Recently I got a note about an opportunity at Berhman House....
"Behrman House, the leading publishers of Jewish educational books and digital products, is looking for freelance individuals who are musically talented, write and create for kids, like to perform, like to create Jewishly relevant materials, have some video experience, and have strong Jewish knowledge and/or background.
Please send your resume and samples (can be music clips, videos, animation, lesson plans, etc) to Terry Kaye terry@behrmanhouse.com"
Work on the Detroit JCC's Stephen Gottlieb Jewish Music Festival continues. It looks like we've committed to doing a family performance during next years fest. That's nice. Last year we had Rabbi Joe Black and he put on a great show. I'm not on the committee that's picking this year's performer (I'm working on a "progressive" Jewish music showcase") But, as the resident Jewish music obsessive/compulsive I was asked to put together a list of likely performers. Here's what I came up with. Some have been featured here on Teruah before..others have been shamefully neglected. (I'll fix that) I've only seen a small handful live, so this list is meant as a reference not an endorsement. I'm sure I'm missing some wonderful folk, particularly from the Chassid and Orthodox communities. Please write in and let me know. Also let me know who on the list you've seen and what you thought.
First the local Michigan performers. I've seen both live and both are wonderful.
I'm a huge fan of the Oy Baby discs. The first two (Oy Baby I and II) are the best performed, produced, and arranged Jewish kids discs out right now. From the smart and eclectic song selection to the wonderful harmonies of Stephanie Schneiderman and her sisters these albums are spot on perfect. Ask my kids how to sing Eli Eli, the Shehekianu, or a dozen other tunes,...you'll hear the Schneiderman arrangements coming back at you.
So I was delighted when I got their next Jewish album "We Sang That At Camp." And there it was, the same great voices, now with a fine male singing partner, but I couldn't quite get into it. My kids, now 3 years older than when they were first hooked on Oy Baby, couldn't quite get into it. I've been listening to it on and off all summer and I think I finally figured it out.
I never went to Jewish camp in the 1970s. And neither did my kids.
And that, it seems, is a bit of a problem. The album is setup to feel a bit like a campfire or a singalong in a mess tent in a camp. A fine conceit, that allows for a mix of liturgical pieces such as "Ma Tovu." Israeli folk pop pieces such as "Salaam," and American folk pop pieces such as "Leaving on a Jet Plane."
"Leaving on a Jet Plane?" Really? Seriously? That got sung at Jewish camp? My dad is a big fan of 1960's folk pop. I grew up on Peter Paul and Mary, the Weavers, the Kingston Trio, and the like. But hearing covers of "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and Harry Chapin's "All My Life's a Circle" is just odd and points to my fundamental problem with the disc...I really don't understand who the intended audience is.
A 40 year-old guy who, unlike me, went to Jewish camp? Maybe, but this is still a pretty kid friendly album. The arrangements are only a hairs-breadth more adult oriented than the Oy Baby discs. My kids? They dig the Jewish songs. "Ba Shanah Haba'ah" was a favorite. But the Harry Chapin number just lost them. They had no interest in a 40 year old light folk pop number made even lighter. Honestly I didn't either. My sense of nostalgia doesn't include this kind of material.
So this disc, for all that it has some great moments and very worthy tracks, never made into rotation. Which was a bummer. My kids are ready and primed for a new Oy Baby disc. Just not this one. Maybe one that sounds more like their current Jewish camp, the local Gan Israel camp, that mixes some of the very same tunes, with bunk songs that mix Miss Mary Mack style word play with current pop radio verve and swagger. Now that they'd groove on.
But this is very much a "your mileage may vary" kind of situation. If you went to camp or have a different sense of nostalgia, you might love this disc. Or your kids might. Check it out and see...
Somehow I missed out on Barry Louis Polisar when I was a kid. Which, I think, explains certain mental imbalances in me as an adult. Polisar has been entertaining children for three decades with albums titled "I Eat Kids," "My Brother Thinks He's a Banana," "Naughty Songs for Boys and Girls," and the wonderfully misnamed "Songs for Well Behaved Children." It was this last album that earned him a letter that read "This is demonic anarchy and I've added you to the top of my prayer list." Which, of course, means that Polisar and the listener both truly understand childhood..which is mostly demonic anarchy, punctuated by times tables and naps.
Polisar wrote to me recently about a tribute album that was just released, called "We're Not Kidding: A Tribute to Barry Polisar." The album is the result of his song "All I Want Is You" appearing, 30 years after it's first release, in the open title sequence for the hit movie Juno. This got Polisar a lot of media attention and reconnected him with a generation of fans who's grown up on his albums. It turned out that his fans started a LOT of bands, who came together to record 60 covers of his songs for the 2-disk album.
