Yale Strom and Hot Pstrami Celebrate the Klezmer Tradition

KPBS | By KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published July 22, 2008 at 9:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

Host Tom Fudge talks with ethnomusicologist and Klezmer musician Yale Strom and the members of his band Hot Pstrami.

Originally aired on March 29, 2007.

Tom Fudge: When you think of Jewish music, you may hear, in your mind a wandering clarinet. The melodies sound vaguely Middle Eastern. The rhythms are upbeat and they may bring to your mind a picture of bearded men dancing with their hands held high.

If this is what you're thinking, you're thinking about Klezmer music. Yale Strom is an artist in residence at San Diego State. He's a student of Klezmer music, and he's come out with a new book called

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The Absolutely Complete Klezmer Songbook.
Today, he and members of his band Hot Pastromi join me in studio. Along with Yale on the violin, we have Elizabeth Schwartz on vocals and Mark Danshofskee on the accordion. They're going to start out with a tune called Lustig Sein .

Guests

Yale Strom, musical archivist, filmmaker, author and violinist in Hot Pstrami and editor of The Absolutely Complete Klezmer Songbook .

Elizabeth Schwartz, vocalist

Mark Danshofski, accordian.