Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer

“Shpil is Strom’s latest book on klezmer. In less than 30 pages of the book’s opening, he gives an almost breathless history of Jewish music, from its earliest mentions in the Bible through the 1990s. The tour includes the fall of the Temple in the first century, the empires of the Ottomans, Russia, and Austro-Hungary, U.S. labor and immigration history, the development of the Borscht Belt in New York’s Catskills, World War II, and the Nazi Holocaust through the recordings and performances of Mickey Katz and Don Byron. Carlos Santana even gets a mention….In its 153 pages Shpil could not possibly contain all that one might want to know about klezmer or its performance. But with its densely packed chapters, it provides a perfect place to start in understanding and playing this most joyous and wonderful music.” ―San Diego Troubadour

“The past decade or so has witnessed a flourishing of books tackling various aspects of klezmer, a term referring both to a style of Eastern European-born Jewish folk music and the musicians who perform it. Growing interest in the centuries-old genre has spurred the printing of a variety of songbooks, fake books, instrument-specific collections, historical analyses and ethnographic studies. All of these areas find a home in Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer, a slim yet information-rich volume edited by accomplished klezmer violinist and ethnographer Yale Strom. Filled with historical details, practical advice, technical instruction, musical examples and illustrative anecdotes, this all-in-one book gathers the wisdom of renowned klezmer performers, specifically Peter Stan (accordion), Jeff Pekarek (bass), Norbert Stachel (clarinet), David Licht (drums), Yale Strom (violin) and Elizabeth Schwartz (vocals).” ―The Daily Rabbi

“Filled with historical details, practical advice, technical instruction, musical examples and illustrative anecdotes, this all-in-one book gathers the wisdom of renowned klezmer performers, specifically Peter Stan (accordion), Jeff Pekarek (bass), Norbert Stachel (clarinet), David Licht (drums), Yale Strom (violin) and Elizabeth Schwartz (vocals).” ―Thinking On Music

“The material is rife with references to specific artists and tunes, making this volume an excellent place for those interested in the genre to begin a serious, studied exploration of the tradition. Those more familiar with the genre will be interested in Strom’s observations about the evolving cultural context of klezmer throughout the twentieth century....This new volume is a welcome addition to the growing field of klezmer scholarship. Readers will find this book to be a valuable resource for deepening their knowledge of performance practice as well as the cultural context from which klezmer music emerged and continues to develop.” ―Music Reference Services Quarterly

“The various contributors point out that Klezmer music [has] distinctive features...[T]his is a successful manual for a beginner in the field.” ―Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews

Yale Strom is one of the world’s leading ethnographers of klezmer culture. He has been conducting field research in Central and Eastern Europe on the topic since 1981.