Gershon Veroba - "Rabi Nachman"

Gershon was an early influence. He still sings very nicely here, but this tune doesn't speak to me. In general, I like the songs he writes more than the tunes he's bought from contemporary frum-pop writers.

Leonard Cohen w/Cantor Gideon Zelermyer & the Shaar Hashomayim Choir

More details at the Montreal Gazette: "Montreal Cantor Collaborates On Leonard Cohen’s New Album."

Nachum Segal Says Good-bye To Radio

HISTORIC JM IN THE AM ANNOUNCEMENT MADE THIS MORNING



... and there goes a large chunk of WFMU's fundraising income too... Interesting to see if/how they will hold on... developing...

I Totally Relate

A few years old, but well worth seeing. The lack of understanding of artists in the frum community, musicians, dancers, writers, is soul-breaking. The high-school I attended viewed the creative impulse as a yetzer hara to be stifled, rather than a gift to be cultivated.



A Little Girl Was Kicked Out Of Class Because Of What Her Mom Does. But Her Mom Will Never Stop.

"אוי א בראך!"

Yoseph Nigun - Achiya Asher Cohen Alloro‬‎

An incredible tribute to Yossi Piamenta Z"L.







I've been thinking about why this resonates so much, and I think that it's because it works on multiple levels....As an homage to Yossi's style...  as a creative song in its own right... with an inspired arrangement with multiple modulations... and because, unlike much of the contemporary Jewish music, it not only requires "chops" to play, but also has soul, which to much of the contemporary material lacks. It's hard to ID it, but like indecency, you know it when you see/hear it. Oh, and of course, klezmer clarinet! Check it out!

Concerts Matter!

NY Times: Black Lives Matter Benefit Is Canceled Over Stand on Israel

It's That Time of Year - אדון הסליחות

Brian Eno; Anti-Semite

British producer Brian Eno orders Israeli dance troupe to stop using his music

R' Baruch Chait Is Not Happy

Over at Ynet... הרב נגד המשלחת היפנית לריו: השתמשו בשיר שלי בלי רשות - יהדות

The Klezmer Academy Is In Session

Go thee forth and learn! TUNE OF THE MONTH: Taniec Rabina/Der Chosid Tantzt/Flaskadriga/Dem Rebens Tanz

New J-Music Blogger Yidwise Reflects

Retrospective: Moshiach Oi!, or When Nostalgia Fails You

The Middle East Groove All Stars Got Game

Over at Tablet... Shai Tsabari Storms the Heavens, from Bat Yam to New York

I Am Woman, Hear Me...

In the Forward... Jewish Orthodox Women Singers Can’t Sing for Men but They Sing Anyway

אין עוד מלבדו | שלומי שבת | דודי קנפלר | מקהלת שירה

אין עוד מלבדו | שלומי שבת | דודי קנפלר | מקהלת שירה



Not sure what to make of this. It's a beautiful rendition in Yiddish of a Shlomi Shabbat song. One the one hand, it's neat that there's a Chassidish version. On the other, the Hebrew original is so beautiful and stands on its own. It didn't *need* a Yiddish translation to kosher it, as it were. Thre's something about that genre of Israeli pop spiritual -- Sarit Hadad's K'shehalev Boche, Eyal Golan's Malchei Hamlachim etc. -- that stands on its own. These songs don't need to be "frummed up". That said, this is quite well done for what it is.

Underdos: The Mizrochnik

Over at Life in Israel...  Underdos: The Mizrochnik

Sikh Hasadeh: "Through Fire and Water"

Siach Hasadeh "Through Fire and Water" - YouTube:

A Headbanging Violinist

From Headbanger To Hasid: One Man's Journey Since Heavy Metal Parking Lot

Now That's A Chumash Play

At my school, for our Chumash party we had Morah Breindy teaching us a few songs. (I know, I know, but I couldn't resist.) Stevie Wonder rocks the Chumash casino resort

Oh Say Can You C Minor?

In the NY Times... At Rio Olympics, the National Anthem Sounds … Sad?

The Renaissance Is Over

Child Care Center To Take Over Site Of Well Known BP Catering Hall



I played some memorable gigs there, including one chassidish wedding, where the chosson requested REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling" for the mitzvah tantz because "it's our song." Other then that one request, it was a typical Chassidish event, with no secular music whatsoever. I'll never forget the stares I got while playing that one, before segueing into the traditional tune.

Venue Rachum Yechaper...

Kitchens are not just for cooking. They are for female chazzonus too!

