Gig Vignettes

A few vignettes from some recent gigs:

I noticed recently that I have been offered food/fed at every gig I've played for the past few months. Unusual, but appreciated. After one recent gig, I got a call from the client. The affair had been held at a local restaurant, and she'd offered me a meal which I'd declined. She called the next day to apologize for the fact that I hadn't been fed, even though I'd turned down the food when she offered it. She said she'd felt preoccupied with the affair, and thought that perhaps if she'd offered again, I'd have accepted. Nice!

Played a gig for one client we'd played three affairs for in the past. The music requests at those events, as in the pre-job prep conversation for this gig, was Klezmer and Carlebach. At the beginning of the gig, the client comes over and tells us: "play the usual! Some Beatles, Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel." So, we played what they wanted, but it was quite different from what we'd expected to play.

Got a last-minute call from a client who was a little embarrassed to say that he'd been give a relatively low budget for music for this affair by the other side. We've gotten calls before where its been obvious that there were some "family issues" and we try to accomodate when possible. Since we were open that evening, we took the gig. The client came over several times during the affair to compliment the music. At the end of the affair, he came over to thank us, and informed us that one of the other sets of parents (there were several) would pay us. Shortly afterwards, someone came over, thanked us, and handed over a check for the agreed upon amount. We packed up and stepped back inside to chat with a friend for a moment. When we got back out to the parking lot, we noticed our original client standing out in the cold where he had been in the process of calling us on his cell phone. "I know it's not much" he said, handing us some cash, "but I really appreciate your doing this for us. The music was just what we'd wanted."

At a recent Bar Mitzvah, the sign-in book included the following bit of wisdom from one of the Bar Mitzvah boys' peers: "You're a teenager now! Chicks will dig you! Mazal Tov!"

Played a long chagiga for a dormitory yeshivah high school. Three and a half hours of absolute energy. Taking a short break towards the end of the gig, we spoke to the menahel who, looking at the boys who were still bouncing around the room, commented: "You have the easy job. When you're done in half an hour, you get to go home. I have to put them to bed!"

Maoz Tzur - Nusach Nadverna

Here's a scan of the text I was given for the Nadvera version of Maoz Tzur. Of particular interest is the extra verse at the the end. The rhyming of "chatoai u'p'shoai" with "hashlishi" is forced although visually it looks as though it should work. Also, note the alternate ending to the penultimate verse, "Chasof".

The Big Cover Up

Got a fave Jewish LP cover? Hippo and Campus want to know about it for a book project/gallery exhibit. They've posted some covers from LP's by the Barry Sisters, the Rabbi's Sons, and Theodore Bikel (among others) on their blog.

12/29/05 Link Dump

Mirty is contrasting Hebrew and English versions of Maoz Tzur.

Hirhurim comments on "Pop Goes The Hipster Bubble", an article in this week's JW about the recent hipster revival.

George Robinson has assembled his year end J-music roundup.

There are a number of music-related letters to the editor in this week's Jewish Week including one from NY's Funniest Rabbi and one from the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater's Zalmen Mlotek.

LIFE-of-RUBIN points to some free mp3 downloads on vocalist Ohad Moscovitch's website. He also informs about the perfect Chanukah gift: A Jewish Houswives CD!

Shira went to a Shlock Rock concert and says:

f you’re fortunate enough to have an opportunity to attend a Shlock Rock concert, run, do not walk! Take your kid(s), grandkid(s), niece(s), nephew(s), your neighbor’s kid(s), yourself, your spouse or your boyfriend or girlfriend, your best friend, the "morning minyannaires" and the whole gang from shul/synagogue. Take your chevruta/learning partner, your classmates from shiur/Jewish religious studies or Ulpan/Hebrew class. Just go!

Never in my life have I had so much fun on, you should pardon the expression, xmas eve.

Hirhurei Chanukah

Hirhurim posts some thoughts on "Mi Yimalel" and Debbie Friedman's "Not By Might, Not By Power".

12/27/05 Link Dump (w/value added mp3 link)

Hadassah Magazine covers Downtown Jewish music. Via the KlezmerShack.

Jewschool posts an mp3 of Israeli band Yeladujazz's splicing of Brubeck's "Take Five" with the traditional Chanukah song, "Sevivon". Sagol 59 raps. Fun! Is this available here?

Teknoy-vey!

Here are some disappointed comments by someone who's heard an advance copy of Matisyahu's forthcoming album, "Youth".

House of Joy has thought of an interesting solution to the fact that her observance of Kol Isha prevents her from performing in public. The answer... performing in, er, women-only clubs.

Tomorrow's Jewish World Review Today

JWR's Binyamin Jolkovsky emails:

Could you please post this link?

It's to a three-hour music special that I'm running tomorrow. Most of the songs are in English. Frummie alert: Has kol isha.

It can, if you are interested, be posted immediately.

Here ya go!

Chanukah Link Dump

Heichal HaNegina has a Chanukah Niggunim Roundup.

Here's a Chazzanut.org page, "Chanukah Songs, Hanukkah and Maoz Tzur", that has info and sheet music.

Here is some Chanukah Sheet music.