It also turns out that a lot of his fans are Jewish, as is Polisar who's also written his own Haggadah. (Which, it turns out, I happen to own). The result is that there are an entertaining number of Jewish-music influenced recordings on the tribute album. A quick scan turned up:
Sephardic indie-rockers, DeLeon, covering "My Brother Thinks He's a Banana" and "My Name is Hiram Lipshlitz.
Deborah Berman and the Nogoodniks, performing "Shtek Nit Dayn Finger in Der Noz," their own Yiddish translation of Polisar's "Don't Put Your Finger Up Your Nose."
Kid Kazooey and His One-Man Klezmorkestra Band, performing "I've Got a Teacher, She's So Mean and He Eats Asparagus, Why Can't You Be That Way?"
The Brothers (Boaz and Moshe) Vilozny performing a When the House is Dark and Quiet. "
That a whole lot of other great bands doing spirited renditions. If updated, rollicking, versions of some wonderful and seriously demented kids songs are your thing...definitely check out the tribute album. You can hear clips of most of the tracks on the website. And while you're at it, check out Barry Louis Polisar's original albums and stories. Like a fine whine, they've aged very well.
For the record, I recently introduced my (happily demonic) 5 year old daughter to his song "I Used to Have A Sister." She's been wandering around the house all weekend singing it to herself and imagining her elder sister turned into an apple tree. Yeah. He gets kids.
For a final treat, here's a truly awesome video. It's about a minute of Polisar making his first TV appearance, on the "Bozo The Clown's Wide World of Wonder" show in 1975, singing "He Eats Asparagus, Why Can't You Be That Way?." According to Polisar, his "little sister was watching TV with her friends when he came on singing. They all got very excited and said, "Emily, isn't that your brother on TV?" She said, "No."
Barry Louis Polisar in his first TV appearance: Bozo the Clown, 1975
Continuing the Passover goofiness, here's Mama Doni's "Rasta in Pasta."
Mama Doni is a Jewish culture songstress who plays kid shows on the JCC and synagogue circuit. Her songs are very very shticky but are fun, infectious, and have a lot more sense of adventure than a lot of Jewish kids material. Going through the videos and photo's on her website makes me wish that there was more of a market for Jewish television programming. I'd bet she'd give the Wiggles a run for their money.
Mama Doni - Rasta in Pasta
By the way, looking at her tour schedule I see that last September she played at the tiny synagogue I grew up attending. Times have certainly changed. We never had any fun performers come to visit when I was a kid.
This is just weird. The video is from JDub's new kids band, The Macaroons. Between the Weird Al refrain and Robyn Hitchcock vocal drawls, I'm more confused than anything else. But hey, if you've got kids around...see what they think.
Last week I got Dafna / ShirFun's "Halilah Hazeh" in the mail, just in time for Passover. I'm always excited to see new kids recordings, but am always a bit hesitant. Reviewing kids music is tricky, kids listen to music differently than adults do. I've been doing this long enough to have a few basic have a few elements that I listen for. If the recording's got them, we're in business. If not, probably not. I'm also in luck that I have two kids and lot of long car rides for album testing.
First, here's Dafna's offical blurb
"Shir Fun was created by Israeli music therapist, Dafna Israel-Kotok, whose passion for Jewish and Israeli music and culture has been cultivated all of her life. Growing up in a moshav on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, she learned to play the guitar from her father at an early age and together, they became a central musical figure to her community’s cultural celebrations. After her service in the Israeli army, Dafna attended university in the U.S, obtaining a degree in music therapy."
Second, before I do my review, here's a video of the title track...
Dafna's Halilah Hazeh
Ok...now for my thoughts. As I said there are certain things I listen for in a kids album. 1. Is the singer having a good time. Seriously. There are some depressing, self-important, kids albums out there. Dafna does fine here. She enjoys this music and her enjoyment is infectious.
2. Is the singer a songleader or a performer. Kids want to sing, jump, dance, thwack, or kapow. Pretty much anything but applaud. Music that invites them in is good, music that does clever wonderful things for show isn't. Halilah Hazeh is a bit mixed here. There are bit too many times where Dafna winds up for a big ending or does something else showy. Not bad, but iffy.
3. Are the vocals up front in the music. Can you understand the lyrics. Kids like guitar, drums, what-have-you just fine, as long as they don't get in the way. Seriously. It's all about the human voice and what the voice is signing about about. Mind you, the lyrics don't have to make sense and in many kids songs they don't, but they have to be clear. Dafna's got a challenge here. She's singing quite beautifully and clearly in Hebrew. For some kids, including mine, that's just fine. My kids don't speak Hebrew but they've got the rhythm of it through synagogue. Singing along with it, even though they don't understand the words, suits them just fine. But there were a lot of places where there was just too much guitar, shaky egg, or what-have-you. Again, not bad just iffy.
