[Dixielandjazz] FW: FW: Billie Holiday, Strange Fruit

[Jim Kashishian]

Bill wrote:
Now Jim, I know that you are an American (and an Armenian) so you may not be
the one to ask regarding these questions . . . but you may know somebody who
was born into the culture.



Well, 40 yrs here does get to you!  However, no one I know has much
knowledge about Flamenco.  The guys in the band are all Spanish, as are most
of my friends, but none is involved.

The grief has usually got to do with religion, and the poorness of the
gypsies.  You know they are the gypsies that really do this?  I'm not really
too much into it, but there is a lot of crying out about the injustice of
life, etc.

Humor?  There probably is a bit in it, but I don't know that much about it.
Grief seems to be the overwhelming element.  As I said, grief in the first
act, worse grief in the 2nd., and the 3rd, was even worse!  Love the guitar
playing!

The macho thing is more in the dancing.  However, it is not so much macho as
each sex knowing their role in the "attraction" thing.  I saw the same kind
of dancing (although it wasn't Flamenco, but was folk dancing) in
Barranquilla, Colombia in November.  The woman wiggles around, completely
ignoring the man, and the man is practically on his knees trying to get the
attention of the woman.    :>

Jim