I've really enjoyed their previous issues. They put up their articles on line. Jewish law kept her out of the pulpit, but that didn't stop her from singing. Again, I was a bit disappointed. The author was earnest about his subject, but I just wasn't that interested in his physical and spiritual travelogue.
The problem is that I know what I'm looking for and don't find much of it. I'm looking for smart, lively, essays that either teach me something about Jewish music or use the Jewish music as lens to examine something of interest. There's some good stuff out there. Not that I would measure up, but there are a couple of longer essay's I'm hoping to write soon. It's easy to be a critic, we'll see if I do any better. I'll have to see if I can catch a performance the next time I'm in the area.
I'm a big fan of traditional jazz and this is a nice piece. I'm curious whether it's technically rag-time, though. I remember getting into a long only partly remembered discussion with a great trad jazz pianist and older brother of one of my best college friends about how Rag Time is a pretty strict genre and that a lot of pieces that sounded rag actually technically weren't.
There were a couple of passages in Shmateh-Rag that sounded lovely but didn't sound very Rag. And I'm not just referring to the Jewish bits. Anyway, it's a lovely piece. Check it out. Rami Bar-Niv: Shmateh-Rag. It's just one of the ways I know that Channukah is on it's way.
It's a little isolating being a Conservative Jew up here on the Coast. But not too bad, my local synagogue is good and I hang out at the Chabad house pretty regularly.
There's a local klezmer band that's cool but doesn't seem to gig much. Everyone once in a while, I drive wife and wigglers into the Detroit suburbs for our fix of kosher restaurant meals and Judaica shops. And, a once or twice a year, I get the change to catch a Jewish band playing in Ann Arbor, that lighthouse college town culture.
Right now I've two upcoming shows to get excited about, though realistically I'm probably only going to get to one of them. The first show is The Shondes, Yiddish for 'a shame, a disgrace a Brooklyn punk band that I've written about them a couple of times and am looking forward to finally see live and, of course, to nab their new album. If you're not a North Coaster, their tour schedule is on their MySpace page. If you want to know more about them, check out their their website or posts: The Shondes and the Heeb The second concert, which I'll probably not get to, is the Idan Raichel Project.
Idan Raichel is a "an Israeli keyboardist, composer, producer I love it when bands send me discs, though it takes me way too long to get the review written. Levitikus, a new Jewish rock band in the mold of Blue Fringe and 8th Day, sent me their disc a couple of months ago. I noted it in my 'upcoming releases' posts, but still haven't really written a review. Not sure why. Possibly, and I mean this constructively, they sound like a lot of new bands.
I like their sound though I don't think it's quite as ground breaking as they do. The guys can handle their instruments though the vocals tend to go a big flat. I like their compositions but they're a bit mono-dimensional.
All in all, the album was cool but never made it into heavy rotation. I do think, though, that there's a good core there that could turn into something really interesting given a little time. I was delighted to see that they've finally gotten out and played live. And at no less a venue than the venerable Knitting Factory.
Great job, guys. Through the direction of Avi Fried and Moshe Gottlieb, Levitikus has decided to break through the fences and form a Jewish-American rock band that bases its music on classic and modern rock while still maintaining a Jewish identity.
With a less subtle and a more open attitude about issues in today's Jewish community, Levitikus sings about topics of relevance that most of us can relate to in one way or another. Now, a couple of months later, the videos are starting to pop up on YouTube.
The first ones I've seen are of the group Orquesta Atzor. But it turns out I missed some others already out there including one of the Guibordim rocking out and a couple of Duo Gefilte Fish goofing off. I'll try to post some more of these later. But for now I had no idea, when starting this blog, that I would end up obsessed with Jewish Cowboys.
Jewish Cowboys part 4? But they just keep coming. I recently ran across a post on the " Our Lady of Perpetual Obsolescence Vinyl Rescue Mission and Orphanage" blog about "a promotional 45 rpm record produced by the Manischewitz company features Mr. One of the good folks on the Klezmeshack Jewish Music mailing list contributed a link to this video a couple of days ago. I got excited because I don't hear a lot of guitar in Jewish music other than in the Chassidic pop groups.
I used to play guitar a bit. While I haven't picked it up in years, ever since staring this blog I've been looking ideas about how I could play Jewish music on the guitar. This is one example. Stacy Philips is "Dobro player, a fiddler, and the author of thirty books about these instruments.
From the other Phillips and Howard videos available, it looks like this is their one Jewish recording. Name PsychoToddler's new band. And he's looking for help naming it. Here's his description We do a couple of my original songs, a few Chassidic standards, some Carelbach, the occasional jazz standard, and most recently, with the addition of our talented clarinet player, some Klezmer. My vote was "Lemon-Cheeky Limonchiki.
Here's one of their videos. So that dreaded season is starting. I ran to the local Meijers last night. Meijers is a North Coast thing. Sort like a 24 hour Walmart. It's the only place I know where I could get a 6-pack and a chain saw at 2 in the morning. Not that I was shopping for a 6-pack and a And the Christmas candy was out. And the Christmas music was playing. It's not even Thanksgiving folks.
Anyway, in addition to all of the Christmas programming that we'll be buried under, starting December 4th a little bit of Hannukah will take to the air waves.
