To say that Adrienne was the klezmer and Yiddish world's definitive Earth Mother wouldn't be inaccurate, but it wouldn't be all. Adrienne's spirit, her legendary research and scholarship and that voice hovered over all of us, as much an "Air Mother" as her lovely, generous nature and the serious intensity of her work and commitment to human rights rooted her to the ground. I met her in 1995 at an outdoor music festival. It was one of my first professional appearances as a Yiddish singer, and I was uncertain, nervous... and then suddenly this amazing, glowing, warm Yiddish star appeared in front of me, smiled encouragingly and said, "You're the best thing here." Adrienne's generosity, her intuition, were as unexpected as the compliment. And over the years, her warmth, her encouragement sustained many of us -- especially when I'd get a call from someone and they would introduce themselves with these words: "Adrienne Cooper recommended you." It's hard to imagine a klezmer or Yiddish world without her. I know many of us will sing for her.
To say that Adrienne was the klezmer and Yiddish world's definitive Earth Mother wouldn't be inaccurate, but it wouldn't be all. Adrienne's spirit, her legendary research and scholarship and that voice hovered over all of us, as much an "Air Mother" as her lovely, generous nature and the serious intensity of her work and commitment to human rights rooted her to the ground. I met her in 1995 at an outdoor music festival. It was one of my first professional appearances as a Yiddish singer, and I was uncertain, nervous... and then suddenly this amazing, glowing, warm Yiddish star appeared in front of me, smiled encouragingly and said, "You're the best thing here." Adrienne's generosity, her intuition, were as unexpected as the compliment. And over the years, her warmth, her encouragement sustained many of us -- especially when I'd get a call from someone and they would introduce themselves with these words: "Adrienne Cooper recommended you." It's hard to imagine a klezmer or Yiddish world without her. I know many of us will sing for her.