Canonist posts about guitarist Jason Caplan and "Naqshon's Leap's" benefit concert for Darfur tonight in the city.
Life-of-Rubin comments on Avraham Fried's planned CD, his fourth, of Chabad niggunim. He offers this suggestion instead.
Personally, I thought his third CD of Chabad music, "Avinu Malkeinu", was some of his best work. The album featured several guest musicians from the klezmer side -- Frank London, Andy Statman, and Alicia Svigals. The arrangements, by Avremi G, featured these musicians and I think it qualitatively improved the album compared to his previous Chabad albums. The arrangements on those weren't as interesting. It's not just the names guesting on a recording that are important, but how much space the arranger gives them to express and contribute. At any rate, that album hinted at the potential if Fried would collaborate with a hip klez band, instead of doing the commercial thing again. "Avinu Malkeinu" tried to straddle the two worlds, and did so successfully, to an extent. But, I'd really like to hear Fried step out with a klez band for his next Chabad disc. Maybe a collab with the Klezmatics. I think it could have crossover appeal outside the frum community. It might even bring a deserved Chabad Grammy nomination.
Psycho Toddler writes about having many gigs.
Will Kaplowitz has posted some of his songs.
Hey, here's a beatbox cooking lesson
It's Battlestar Jew-lactica! We noted this project a while back.
In this clip, Ralfie sings MBD. He knows the words at least as well as some singers we've had to back up.
MoC forwards a link to an OpinionJournal article on Chazzan Helfgott.
E. emails a link to Srully W.'s website. You can hear a sampler of many of the songs on the album. The opening riff on the first tune is reminiscent of "I Shot The Sheriff". For fans of English JM songs, there's one of those on this as well.
Here's the sample lyric:
And as long as Klal Yisroel keeps the Shabbos/very soon Hashem will also keep his promise/and on that day/His candles cast their glow/we'll be on our way back home to Yerusholayim.