MORE of the items you asked for last year It all starts December 4th with the Lighting of the National Menorah. Too bad I don't have XM.
My post about Dan Carkner's new "Learning Tsymbaly " blog got me thinking about the tsimbl. While I'm familiar with its sound and general description, I don't know much of any depth about it.
So Google to the rescue. Here's a description of tsimbl in klezmer excerpted from a longer article by Pete Rushefsky titled "Jewish Strings - An Introduction to the Klezmer Tsimbl. Tsimbls evolved from a medieval German instrument called the hackbrett literally translating to "chopping board". Migrating Jewish musicians were henceforth central to the spread of the tsimbl through Eastern Eurpoe and the Balkans over the next three centuries.
It was released on Yiddishland Records , and you can hear sound clips of it on the Amazon website and read a review of it at Klezmershack. Tsimbl und Fidl Romanian Fantazi I love reading the comments people write for YouTube videos and blog posts , here's a wonderful one for Romanian Fantazi.
This says it all. Ah sweet pain! Tsimbl: A new blog for an old instrument. I actually made kind of a maniacal impulse purchase today, I'm almost ashamed to tell you what it is.
I bought a Tsymbaly laptop hammered dulcimer : But to be fair, it has been my lifelong dream for about 5 years to own one, but then again I never really thought about it.
Then again it's another one of those things that would sound annoying to hear someone learning to play it.. But on the other hand, it's about the 3rd most "klezmer" instrument after the violin and clarinet. If I could ever get good enough to play that, though.
He's also talked about his learning process, including how he's strung and tuned his tsimbl and his take on the role of the tsimbl in various klezmer forms. I'm looking forward to learning more about the tsimbl from Dan and wish him the best for his playing and his blog.
No blogging for me this weekend. I've been working on a research funding proposal and then had to scoot to Virginia for a meeting with a different potential funder. I'm bushed. But I'm back. The song is Aneni and was recorded on their album " Kabbalah Music ". According to the video's description , the words are from the book of the "Diwan," from a poem by Rabbi Shalom Shabazi 17th Century and the music from is from Yemen, sung in the Habani style.
It's a lovely melody. I couldn't find much information about them either. Here's a short, unsupported, description I found on the blog of Robert Lindsay , an "Independent Left Journalist" "In the late 's, a Jewish community, the Chabani Jews, was discovered in the mountains on the disputed border of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Although they were actually living in Saudi Arabia In contrast to the stereotype of the Jew as "rootless cosmopolitan", these Jews were living the life of the noble savage. They went barefoot in the desert and the men all carried long guns on their backs at all times to defend themselves in this dangerous, tribal region.
Unfortunately, it's behind a typical 'subscribers only' barrier. When will journals give that up. Let me know what you think. Kabbalah Music - Aneni. Shabbat Shalom everyone. Christian religious symbology invades and pervades everything in America. And this isn't a bad thing. It's just point of fact. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a work of art or listened to a piece of music that fills me with it's beauty and at the same time leaves me hollow because of its Christian core.
And each time I would wonder where the Jewish equivalent was. I think I just watched one Say Anything's video for "Alive with the Glory of Love. Instead of Bono's crescendo chorus of "One man in the name of love", Max Bemis repeats "Treblinka, alive with the glory of love. And I drew a little strength just from listening. Thanks Max. I wrote a short piece on Jewish emo music last week. So thanks Mordy. This track is fabulous.
I'm going to have to grab a copy of the album ASAP. Here's one of my favorite Jewish rock bands and one of my favorite Jewish rappers on stage together. The result, much musical goodness. The 'Heeb '. This is it. Apology time. Last week, when talking about 'Jewish Emo' I noted that I wasn't much of a fan of Heeb magazine and was a bit critical of their music coverage.
Less than a week later, though, I'm back to say they just did something interesting enough for me to consider re-instating my long departed subscription. Presenting: The Heeb This is a pretty interesting snap shot of innovative Jewish musicians on the rise.
Interesting both because of the resumes of the folks profiled, and because, other than Temim Fruchter, I'm not likely to ever write about them. How come? Because, as far as I know, none of them other than Tenim connect their Judaism and their music. There are hints in the Heeb profiles that Squeek E.
Clean and Max Bennis might. I'll check it out. And, of course, that's what frustrated me about Heeb in the first place. Lots of Jews. No Judaism. But, it's a great snapshot of Jewish cool and I'm glad they compiled it. Newer Posts Older Posts Home. Subscribe to: Posts Atom. 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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The girls voices blend together beautifully, and the soloists are outstandingly talented. You can hear the hours and hours of work and training that went into the singing alone - never mind the rest! The songs are the type that you find yourself humming hours later, with layers upon layers of gorgeous harmonies.
The musical accompaniment is perfectly suited to each song, and the use and the choice of instruments is highly original. This album has depth, that touches you, unlike any other.
It is a highly sophisticated and complex production, yet somehow it is also stunningly simple. There is something in Silver Lining for everyone. It's true to say that every time you listen to the album Silver Lining, you'll notice something else. You'd have to hear it in its entirety at least 20 times in order to appreciate it.
Listening to the passage of songs, you're taken on a breathtaking journey through Jewish life. When you've finished the 11th song, you're left feeling uplifted and inspired, and you'll want to start all over again!
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