10/28/07 Link Dump

Life-of-Rubin calls a spade a spade in "Is the New Miami Boys Choir CD False Advertising?"

The Town Crier has posted some pictures and is ripping MBD for public alchohol consumption at a recent concert.

Heichal Haneginah posts " Andy Statman- An Ahava Supreme".

Jameel has posted a YouTube clip promoting the upcoming Purim@ JBlogosphere. The Purim music in the clip is from "Purim Sameach."

Here's a NY Times article, "Shoot the Piano Player" about an elderly pianist who made a name for herself using other pianist's albums.

This JPost article "A Cohen by any other name," is about Yuval Cohen's debut album, "Freedom."

I had the pleasure of playing several gigs with Yuval years ago. In addition to being a very talented musician, he's a wonderfully sweet guy.

Here are Margot Leverett and the Klezmer Mountain Boys in action!

Zichron Menachem has posted a video clip, "There is a God," of a song by Yisrael Chaim (12) about his battle against cancer. The song was recorded between chemo sessions, a few days before his bar mitzva.

This past Sunday, Palestinian terrorists murdered Erez Levanon Z"L, a husband and father who was murded while praying. Erez was a musician/composer and you can hear one of his songs here. Lazer Beams has a beautiful picture of Erez Z'L walking Bat Ayin children to school with guitar accompaniment. He also has information about a fund to support the widow and orphans.

2/22/07 Link Dump

Here's our craigslist item of the day. It comes in "grey mother of toilet seat." You could build a weird band around this thing. Or else, someone could buy it for Yossi Rosenberg.

Sing it, sister!

Chaptzem Blog! comments on the Aderet "CD rental" nonsense.He forsees a liability suit when someone is injured by a rental CD.

The J-Post writes about Yiddish nostalgia. It's Shira Be'tzibur in Yiddish!

Someone asked the Rabbi about the negative powers of music.

Finally, here's a link to The NY Jewish Week's coverage of the Klezmatics Grammy win. [/sarcasm] Their J-arts coverage is lacking, but they do deserve props for this eyewitness report of "Yeshiva Break" in Miami. Not music related, but important nonetheless.

From the mailbag...

Ron B. writes:

I'm pleased to announce that, G-d willing, I will be performing a couple of original big band arrangements with the Lakewood Jazz Ensemble featuring drummer Dave Weckl at the 21st Annual Music Spectacular Jazz Festival on April 26th (23rd Day of the Omer! - there'll be a CD!).

You can find more info on his website.

I'm Haaretz, Ph.D. writes:

Hi, thanks for the link to my article on Shuckle. Just to set the record straight: I am not the one who coined the term. It's from the Forward article I linked to. Daniel Seliger created it. I've just taken it on as my mission to spread it, so to speak :) Sorry to hear you never took to "shiny shoe" -- I hope "shuckle" suits you better.

Today I'm rocking with "Frock Rock"!

Mordy Shinefield writes:

Article I did for Lubavitch.org about the use of Chabad Niggunim in non-religious Jewish music. Chasidic Tunes Inspire Rockers

The lead paragraph asserts that "recently, though, artists have been finding inspiration from a more mystical source - the niggunim of Chabad Lubavitch", and includes guitarist Tim Sparks as one of those artists. I don't believe there are any Chabad niggunim on Tim Sparks' Tzadik releases. A better Tzadik example of Chabad nigun influencing music might have been Ambarchi/Avenaim's '99 release, "The Alter Rebbe's Nigun".

I'm Haaretz, Ph.D. writes:

Hi, thanks for the link to my article on Shuckle. Just to set the record straight: I am not the one who coined the term. It's from the Forward article I linked to. Daniel Seliger created it. I've just taken it on as my mission to spread it, so to speak :) Sorry to hear you never took to "shiny shoe" -- I hope "shuckle" suits you better.

Today I'm rocking with "Frock Rock"!

Last, but not least, the following will be of interest to our European readers.

Dr Laoise Davidson of the Jewish Music Institute SOAS in London writes:

I often pop by your blogsite, being a fellow Jewish music enthusiast, and also working in this area for the Jewish Music Institute.

I was wondering if you would be interested in doing a Blog Feature on our Nu? Musik! workshops which start this coming Monday (26th Feb) in the University of London?

