Over at Frum Satire... "Lipa Schmeltzer Concert Causes Haiti Earthquake."

What Is Jewish Music?

Michael Makovi posts "A New Hearing for Kol Ishah."

Jewlicious posts " Nachman Ravers."

Here's a bit more about Singer Shimon Craimer’s song for Haiti.

When Robyn Shippel sings, "Shabbat Rocks!"

Finally, here's a helpful panflute flowchart.

Here's a neat bit o' JM history. It's a lyrics sheet for popular Jewish songs the Rudy Tepel Orchestra was playing at the time.

Two items of note.

1) There is a huge benefit concert for Haiti featuring many incredible Jewish music artists. The event will be taking place this Thursday eve, 1/28 at 7PM at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, 30 West 68th Street in NYC.

"Scheduled artists for the three-hour concert 7 pm on Jan. 28th are top Jewish performers with styles ranging from Klezmer to Jewish hip hop including: Aaron Alexander, Adrienne Cooper, Alicia Svigals, Amy Coleman, Art Bailey, Avi Fox-Rosen, Basya Schaechter, Benji Fox Rosen, Cantor Dan Singer, Dan Rosengard, Eve Sicular, Frank London & The Klezmer Brass All-Stars, Gary Lucas, Greg Wall, Isle of Klezbos (Pam Fleming, Debra Kreisberg, Eve Sicular, Melissa Fogarty, Shoko Nagai, Saskia Lane), Jennifer Miller, Jeremiah Lockwood with Sway Machinery, Judith Sloan, Matt Darriau, Neshama Carlebach & The Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir, Pey Dalid, Noah Solomon, Richie Barshay, SIX13, Soulfarm, Veretski Pass (Joshua Horowitz and Cookie Siegelstein), Yiddish Princess (Sarah Gordon, Avi Fox Rosen, Yoshi Fruchter), Zalmen Mlotek, and others."

All the info is here.

2) Shim Craimer has released a song for Haiti. You can listen and donate directly to several respected relief orgs at his website.

UPDATE:
Starting today, and continuing for two weeks, CDBaby will donate $1 of each CD purchased to the American Red Cross and to Mercy Corps, a Portland-based relief organization with a large presence in Haiti. The donation will come from CD Baby's cut of the proceeds. So, now is a good time to support your favorite independent Jewish artist on CD Baby and do a good deed at the same time.

Here's one suggestion: Music From Putti: "When I Wake Up". This disc (which I will be reviewing in my next roundup) features the music of the Jewish community of Putti, Uganda. Recorded as a fundraiser, 100% of the proceeds from this project go directly to the Putti community. You can support two charities with one purchase.

It's been a while and the links have been piling up.

Over at Matzav, there's an article by Rabbi Yosef C. Golding titled "A Parents Guide to the Music Your Children Listen To" "The Jewish Music Hechsher Idea is Ludicrous; However…"

The Columbia Klezmer Band plays "Kad Yasvun."

Avrohom Fried releases a cover of a new popular Slonim nigun, Ki Hirbeisa. You can hear the whole song at the link.

Here's Tablet Magazine on "Blessed Bluegrass." There some audio clips including one from Anbdy Statman's unreleased but legendary "Shabbos in Nashville,"

Mix some creative YU students, finals, and some Na Nach music and voila: "A Ruckus On The Fourth Floor of Gottesman."

Betcha Kellog's won't like Morah Music 3: Snap, Clap N Tap!

While we're at JMR, here's a worthwhile article, "Alternative Jewish Music - The Israeli Scene, Part 1."

The Jerusalem Post profiles Johnny Shualy in "Fantastic Mr. Fox."

On a troubling note, CrownHeights.info reported "Chasidic Superstar Arrested for Abuse." If true, his career should be over.

Kind of Bloop: : An 8-Bit Tribute to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.

Dan Sieradski is in the midst of prpopsing 31 Ideas. Number 9 is Niggun Please: Jewish Liturgical Music Database.

The Second Sun parodies Abie Rotenberg in "The Agudah Convention (A Parody)."

VIN profiles Yehuda Menashe in "New Kid on the Block: Ger Tzedek Takes Chassidic Music Scene by Storm."

