There's an idiotic post over at YWN. MAILBAG: The Jewish Music Industry Should Never Use Guitarist Avi Singolda Again
I'm pretty sure I know who wrote this. But it really doesn't matter. It's just stupid. And that's coming from someone who has been critical of everyone [not really everyone, but a huge chunk of the recordings made] using the same guitar player. I've written about this in the early days of this blog, including specifics about not being moved by much of the commercial guitar work Avi's done on such recordings. IMO, I hear a ton of talent/chops, but little "soul".
Nevertheless, the notion of boycotting someone because he stands up for his beliefs is troubling to me. The reality is that respect for women, and inclusiveness for women is a big issue in the world at large. And, no matter how the frum community explains Halacha, it is seen and experienced as negative/derogatory by most outside the system. And so, asking people to endorse/participate in something they feel is morally wrong is unjust. This wasn't going to be a concert for the frum community, in which respect is warranted towards their right to observe as they see fit. It was meant to be a broader performance for Israeli society at large. And, in that context, standing up for inclusiveness is a perfectly appropriate action to take. In fact, the frum community needs to have the common sense to understand how it's perceived (rightly or wrongly) by the outside world and choose it battles accordingly. This was a dumb point to take a stand on. The end result. Everyone feels bad. It could all have been avoided with a little bot of common sense and foresight beforehand.
So, by all means, I encourage producers/artists to find a guitarist whose unique expression/sound appeals to them for their recordings, rather than just using the same guy everyone else is. But, don't boycott Avi because he stood up for something important for him. Rather learn from him that when something is important to you, speak up, rather than just go along with it.