The workshops are for anyone who plays in a band or is forging their way as a solo artist in any of the following genres – Pop, Rock, Jazz, Funk, Latin, World Music, Punk, Reggae, Hip Hop, Dance, R&B, Folk, Klezmer, Ladino… who want to get into Jewish roots music and create their own fusions of Jewish music with their own preferred music styles. They are really about broadening audiences and participants in New Jewish Music, which I think relates to your blog site quite well…

The workshops are open to all age groups, backgrounds and instruments. Participants should have a basic knowledge of music.

Every Monday evening between 26th February and 26th March
from 7 to 9pm at SOAS – Room G60
Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H 0XG

There is more information about the workshop leaders and workshop subjects on our website – www.numusik.org.uk.

Sounds like a neat concept.

2/20/06 Link Dump

Is it just me, or does the Gertner album art owe a nod to Matisyahu's graphic designer?




Jewess profiles singer/songwriter Beth Schafer. Schafer wrote one of the original anthems for the forthcoming Voices for Israel release featuring female JM artists.

I'm Haaretz, Ph.D. writes about a genre of Jewish music she's calling "Shuckle." The term "Shiny Shoe" doesn't really grab me. Essentially, I use it when I'm quoting someone.

Over at the Yahoo JM board, someone posted a negative review of this past Sunday's Ha'azinu concert and noted that "This event was not sold out, at least 400 empty seats."

Naturally, a new member appears to dispute the claim that it wasn't sold out. He writes: "Maybe some people didn't show, but the place was completely sold out because I couldn't even get more tickets." Anyone want to bet this poster was involved with producing/promoting this event?

This has happened before on the Yahoo JM board. Members post that a certain event was poorly attended. Then, a new member appears and posts a contradictory claim. I'm certain these "new members" are people with an interest, not just fans.

A point I made in an earlier post bears repeating.

The issue isn't even whether the organization nets money. It's whether the expense to income ratio is justifiable. So, for example, if Charity X produces an annual concert that raises one million dollars, but only nets $200,000 after expenses (musicians, featured entertainers, hall rental, sound companies, advertising, staffing, etc.), then to my mind the event is unjustifiable. Especially if most of the money raised is Tzedaka dollars, meaning it eats up money that people would otherwise have given to tzedaka.

If a donor is willing to give $100 to a charity and ups their donation to $200 to buy tickets to the charity's concert, then, if the charity nets anywhere less than $100 from that donation, the event was a waste of tzedaka money. Furthermore, even if they just break even or make an inconsequential additional amount, there is a strong argument to be made that the event was not worth holding.

I'm afraid it'll take a huge scandal to effect some change, but there are too many large concerts held too close together --relative to the size of the community-- for them all to be justified as tzedaka fundraisers.

The Forward celebrates the Klezmatics' Grammy win. They fail to mention that the Grammy voters obviously read our "Wonder Wheel" review.

Rokhl writes: "What do the Klezmatics and Milli Vanilli have in common?"

Matisyahu didn't win a Grammy. Naturally, because of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is also the reason these guys weren't even nominated.

LIFE-OF-RUBIN posts a Ta Shma video.

Teruah posts a YouTube clip of Nina Simone singing "Eretz Zavat Chalav."

Over at Jewschool... "An Invitation to Piyut".

Bangitout.com posts a "Blunt Bar Mitzvah Invitation".

It's Adar. Time for some Purim song lyrics!

Finally, here's some Joo-ish music. Here's their YouTube promo. Great stuff!

From the mailbag...

Someone with waaaaaaaay too much free time writes:

I just noticed something pretty stupid and careless at the new Srully W website - look at the source code. The site is contributing hits with every click to a "Yeshua ministries" page because the web person stupidly imported the BSD graphic from that site.

There's something incredibly ironic about a "Chassidic" singer lifting a "With the help of God" graphic from a Messianic Christian site.

Arkady forwards the following:

Hi folks,

Just in case you are not on this Jazz Promo Services List
...., I thought I'd forward this to you...

MICHAEL BRECKER WILL ALWAYS BE MISSED, AND NEVER FORGOTTEN!!!

PLEASE GET TESTED, AND SPREAD THE WORD!!!

1-800-MARROW-2

WWW.MARROW.ORG
----------------------------------------------------------------

This is from Michael Brecker

JANUARY 13, 2007 -

Following a two and a half year battle with MDS and then leukemia, Michael
passed away.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to The Marrow Foundation's
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE FUND.

Many lives have been saved as a result of those who joined the National
Marrow Donor Program at donor drives on behalf of Michael---and who were
perfectly matching donors for others in need. 

