“The American story is about sharing across ethnic lines. The American story is about acknowledging cultural equity across ethnic lines and racial lines.”
That conclusion may best summarize Dr. Hankus Netsky’s musical journey over the last 50 years. A native Philadelphian with a strong family history in Jewish music and performance, he wondered, in his teens, why there was virtually nothing written about traditional Jewish music known as Klezmer.
Rooted in eastern and central Europe, Klezmer was, and still is, a mainstay of many Jewish celebrations. After its introduction to America in the early 20th century, it evolved into a clarinet-heavy genre that celebrated all aspects of Jewish life and gained acceptance by diverse audiences worldwide.
Growing up in a black neighborhood of Philadelphia, he was a musician in jazz and blues bands and admired the pride African-Americans showed of their musical roots. It made him wonder about his own. Tapping into family and friends who performed in Yiddish theater in New York and Philadelphia, he embarked on a lifelong journey to research, document and perform Klezmer art. He wrote a book, Klezmer: Music and Community in 20th Century Jewish Philadelphia, founded the Klezmer Conservatory Band and collaborated with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Robin Williams and Joel Grey on various projects. He hangs his hat at New England Conservatory, where he is a professor with a PhD in Ethnomusicology.
Join me and Hankus for a fascinating history lesson complete with mirth and music, in this edition of Type. Tune. Tint.