So my feeling, as the adult listener? A solid kids album but not necessarily a great one. Dafna's got a good voice. I enjoyed Dafna's interpretations of the classics. Her originals are well performed but not as compelling. But c'mon. We've been singing Dayenu and Eliyahu HaNavi for how many centuries? They're a tough comparison point.
How about the experts, my kids? They weren't much taken with the originals either, but sang right along with the classics. In fact, my elder daughter asked me to replay a number of them. We're using her version of the Four Questions (Ma Nisthana) when practicing for our seder. That's a pretty good sign. Would the originals grow on them? I'll have to report back later. I will say that my two favorite recent Jewish kids albums Oy Baby 1 and 2 and Shira Kleins Shirlala Chanukkah grabbed them immidiately, new songs or no.
But my little experts aren't yours. Hop over to Dafna's website and see what you think. Or better yet, put your little experts to work and see what they think.
"Here is the video of the Visiting Day choir of Camp Gan Yisroel, Montreal. The video is professionally edited, and was just uploaded! Please post it on your site."
Sure thing folks. My pleasure. I'm a big fan of CGI and my two wigglers attended the Ann Arbor version. I was surprised and a bit disappointed to see that this was only a boys choir, though. While CGI is run by Chabad, who are Lubavitch Chassids and very strict about their own Jewish practice, CGI as a camp is very inclusive to all Jews regardless of movement or personal practice. Kol Isha, even under strict observance, usually doesn't block adult men from listening to young girls sing so it generally isn't a problem for the camp. My girls love CGI, do lots of singing, and our visiting day show had boys and girls singing together.
That said, the boys sing well and it's fun video. Enjoy.
UPDATE: Sigh. A little fact checking would have helped here. Mottel just pointed out that Camp Gan Yisroel Montreal is actually an all boys camp. Hence the lack of girls in the choir. Oops.
I got an note on Facebook recently from a fellow named Steve Cohen....
"I'm a classically trained composer, and I attend a Reform congregation in Larchmont, NY. The former cantor there, Lori Corrsin, now sings at Temple Emanu-El in New York City. I sang bass in the Zamir Chorale, under the direction of Matthew Lazar for about 7 seasons, and I've had my choral pieces performed at the North American Jewish Choral Festival, by zamir and also by the Kol Zimrah choir of Chicago, IL. I'm about to release a CD of solo vocal music, psalm settings and liturgical pieces...."
While the CD isn't out yet, here's a tasted of what Steve's got in store for us. There's some serious happy clappy going on here...
Kol Ha-amim Tiku Kaf
According to Steve, Kol Ha-amim Tiku Kaf is
"A piece for children's choir, based on Psalm 47, Verses 2-3. Music by Steve Cohen. Performed at the SAR Academy, in Riverdale, NY, by the SAR Combined Choirs, Naomi Katz Cohen, music director."
By the way, "happy clappy" is actually a technical term. Seriously.
According to YouTube user Process613, "It's a crazy Jewish song my mother wrote for a children's album, performed live." I don't know what album he's talking about, but if I can find out I'll let you know.
It's good to be Jewish and to have hand puppets. And I like it!
Update: Binyomin Ginzberg of JewishMusician.Com just let me know that "It's Good to be Jewish and I like it" is the title song of a 2006 Paul Zim's album. You can grab a copy from Mostly Music.
I'm doubly delinquent. I've got a kids Jewish music CD, Craig Taubman's "My Newish Jewish Discovery" I've been meaning to write about for almost a year now. And, on top of it, a music source, the PJ Library, that's definitely worth sharing.
The source first. The PJ Library is an offering of the Harold Grispoon Foundation, "a leader in creating and supporting innovative opportunities for Jewish engagement across North America." It's an outreach program that provides free high quality Jewish books and music to kids in specific regions of the United States. My part of the North Coast (aka Michigan) is covered and we've been getting the books for two years now. The books are a mixed lot. Some we've loved, some we've never read again, and some we've just said, huh? But my kids are hooked. They're voracious readers (should that be 'read-to-ers') and love getting a Jewish book in the mail every month. We've a whole shelf of them now and a couple have become favorites. The books all come with educational pamphlets which, honestly, we lost almost immediately. I'm sure we would have benefited from them. Oh well. Anyway, if you have kids or know some, you should check the library out.
Honestly, while the PJ Library says it distributes books and music, it's mostly books. I think we've gotten one disc a year. My kids didn't think much of the first one, a disc from Canadian Jewish kids musicians Judy and David. The second one, Craig Taubman's my "Newish Jewish Discovery," has mostly been in heavy rotation. I say mostly because my elder wiggler knows exactly the two songs she doesn't like and always yells "Skip Skip" from the backseat when they're queued up. Personally, I also don't like two tracks, but, of course, they're not the same two. It's her disc, so I let her win. I'm a good papa.
Here's the official blurb...