Here is some more Music for Chanukah.

The perfect Chanukah gift: a signed Chevra T Shirt.

SerandEz is covering the Lander College Battle of the Bands. Here's Part II.

Hirshel was at the Helfgott concert.

From the mailbag...

Marion Lignana Rosenberg forwards a link to her blog. She's named the Brave Old World CD, "Song of the Lodz Ghetto", CD of the year for Newsday.

An embarrassed musician writes:

Hi, I stumbled upon your site while searching for a way to voice my opinion on the absolute hypocrisy in the Jewish music biz. I was in eichlers (just to buy candles, really) when I heard the theme song for the lord of the rings movie!!! Mr. Shwekey has blatantly stolen the opening to the movie theme song, and then married it to one of his awful songs!! These guys then have the audacity to print on the CD the standard YOU ARE A HUGE FREAKING GANAV IF YOU COPY ANY OF THIS CD. What the HELL???? Do these guys see the hypocrisy?

Your Health w/ Dr. Blog in Dm

Swiss researchers:"Playing digeridoo cures snoring!

Via Roger L. Simon.

Lakewood Chanukah Fundraiser

So, this year the Lakewood Yeshiva sent out a CD fundraiser entitled "Nigunim L'Chanukah - Songs for Chanukah." As you would expect, none of the four music tracks are Chanukah songs. The tracks -- all Shabbos songs-- are the Regesh versions of Rachem Al Tzion, Kah Ribon, Yedid Nefesh, and Good Shabbos. Judging by the cover, it appears that the minhag in Lakewood is to burn three-stringed violins on the sixth night of Chanukah. Perhaps this minhag evolved out of the wedding takanos limiting bands to a maximum of five pieces, which resulted in fewer gigs for frum violinists. We'll have to see what the Ta'amei Haminhagim says about this.

J-music Link Dump

Over at 4 Sons & Sons, Tam is dissing Chanukah songs:

Ok, I'll ignore the non-existant war on Christmas being waged elsewhere and focus on what's really important: Why I don't like Hanukah and why Pesach is far superior. We'll take this point by point:

The songs: Pesach has Had Gadya, Ehad mi yodea, Avadim Hayinu, Dayenu, the list goes on and on. What does Hanukah have? The Dreidel song. Idiotic drivel! Mi yimalel is a great song, but it's odd to hear religious folks singing such an anti-religious song so joyously. A while ago I heard someone explain that the song takes various verses from Tanakh that praise G-d and changes the words around so it praises the Jewish people instead. Very neat idea in the abstract, but as a religious guy myself I'm uncomfortable with that.

Shalsheles has posted sheet music for songs off of Shalsheles III and Shalsheles Junior.

Over at the Jewish Music Blog, Aryeh critiques the Sameach Music Podcast new "60 second Music Review.

Here are some quite hilarious quotes from this weeks "review" of Pi Shnayim (at 21:40 of the podcast): "Has anyone seen the 'great hit album' Pi Shanyim", "It's such an amazing album, with songs composed by 'the great' Yossi Green", "The vocals are arranged and conducted by 'the one and only' Gideon Levine", "It's a great album full of great music and the vocals top it off with. . . phenomenal voices"....Of course Sameach Music can do whatever they want with their podcast, but I feel that these "reviews" cheapen the albums by not even attempting to describe what makes them unique.

He's updated the post to include a response from Sameach.

Rokhl has started a KlezKamp blog.

Alexander Gelfand pens an article on an attempt to make Sephardic music hip.

Digital Audio on Dead Tree!

createdigitalmusic.com's Peter Kirn has authored a comprehensive guide to, natch, creating digital music. He's set up a website about the book, "Real World Digital Audio" here. Shouldn't it be an e-book? The book comes with an accompanying DVD with over two GB of sound content, instruments, and software tools.

Amazon has it here:

Comment This Out!

Some Commie links for ya'll...

Here's a review of the recent Battle of the Bands at YU.

Tani Palefski profiles Rashanim for the YU Commentator.

Brother, Can You Spare A Card?

Treppenwitz shares "A Musical Interlude".

The Peeps Are Out In Force!

Is it just us, or have there been an inordinate amount of "peeps" showing up at recent gigs?

Thursday night, we had the "Yoidi and Ben Bag Bag boys", the "professional singer who insists that the chosson 'wants me to sing'", a caterer with 'tude, the Yomim director, the program director, and the "gimme free stuff kids". Oh, and a grumpy grandfather of the bride who, on his own initiative, tried to send the band home an hour early so that "everyone will finally go home".

Last night, we had a painless gig, which was well-earned after Thursday's character-filled event.

Wonder who we'll meet at today's gig!

Sibelius 4.1 Update Released

Sibelius has released their 4.1 Update.

Dylan's An Eidim!

Gary Rosenblatt profiles Peter Himmelman in the Jewish Week.

Joining the Party

A Simple Jew is Chassidic music blogging here and here.

12/13/05 Mini Link Dump

LIFE-of-RUBIN has a link to a free Amazon Download of Matisyahu's song "King Without A Crown."

Mark at Beyond BT writes "The Day the Music Revived".