Musicians' Reference

Rav Eitam Henkin HY'D is quoted in the the Seforim blog post "Torah Under Wraps":

“The definitive assignment of each person into specifically this community or that one is often artificial. It is absurd that the public considers many comedians, musicians, and low-brow entertainers (for purposes of this example) as “Haredi” because they attended heder and wear a hat in the synagogue, while thousands of families who give their all for Torah and are punctilious about every jot and tittle (not to mention that for them television, secular newspapers, and the like are not even up for discussion) are “not Haredi" because they wear a colored shirt and also rejoice on Yom Ha-‘Atzma’ut. Although people can only see externals, they can ascertain what they will have to account for in the Heavenly court, whether they will be asked about Torah study, honesty in business, and hoping for the redemption,[5] or whom they cast their vote for in national elections.”

Peeps in the mailbag...

A. writes: Got a few peeps of my own all from one chasunah. "The loud key-changer" Violinist leads the guests who are singing the Alter Rebbe's Nigun (at a Chabad wedding) to the badekenish. Until one very large and very very loud singer becomes the leader, moving the entire crowd from D to D# and eventually to E. Poor violinist tries to override him, then tries to play along, then gives up. "The faster faster guy" Beginning of the 2nd set, band is about 2 minutes into an upbeat funky hora medley, crowd is having a great time. One younger brother/cousin/nephew/friend starts yelling at me to play faster. When ignored, starts gesticulating wildly. Still ignored, actually gets up on stage to yell right next to me about which fast songs I should play right now and everyone will go wild. I resist the urge to go punk rocker on him; anyway I'm wearing earplugs so his ranting is barely detectable. Eventually he gives up and disappears. "The interminable tribute/parody singers" Two family members play instruments, so we've agreed to let them take over on guitar & drums, and sing a tribute song they've written TTTO "Just One Shabbos." Except it turns out it's the 2 musicians plus 3 singers and the monitor mix is totally wrong for them, so it's a complete trainwreck, at about 80% speed, with even more verses than the original. Oh well, at least the band got 15 minutes to get dessert and drinks.

Not Clueless

How Alicia Svigals Helped Me Go Public With My Klezmer Obsession

דזשאָסטין ביבער אויף ייִדיש

In the Forvitz... דזשאָסטין ביבער אויף ייִדיש



Hat tip, E.

I'd Heard of 'em

Five Jewish Musical Artists You've Likely Never Heard, But Should – Tablet Magazine

Some Links

A completely over the top review of Eleanor Riessa's new collab with Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars, The Glorious Debut of Yiddish Songbird Eleanor Reissa as the Jewish Beyonce, that contains both factual inaccuracies -- Delilah wasn't Jewish -- and super schmaltzy writing. But schmaltz is appropriate, no? There's a great clip at the link.



Meanwhile, WNYC is Remembering Elie Wiesel, and you can hear him singing in two short snippets.

Kosha Dillz's 'Dodging Bullets' Video Feat. Matisyahu

Premiering on Billboard: Kosha Dillz's 'Dodging Bullets' Video Feat. Matisyahu



From Chabad to dancing girls (Tznius warning), but an Israel supporter (of sorts), which is not easy these days.

Vu Zenen Di Froyen?

Over at the Forward surprisingly tolerant piece about Yiddish Soul, A Concert of Talented Men.

Some, however, had complaints, not about the quality of the singers or musicians but rather about who they were. In the middle of the show a woman stood up and shouted “Where are the women? Women can sing beautifully too you know,” and promptly left the venue.

It is, of course, a serious and fraught issue. Besides the Folksbiene’s Executive Director Bryna Wasserman not a single woman appeared or spoke during the three-hour show. Not one woman played an instrument, let alone sang. In the days following Yiddish Soul some secular Klezmer musicians and Yiddish singers took to Facebook to decry the Folksbiene’s decision to “discriminate” against women in order to assure that a religious audience would attend.

I have a lot of sympathy for such arguments but in this case I don’t agree with them. If all of the Folksbiene’s concerts and plays only featured men it would be an entirely different story. But it’s just the opposite: the company puts on a womanless show just once a year so that religious Jews who would otherwise be unable to attend can enjoy it. It’s worth it to do it once a year, especially if it allows the Folksbiene to present such great cantors and singers as Lipa Schmeltzer, Yaakov Lemmer and Benny Friedman.

On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt if next year’s Kulturfest featured a second concert on the same scale in which the Yiddish world’s many talented women singers and musicians could perform.

Di Mezinke Oysgegebn?

At Tablet: A traditional dance at a Modern Orthodox wedding offers a glimpse of authentic Jewish shtetl life.

Say Wah?

Converse made a sneaker with a Wah guitar pedal built right in | Consequence of Sound

Lipa Max!

Ilan, Ilan

In Tablet: Ramon's Piano: An Israeli Rock Musician Faces Repeated Public Family Tragedy Head On

Ay Yai Yai, Indeed!

"But, of course, Hakadosh Baruch Hu comes and "matzileinu's us"...

Baruch Dayan Emes, Moshe Dor Z"L

The composer of Erev Shel Shoshanim died this week.



עונג שבת (עונ"ש): 'ערב של שושנים': לזכרו של משה דור



Hat tip, A.