"We made this recording to celebrate the joy of Jewish music, culture and community values with you. My Newish Jewish Discovery will teach you, stretch your imagination and fill your heart with song. We hope that when you listen, you will think about the words you hear, act on the ideas you have and begin to make a difference in the community around you. We could not package the My Newish Jewish Discovery Children's Museum, but we wanted you to have a piece of us for your own discovery."
Lots of well written, up-tempo, clappy clappy, rock and rolly feel good music aimed at the elementary school set. My personal favorites are the Yiddish accented "Fixing Up The World" and the Captain Kangaroo does Mickey Katz sounding "My Mother Called Me a Name." My kids love the goofy jam rock Hebrew lesson "Shigaon" and the tongue twisting "Four Corners." Hey. It mentions Michigan, and let me tell you, nothing Jewish ever mentions Michigan. Click on the song links to hear samples and then check out the disc's CD Baby page for the rest of the samples.
My two little ones are having the time of their lives right now. They're in their second of three weeks at the local Chabad sponsored Camp Gan Israel. I'll spare you all a recital of all the 'cute moments' so far and just say I highly recommend the CGI experience.
Ok. I won't totally spare you. My wife and I have been cracking up watching the two little campsters yodeling David Melech Yisrael, complete with spastic hand movements. They love the song and are immensely proud of themselves about mastering the choreography. And, of course, my elder wiggler, my little scholar, asked me what the words mean. So here I am, 11:00 at night, with my wife already snoozing beside me, doing my homework. Because, of course, having learned the song myself 30 years ago in no way qualified me to answer the question. I mean, it's about David the King of Israel, right? Do I get partial credit for being able to figure that out? No? rats.
Ok. The lyrics of the song are "David melech Yisrael chai vekayam" (David (is) king of Israel living and existing) with a few alternating "abba/emma" (father, mother) and "cain / lo" (yes / no). So what's going on here? Where does this phrase come from?
"What it means is that the kingdom of David is forever, even if it takes a break from time to time. For G-d promised that kingship would always belong to David. His kingship is compared to the moon, which waxes and wanes. So too David’s kingdom disappears for a time, but G-d promises that it will once again be reborn like the moon is reborn each month. (That’s why we say this phrase each month when we sanctify the new moon.)
The phrase has come to express the idea that the Jewish people are alive and enduring despite our historic ups and downs and that we will ultimately triumph. It has become synonymous with the motto of “am Yisrael chai (the nation of Israel lives!)”
And its got a catchy tune and great hand gestures. Here's Camp Katan in Chico showing us all how its done. Note: these aren't my kids. But they're pretty darn cute anyway.
camp Katan day 9-David Melech
Hat tip to YouTube user harveyr for posting the video and to Rabbi Marcus for the explanation.
The great thing (well, one great thing) about Channukah being eight days long, is that by day seven YouTube is beginning to flood with kids Channukah concert videos. And so maybe they're not the next Miami Boys Choir, but these long rows of well-scrubbed yiddishkinder can't help but make their parents proud. Truth to tell, I'm looking forward to when my little scholars are old enough to take their turn on stage demonstrating their mastery of "Oh Channukah" or "Maoz T'zur."
And so without further ado, here they are...2007 Kids Channukah Concerts! Channukah Sameach, kids! Bravo.
Temple Isaiah Hannukah 12/9/07
Hannukah Concert 2007
For the record, my little scholars aren't in either of these videos. I don't have any affiliation with either of the two schools, or even know where they are. Hat tip to YouTube members jimwinnett and dharrishoffma for posting the videos.
This list is compiled from announcements on a variety of Jewish Music mailing lists, blogs, online retailer catalogs, and emails from the artists. Thanks to all of them. If I've missed your recording, sorry. Please drop me an email and I'll make sure it gets in the next list. For more 2007 album releases see the September, June part 1,June part 2, and April lists.
"Budowitz is the groundbreaking traditional ensemble of klezmer music. Since its founding in 1995, Budowitz has also served as one of Europe’s main training grounds for traditional Jewish music, featuring over 20 musicians in its performances and recordings, including the late Jewish cultural icons, Cili Schwartz and Majer Bogdanski. Their third CD has just been released in collaboration with Swiss National Radio, and their award-winning previous CDs are featured on all of the international compilation CD’s of the best klezmer groups."
"Those who know Michael Winograd from his favorite current project, "Infection," or even from his klezmer-jazz band, Khevre may not have noticed that he sounds so good as an innovator because he plays traditional klezmer so well. Now he's put together a CD of new music in traditional styles. Patrick Farrell - accordion, Daniel Blacksberg - trombone, Nick Cudahy - bass (text from Ari at the Klezmershack Blog)"
While I haven't heard Bessarabian Hop, Winograd's band Khevre is pretty fabulous. Khevre released their CD "Oyfn Sheydveg (at the crossroads)" via CDBaby, so if you're interested in Bessarabian Hop you should keep an eye on CDBaby or contact Winograd directly.