Here's a Carta Parking Lot Music Video. Every riot should get it's own music video.

Shemspeed posts " Lipa plays Britney." Here he does Black Eyed Peas.

Metal Jew asks: "Do you have to be orthodox to make good Jewish religious music?"

CrownHeights.info posted an Op-Ed on Jewish Dancing.

Finally, here's the Banjo Billy promo video.

Garnel Ironheart is offering some additional halachos of "Kosher" music

1) After listening to country music, you must wait 6 hours before listening to rock unless it was German country music in which case you only have to wait 3 hours.
2) One should not listen to classical music and the blues at the same time because of sakanah.
3) If one has played pop music in a CD player, one must wait 24 hours before playing another type of music in the machine. However, in a time of great need, one can immerse the CD player in boiling water and then put the new CD in.
4) When a CD is removed from its package for the first time, it must be rinsed thoroughly with water, submerged in salt for half an hour and then rinsed again before it can be used.
5) During Pesach, any songs that reference words such as 'bread' or other chometz items must be sold to a non-Jew."

He's asking for more suggestions.

Here are a few:

1) After listening Dutch folk music. you only need to wait one hour before listening to rock.
2) Men who listen to recordings of women singing must set those recordings aside and avoid listening to them for 12 days per month.
3) mp3 downloads must be scanned for bugs prior to use.
4) An iPod that was used to listen to inappropriate music must be left unused for 24 hours prior to kashering.

Labels: Rabbi Luft

So there's a lot of noise about a hachsher for Jewish music on the J-Blogosphere at the moment. Here are some links for ya'll.

בחדרי חדרים

Yachdus

Daas Torah

Life in Israel has a good suggestion. He writes:

I recommend that there be a consumer boycott against any disk, and the artist, that plays along with these guys and puts the shtemple on their disk. Don't buy the disk and don't use the artist for your weddings and affairs. By playing along with the new Vaad they give them power and help them increase their power. If people don't buy disks with the shtemple, artists will think twice before they agree to give this Vaad the power...

This post at Matzav.com says it all.

From our research and conversations, we have not yet found any of the gedolim publically supporting or giving their haskama on this endeavor at the present time. The committee may eventually announce who has supported this initiative, but at the present time they have not yet done so.

There is nothing new about this. The person behind this is Rabbi Ephraim Luft. The guidelines at the above links are edited versions of the ones previously released which I've addressed here on this blog. This sort of deception is typical of his MO.

I have amply documented Rabbi Luft's misrepresentations on this blog. A full critique of Rabbi Luft's ideas and his "book" can be found here. In short, essentially NONE of the (very) few Torah sources Rabbi Luft cites in his book or in the footnotes to his rules, actually say what he claims they say. I've documented this in my series on his book. You needn't take my word for it. Just look them up in the original.

Labels: Rabbi Luft

From the Shlock Rock newsletter...

Breaking News! Prepare for Shabbat in Liverpool!
 
Hello everyone! After five years it has finally happened! We are proud to announce that we have acquired licensing for Shabbat in Liverpool! This project which takes twenty seven songs from the Beatles and puts them to Shabbat prayers and Shabbat zemirot have received the green light for production! It has taken a long time but when you hear it you will know it was well worth the wait!  This new album which will be released sometime between this coming June and August 2010 sets the table for the greatest year in Shlock Rock History! The 25th Anniversary of Shlock Rock will begin on January 2011 and what better way to start off the pre-celebration with this unbelievable new album! So all Shlockers spread the word! Shabbat in Liverpool will be coming to an IPOD near you very soon. Tell the Kraz – tell everyone! Shout it from the rooftops! Prepare for Shabbat in Liverpool!

Here's Ortho-rapper Rinat Gutman's 1st music video. She's pushing the envelope on this hip-hop kol isha thing. Interesting to see how this will evolve.

Beth Schafer posts about post-release marketing.

Avraham Fried sings "Song of Miracles", a fundraiser to benefit Rofeh Cholim Candr Society.

Finally, here's Keith Jarret the way you really want to hear him for the holidays.

...Writing Christmas Songs.