There is much work to do, and we ask you to please join us in this effort.
Thank you for all of your support.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Michael Brecker Memorial Tuesday, February 20thTown Hall 6:00-7:30pm

MICHAEL BRECKER MEMORIAL
Tuesday, February 20th
Town Hall, NYC, USA
http://www.the-townhall-nyc.org/pages/visitors/directions.html
123 West 43rd Street
6:00-7:30pm
General Admission
Public Invited
Doors open at 5:15pm

----------------------------------------------------------------

Thank You!!! Please Spread the word!!!

We've urged people to get tested before, but it bears repeating.

E. writes:

I don't think murmurings of a rumored boycott of Aderet "perpetually leased" products are affecting sales of Shwekey's CD at the YU Seforim Sale one way or the other. In other news, I set up a lemonade stand outside and warned people that I was perpetually leasing them their respective cups of lemonade.

The CD rental policy is just embarrassing. The claim in the revised text that it's approved by all "preeminent poskim" is a bald-faced lie. That said, the alleged boycott advice attributed to Rabbi Belskey seems over the top too.

In a series of 36 emails sent between 12:46 and 1:07, Sidney Goldberg writes:

Ralph,
Write the music to these hip Jewish styled shows!

Click www.SidneyGoldbergWriter.com and you'll see I write up a storm: book and lyrics to 20 musicals. Six have been completed by some of the most accomplished composers (see bio) and are currently under consideration, seven more are currently being written.

One of the funniest musicals ever written about nutty, meshugeneh Jews. Abraham, fulfilling his covenant with G-d by circumcising himself. "Abraham's Cut," is a hysterical story about the last mohel, circumciser in the Bronx. The three candidates who have come to be circumcised are petrified when they meet the Mohel that turns out to be wearing very thick glasses, his hands shakes and says he like to drink bourbon before all his circumcisions.

"That Bestseller," is a funny story about how the Bible was supposedly written.

At the bottom of my web, write music to the books and lyrics to a musical Trilogy on Genesis, the Torah. (In the Beginning) Will become a classic.
ShaiyaG@optonline.net
201 567-6533
www.SidneyGoldbergWriter.com

Sorry, we're going to pass on these.

Mazal Tov! Klezmatics' "Wonder Wheel" Wins Grammy

The Klezmatics have won a Grammy in the "Best Contemporary World Music Album" category for their "Wonder Wheel" Guthrie album.

We reviewed the album here.

The Forward wrote about the album this past week in "Where the Borscht Sounds Like the Sea". (Thanks, Marisa.)

Amazon has the album here:

2/7/07 Link Dump

Keith Wolzininger posts to the Yahoo JM group about his new Klezmer Podcast. His guests for the first show are David Krakauer and So-Called.

Treppenwitz posts a nice cello rental story.

FWQ notes a common mispronounciation in "Motzei Shabbos Zemiros".

Chabad Mont Pneimios has posted a video clip of Yerachmiel Begun and MBC's performance at the messianic Lubavitch event in Israel we blogged previously. Watching the clip, it's quite obvious that despite his caginess on JM in the AM, Begun knew exactly what he was participating in.

Here's Psycho Toddler on Kol Isha.

Meet Jtunes artist Dovi Small.

The Jerusalem Post reviews Rashanim's third disc, "Shalosh".

Here's a Brazilian Yiddish music blog,"YidishMusic!"

ZOG Infiltrates Kiryas Yoel

Based on a recent gig...

Five musicians to play elegant dinner music for your son's Sheva Brachos in a Satmar hall in Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY: $3500

An additional one-man-band to play the post-bentching dancing: $750

The Russian string trio deciding to call a tune and playing a showpiece "Hungarian Dance style" medley of "Az Der Rebbe Elimelech" and "Hava Nagila": Priceless

"There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard."

Rent! (Not the musical)

L-O-R shreds Aderet over their CD rental policy. Sarcasm, it's powerful stuff!

More CD Rental Lunacy. If At First You Don't Succeed, Cry, Cry, Again!

Longtime reader "Y" writes:

The Shwekey rental agreement has been revised, it's even worse now. See attached file.



Also:

Rabbi Belsky, Rosh Hashiva Torah VeDos, told the bochurim of the yeshiva not to buy from Aderet music anymore because the whole rental agreement which was written up is "obscenely written and is not valid halachikly " This has been quoted first hand by more then one person who heard it directly from him.

This whole thing is just embarrassing!

Speaking of new CD's and embarrassing, another reader writes:

The new Ohad album thanks Yossi Green in the inside cover as follows:

To Yossi Green
For the inspiration the gaudiness and the pleasure of working with you.