Alex Kontorovich releases "Deep Minor" via CD Baby
"Alex Kontorovich may be familiar to klezmerphiles from KlezKanada and KlezKamp, he plays frequently with Frank London and is a member of the Klez Dispensers. But the Russian émigré is also an accomplished post-bop reedman. This is uncompromisingly radical stuff, with Brandon Seabrook providing some very Oriental-sounding banjo and Kontorovich moving easily between romantic modal playing, some fractured klezmer, and high-energy shrieking. He's an imaginative, thoughtful improviser and this is a highly intelligent, fiery album." -- George Robinson, Jewish Week
"Deep Minor expands the concept of Radical Jewish Culture into the 21st Century." -- Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz-NY"
The Joel Rubin Ensemble release "Midnight Prayer", available through CD Roots
"Clarinetist Rubin has long been considered to be one of the leading performers of Jewish instrumental klezmer music in the world today, earning accolades from sources as diverse as klezmer giants Dave Tarras and Max Epstein, international clarinet soloist Richard Stoltzman, avant garde composer John Zorn, and Nobel Prize Laureate and poet Roald Hoffmann. The ensemble also features Hungarian cimbalom virtuoso Kálmán Balogh, Italian accordion wizard Claudio Jacomucci and rising klezmer star violinist David Chernyavsky, as well as Ferenc Kovács (trumpet), Csaba Novák (bass), Sándor Budai (second violin) and Pete Rushefsky (tsimbl).
Midnight Prayer brings together two diverse, yet partially overlapping repertoires: the instrumental music of the klezmorim -- the professional Jewish instrumentalists who graced every traditional Jewish wedding in Eastern Europe from at least the 16th century onwards -- and the mystical nigunim (religious melodies of spiritual elevation) of the hasidic movement. Recorded in four magical days at the Operetta House in Budapest, Hungary, Midnight Prayer creates its own sonic universe, full of depth, virtuosity, playfulness and introspection"
"Trumpeter, composer, long-time leader of the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band and founder of the famed Ashkenaz festival of New Yiddish Culture teams with award winning pianist/composer Hilario Duran to explore the exciting nexus of Cuban/Klezmer fusion. Inspired by the Jewish mambo craze of the 1950’s, the music here moves from Bulgar to Bembé, Sher to Son Montuno, Hora to Habanero. A brilliant blend of two cultures, this is an exciting release by a band that will appeal to fans of latin, jazz and Jewish music alike."
" Dan Kaufman, the mastermind of the popular and eclectic band Barbez tackles Radical Jewish Culture with a brilliant interpretation of the life and work of enigmatic Jewish poet Paul Celan. Born in Romania, Celan chose to write exclusively in German after losing his entire family to the Holocaust. Combining words to create new compounds packed with imagery and meaning in an attempt to almost remake the German language, his poetry is now recognized as some of the greatest writing of the 20th century. Kaufman responds to Celan with a sharp mind and a keen ear for harmony, lyricism and unusual sounds."
"Featuring the velvety vocals of Jennifer Charles and the imaginative arrangements of Oren Bloedow, the cutting edge downtown band Elysian Fields is an original blend of pop, funk and rock. Their first Tzadik CD, La Mar Enfortuna is a sensuous and lyrical interpretation of traditional Sephardic melodies and is one of the best selling cds in the Tzadik catalog. This is the long awaited follow up and features Oren and Jennifer along with some of the best young players out of the downtown scene"
"The Kamti Lehallel double-CD album introduces the musical tradition of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities of Amsterdam, London and New York. It is accompanied by a 200-page booklet in English and Hebrew, which includes essays on the communities and their music and biographies of the composers and the performers. All prayer and song texts are presented along with translations and detailed explanations. The Hebrew texts were photographed from prayer books dating from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries."
Tapuach B'dvash And Marina Yakubovich release "From Grey To Blue With Itzik Manger" via CD Baby
"Israeli folk-group Tapuach b'Dvash (Apple in Honey) was created in 2002.It is comprised of musicians from Ukraine and Russia, that immigreted to Israel in different time: Pavel Levin (violin), Aleksey Egorov (contrabass-balalaika, tuba),Timur Saitov (guitar), Ira Goyfeld (clarinet) , Anatoly Geyko(the music leader, arrangement’s writer, accordion, ethnic wind and percussion instruments). Tapuach b'Dvash presents Jewish music from all parts of the world where Jewish culture has existed and mixes various musical influences. A specialty of the band is authentic sounds and using of interesting ethnic instruments, including kaval, nei, Russian spoons, and darbuka."
"An active and soulful musical experience for children and parents where children learn the traditional Jewish melodies of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach while moving and dancing to their own unique rhythms. Dahlia was greatly inspired by the music and teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who used his soul music to teach, inspire, and bring all people together. In college and after, Dahlia started to perform for women and have concerts/sing-alongs where she would share jewish mystical teachings and sing many melodies of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, as well as other Jewish soul music. "
Dahlia sent me the CD and it's a joy. My littlest one likes to dance around to it and I dig the niggun-style guitar playing.
