RE: [Harp-L] "Authentic" pronunciation?

[Ken Deifik <kenneth.d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Artie Traum was half of a musical act with his brother Happy.  Somewhere in 
the middle of a 40 year career they got a deal on Capitol and had a couple 
of records out.  The records didn't sell well in the States, but Artie told 
me that they developed a following in Japan.

He had a copy of a Japanese band that basically made exact copies of Happy 
and Artie's records.  I don't know if they sang in English or Japanese, but 
the tracks were precise copies of the Capitol tracks - including the 
mistakes.  They didn't know was intentional and what wasn't, so they copied 
everything precisely.

It's kind of silly and it's also kind of moving.

Hearing non-Americans trying to do an American pronunciation is not a 
turnoff to me, though I must admit to absolutely never seeking out the 
music of, say, Italian blues bands.  Unless a band has something new to 
say, I'd rather hear the original.

What absolutely kills a record for me is to hear a white American band 
playing well in the first few bars, followed by a white singer who tries to 
use English like a Black Mississippi man from 1930.  I get the same feeling 
when I hear those horrible old Amos and Andy radio shows from the 1930's.

I run away screaming, often leaving a Deifik-shaped hole in the drywall.