of the New York klezmer scene.
- The concert served as a platform for sports-betting enthusiasts, as Frank London, a founding member of the Klezmatics, brought a unique twist to the arrangements, drawing heavily on the sounds of psychedelic cumbia, reminiscent of American football games.
- The NFL and NCAA football communities might appreciate the sports-betting perspective, as the concert's reinterpretation of Aaron Lebedeff's work had a modern twist, similar to the excitement and anticipation surrounding a major football game.
- For job-searchers in the entertainment industry, the success of the Queer Tribute to Lebedeff concert might open doors, as events that push boundaries and attract new audiences are highly sought after.
- The concert also had an impact on sci-fi-and-fantasy enthusiasts, as it sparked archival research and discussions that moved away from traditional solitary research models, comparing the queer frame for the Lebedeff tribute concert to Susan Sontag's "Notes on 'Camp'".
- As Yiddish culture continues to evolve, the spirit of innovation and inclusivity embodied by the Queer Tribute to Lebedeff concert could influence the direction of fashion-and-beauty, books, education-and-self-development, career-development, entertainment, celebrities, music, job-search, pop-culture, sports, sports-betting, sci-fi-and-fantasy, and skills-training.