"Anat KOLODNY, clarinette; Mi-Kyung KIM, violoncelle; and Ivani VENTURIERI, piano play the music of Max Bruch, Paul Joun, and Joachim Stutschewsky"
Sorry, not sure how to order this one. If you're French is decent, you may find ordering info on their website.
Chaim Dovid, Aaron Razel, and Shlomo Katz releases "K'Shoshana", Available through Sameach Music.
"With the release of his second album, K’Shoshana, MO is proving himself a force to be reckoned with in the Jewish Music industry. I’d plug this album for no other reason than to support a fellow blogger in his attempts to bring integrity and soul back into an industry that seems derailed by shmaltzy/ cheesy/ glitzy/ computer-processed/ homogenized/70’s Cop Show/disco/boy-band blandness.
But it helps that this happens to be a really good album, featuring two of my favorite people in the world, Aron Razel and Shlomo Katz (I’m not dissing Chaim Dovid; I’ve never had the privilege to play with him). Razel’s arrangements of 10 of Reb Shlomo Carlebach’s previously unreleased songs are clean and pleasing to the ears, and although Razel’s usual ingenuity is somewhat subdued to avoid overshadowing Carlebach’s material, it is still eminently present. Also present is the spirit of the late Reb Shlomo, A”H, whose legacy has been passed on to these three great performers." PsychoToddler
"YOOD, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, is the new name for great, big sound. Three guys originally from North America, for the last decade playing backup to the giants on the Israeli scene, take virtuosity to new levels on their debut album, Passin'over, which has the kind of soulful, soaring guitar riffs you feel before you hear. Drawing inspiration from Hendrix, Cream and Dylan, this professionally trained classic rock trio performs original music and lyrics along with classic covers."
"His professional singing career began when he became the Miami Boys Choir's youngest member when he was only 8 years old. He was immediately elevated to the status of soloist and remained there until he left the choir 5 years later. In total, he has appeared on over 15 albums in collaborations with other performers. He has performed live in concert with many of Jewish music's most requested artists and has had the privilege of performing all over the United States, Canada, and Israel, as well as in Belgium, Holland, and England."
"This is just a fun, traditional American klezmer album to listen to. ...From the ground up with the varied and solid percussion of Michael Arrow and Breck Diebel on bass, the band just shines. Listen to this and realize that the Red Hot Chachkas are burning up the airwaves. Time to listen in." KlezmerShack
"Zamir and guest vocalists and instrumentalists have created an unparalleled journey through the sounds and rhythms of the Book of Psalms that captures the spirit and energy of our June 2006 program. Enjoy the diversity of these extraordinary settings from Israel, France, the U.S., Morocco, Syria, Turkey, Italy, and Brazil, and featuring a medley from African-American gospel traditions."
"Van den Berg has an extraordinary, warm and expressive voice and she is passionate about Yiddish music. Lucette van den Berg was educated as a singer at Zwolle Conservatory. After she graduated she was taught by Cora Canne Meyer and Kevin Smith. At Weimar, Germany, she took masterclasses in Yiddish song with Adrienne Cooper and Michael Alpert (Brave Old World). It was there that she met the well-known Yiddish author and composer Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman."
"14 songs tell biblical stories you know and love, breathing life into their characters through the voices of respected American and Israeli musical artists. Sung in English and Hebrew, these songs celebrate the shared roots of Judaism and Christianity."
Shevet Achim Family Ensemble releases "Jewish Family Ensemble-Neshama Yeteira", Available through CD Baby.
"Ancient and timeless, these beloved Sabbath melodies are magnificently presented by the Kohn siblings of Israel on flute, violin, clarinet and piano, creating a spirited and stirring experience; 75 minutes of superbly arranged and performed Jewish music."
I got a nice email today from Dahlia Topolosky about her new album "Kol Nearim / Voice of Children". I haven't heard the whole album yet, but the song clips on CDBaby are definitely worth checking out. Nice voice. Nice guitar. And Topolosky has a unique approach and context for this album...
Waddle waddle like a penguin clapping your feathers
"Dahlia was greatly inspired by the music and teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who used his soul music to teach, inspire, and bring all people together. In college and after, Dahlia started to perform for women and have concerts/sing-alongs where she would share jewish mystical teachings and sing many melodies of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, as well as other Jewish soul music. ..
Dahlia also started the first Jewish mommy and me music and movement class, Kol Nearim/Voice of Children, in Riverdale, NY, together with her friend Jenny Sassoon (who plays percussions on the album!). All the lyrics on this album, Kol Nearim/Voice of Children, were originally written by Dahlia for her music class."
Stretch your hands high, your hands high, your hands...
It's a pity my littlest one is asleep already, I'd love to grab her and dance around to the "Waddle Like a Penguin." She used to be sure that she was a giraffe. She'd love doing penguin waddle. Dahlia said that she'd send me a copy of the disc. If she does, I'll do a more thought out review, but until then I'll have to content myself with the track samples.
This was a tough weekend. My wife and I and the wigglers had to fly east for a funeral. The kids did great, better than us adults did. My older girl understood what was going on enough to keep trying to explain it to the younger one. It was an open casket Episcopalian funeral (there's a big Christian contingent on one branch of the family) which made for some interesting explanations...
The little one "How come she's lying down?" The older one "Because she got old and died." The little one "Oh" ...5 minutes later The little one "How come she's still lying down?" (repeat)
The one nice thing was seeing a bunch of the near and extend family. At the post-funeral reception I introduced myself to a nice fellow I hadn't talked to yet. It turns out he's a) Jewish and b) a musician who is working on a kids music project (though not a Jewish project). We hit it off and had a great chat.
While he's not doing a Jewish music project, one of his friends is. The Jewish FunkeyMonkey's is the brainchild of Joshua Sitron, composer of the Dora The Explorer music (which is much loved by my kids). According to Sitron,
"The original inspiration for Jewish FunkeyMonkeys came in 2000, before the live band even existed. While recording music for Dora the Explorer with Boots the Monkey (the then 8-year old, Harrison Chad), the two started spontaneously jamming on a funny and funky version of 'Ma Nish Tanah: the Passover Four Questions song' in the recording booth (while waiting in between takes of Dora dialogue: 'bridge, gate, big red hill'.)
I haven't heard the full album yet, but the CDBaby sound clips are interesting. In particular, I liked the clips for "Shavlom Rav" and "Oseh Shalom." The other clips seem a little over-produced and a bit forced, but I'd like to try them out on the wigglers and see what they think. They might dig it. Check 'em out on CDBaby or the FunkeyMonkeys website and let me know what you think.
A couple of weeks ago I posted about OyBaby2, "an exciting concept in children's Judaica ... that combine[s] stimulating imagery with beautiful and fun Hebrew songs to create a rich Jewish experience for children six months and up." While both of my girls loved Baby Einstein videos, I was a bit skeptical that they would go for OyBaby. I figured they were too old (now age 2 1/2 and 4 1/2) for this sort of thing. Wow, was I wrong. The little wigglers have been running around the house for the last two weeks singing "Henei Ma Tov" and "David Melech Yisrael." Not only that, I've had some wonderful discussions with my older girl about who King David was, what a prophet is, what "Tumbalalika" and "Dayenu" mean and and what "Maoz Tzur" is all about. And she initiated each of these conversations. Papa's so proud! The little one's not so aware of the lyrics yet. She just adores the puppets and has to run and find me when "Zum Gali Gali" comes on because, you know, it's "Papa's favorite."
So how did this happen? After I posted the Oybaby2 trailer video, Rob Wolf, the creator of Oybaby, sent me the CD's and DVD's for OyBaby and OyBaby2 so I could check them out. Thanks Rob. I really appreciate it. My kids are hooked, we've got the both the DVDs and CD's in heavy rotation. And so is my Dad, who was out visiting this weekend. I need to by the CD's for him. And I need to buy the DVDs for a friend who has little ones about the age of mine. And for my brother and sister and law who have a little one on the way. Sigh.
If you've got little ones you should check out OyBaby. The production values are great. The arrangements and the musicianship is lovely, and surprisingly sophisticated in spots. The content, focusing on the expected Jewish set pieces (lots of Shabbat and Hannukah candles), is presented well. There is a nice alternation between the Baby Einstein style "look, a shiny toy, let's stare at it, let's keep staring at it" visuals for the littlest ones and puppet shows and other visual narratives for the (slightly) older kids. There are a couple of clunkers, but all in all the Oybabies are a real treat.
And if you act now....
Seriously, Rob said that Teruah Jewish Music readers can "use coupon code "apples" for a 20% discount at our website"
I've got a one track mind and will probably be posting a lot about the 'Contemporary Jewish Music' scene over the next week or so. I want to get my head around the core musicians and to see what's going on lately. I was starting to research Craig Taubman, founder of the Jewish music label Craig N Co, and a major player in the scene when I found out about OyBaby2. Oybaby is a DVD for Jewish tots. I love the concept. I'm not sure the video has me sold, mostly because I think my little ones are already too old for it. But check it out. It's a good idea that looks reasonably well executed (unlike many children's media projects I've seen). It looks to lean more toward standard set pieces (shabbat and Hanukkah candles) and simple Hebrew phrases than toward any real sense of Jewish values. Considering the target age group (young toddlers) that's probably ok. I've got a couple of toddler books like that. Some work well, some don't. Oybaby looks like it might.
OyBaby is an exciting concept in children's Judaica. Our line of DVDs, VHS videos, and CDs combine stimulating imagery with beautiful and fun Hebrew songs to create a rich Jewish experience for children six months and up. See why the Cleveland Jewish News wrote "Every Jewish home will appreciate this addition. In OyBaby 2, The Schneiderman Sisters return on lead vocals with songs such as Modeh Ani, Shalom Rav, and Tumbalalaika. Guest musicians Craig Taubman and Rick Recht join in the fun as well. Check us out at www.oybaby.com
There isn't a decent Judaica store near where I live, and while I'm sure there must be one in the Detroit suburbs I haven't found it yet. (I've only been to one and wasn't impressed enough to go back). The end result is I tend to go to one in upstate New York when I visit my in-laws. It's not fabulous, but it's friendly and decently stocked.
So, there I was in the New York store today and I struck up a conversation with a nice lady who was listening to the Mandy Patinkin'sMamalosehn album. My wife was quick to (proudly) point out to the lady and the store clerks that I wrote a Jewish music blog. I was a bit embarrassed and changed the subject pretty quickly. The lady and my wife and I spent the next few minutes happily trying to remember whether the Mandy Patinkin of the album was also the Mandy Patinkin who starred in Elmo in Grouchland.
We couldn't figure it out at the time but now, with the resources of the internet at hand, I can confirm that it is true. In addition to singing Yiddish classics like "Rabbi Elimeylekh" and "Rasins and Almonds,"Patinkin will always be known in our house as the greedy fink who sings "Make It Mine" (a disturbingly authentic take on 2 year olds) and argues with Elmo about whether Elmo's blanket should be called a "wubby." Unfortunately, the Elmo in Grouchland soundtrack doesn't include Patinkin's masterpiece, so we'll have to settle for "Rabbi Elimeylekh."
The other entertaining conversation I had at the store was about the artist David Yakobian, aka "David and The High Spirit." I had run into Yakobian's prodigious output on eMusic last week but, other than being stunned, hadn't gotten my head around it. Why stunned? According to Marisa Brown of the All Music Guide (as quoted by eMusic),
"Led by David Yakobian, David & the High Spirit have released over 40 albums -- ranging from instrumental pop to Latin to big band to religious -- since their debut, To Life-Le Chaim! Authentic Jewish Party Music, came out in 1992. As evidenced by their name, the main focus of the band is on traditional and contemporary Jewish music, including 1997's The Real Complete Passover, which has Rabbi Cantor Baruch Colon narrating 35 songs and blessings of the Haggadah over David & the High Spirit's music."
Now, I want to apologize right away to Yakobian and to anyone who thinks I'm about to violate Lashon Ha-Ra. I really don't mean to be critical. There are albums that I've loved that were probably loved by about 10 other people on the planet and I'm sure that each of Yakobian's recordings have found devoted fans. But seeing "A Tribute to Cat Lovers" and "The Complete Shabbat" put out by the same musician just made me say, "huh?"
Anyway, back to the Judaica shop. It turns out that the shop I visited had a number of Yakobian's recordings and said that they were relatively popular (they only carried the Jewish ones). The "Wedding Party" and "Bar/Bat Mitzvah Party" sold well to folks that were planning such parties and wanted to supply their DJ with some uptempo Jewish music to add to the mix. They also said that Yakobian was a nice and courteous guy who called them regularly to make sure that they didn't run short on his albums and that he even had a nice fax form for them to fill out. They appreciated that and said that they often listen to the dics in the store.
I've now listened to a couple dozen song clips from a variety of Yakobian's albums and have to say, they are what they promise to be: a party on a disc. While I'd always recommend hiring a real Jewish band over handing a DJ a CD, if someone wanted to hire the DJ then these poppy, synthy, and complete upbeat recordings might be the right choice. I've been to a lot of simcha's that would have been improved by them.
And, at least three upstate New York Judica store clerks agree.
I'm a Conservative Jew living in a Christian farm town in Michigan, USA. For me, Jewish music used to be Adon Olam, Hava Nagila, and Fiddler on the Roof. I started getting a clue a few years ago. Jewish music is Klezmer dances, Sephardic ballads and Chassidic niggun. It's thousand year old hymns, three hundred year old Shabbat table songs and 60 year old partisan resistance songs. It's contemporary hip-hop, punk rock, electronica, jazz, and chamber music. In addition to loving its musical and spiritual qualities, Jewish music helps me connect my family with a much broader and diverse Jewish culture than is available locally. The Teruah blog helps me document my exploration and share it with others. Why the name Teruah? Teruah is a call on the shofar on Rosh Hashanna.
Hear me interviewed on the Israel National Radio show "The Beat with Ben Bresky" Please email me about your band, event, album, blog, podcast, research or favorite Jewish music obsession. I'd love to hear it or about it.
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