Someone in Israel must have hit the wrong button during spell check…..

1/30/07 Link Dump

How long do you think it'll take until some shul tries this?

AddeRabbi is comparing Harry Chapin and Uncle Moishy.

Y-Love writes: "Matisyahu Being Accused of Missionary Activity With New CD?"

Ari Davidow posts some Klezmer Bartok.

From the NY Sun:"Facing the Wagner Question".

Here's a Jerusalem Post article about the Jewish bands up for Grammys.

The Town Crier reports that Matisyahu has settled with former label J-Dub.

Here are clips from the upcoming Shwekey album. He's covering "In A Vinkele". There's an English version and a Yiddish version. Other than that, it's more of the same.

Tamara Eden writes about a Chabad House inauguration. She's included aome video clips of Korean-American Johnny Yune singing in Hebrew and Yiddish. In the early '60's, Yune headlined at a nightclub in the city where he learned Yiddish. Check out the third clip. There's also a clip of, for lack of a better term, contemporary Chassidic Disco dancing.

Avakesh posts a video clip of the Nadvorna Tu Bishvat Tish.

1/25/06 AM Links

Oh look! It's another multi-million dollar JM lawsuit. Disclaimer: No ex-Chevra members were harmed in the filing of this lawsuit!

The Jewish Week covers the new R' Shlomo musical. It's beginning workshop performances this weekend at the JCC in Mnahattan. Jason Alexander declined the project, but Elli Kranzler and Neshama Carlebach are in. So is Grammy-nominated jazz singer Carla Cook.

MOChassid comments on iPods and the state of Chareidi CD sales.

The J-Post reviews Y-Love. If true, this is probably not the kind of coverage you'd want in an international newspaper.

On "Devine Dress Code," Y-Love boasts about having little respect for intellectual property laws, which jives well with the disc's choice of sampled riffs and other elements. Chances are slim that DJ Handler went through the proper channels and obtained the rights to use Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman," JJ Fad's old-school "Supersonic," Otis Redding's "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" and Aphex Twin's breakbeat jungle "Windowlicker."

Of course, the writer might want to verify said assertion before publishing a statement like that. Another lawsuit, anyone?

From the mailbag...

Psachya contributes some more 'Peeps":

Okay, you got me started again. Here are a few of what I call "Invisible Peeps". You know they're there, but you never see them.

Invisible Peep #1 is the subject of the following announcement: "Will the owner of a black Lincoln Town Car (substitute any big, obnoxious set of wheels), NY licence plate IDIOT, please move your car. You're blocking about 700 cars from leaving the parking lot & are about to have your tires slashed." The car always gets moved, but no one ever sees the guy.

Invisible Peep #2 is the guy (or gal) who steals all the band chairs during a break. Actually, this Peep is sometimes visible. "Is anybody sitting there?" she (or he) will say regarding a chair very obviously right behind an instrument. (Best actual line: "Oh, he's a trumpet player - he doesn't actually need to sit, right?") Most often, however, no one sees the felony taking place.

Invisible Peep #3 are the kids who get hold of live house microphones and scream into them as loudly as they can. Somehow, they are the opposite of the childish ideal - they are heard and not seen. (And inevitably, everyone glares at the band.)

I apologize in advance for Invisible Peep #4, but it must be said. These are the guys who use the public bathrooms at simchas and, er, don't flush. You'd be surprised at how often that happens, from the cheapest hole-in-the-wall places to the Hiltons and Marriotts. Check the stalls & urinals at the end of a simcha, & you'll see that I'm right. C'mon, guys - were you born in a barn? (I obviously can't comment on the ladies' rooms - my guess is that it's not an issue there.)

Here are some more:

The "Shrink-wrap Boys"

The "Shrink-wrap Boys" are the Bukharian band who showed up to play a recent wedding with us. (The groom's family hired them seperately). These guys, two keyboardists and a vocalist, showed up with all of their equipment neatly gift-wrapped in clear plastic. There were holes cut out for the sliders and dials, and the plastic around the keyboard keys was cut away as well. It was an odd look, but all of their equipment which ranged from 15-10 years old or so was in mint condition.

The "I'm With Them" guy.

He comes along with the "Shrink-wrap Boys". Comes over with cables to help run them into our system. Introduces himself as part of their group. Etc. Then, he brings a CD player and asks to plug it in to the system. We oblige and he runs off to change into his stage clothes. Says he'll perform his "special" set right when he gets back. While this is happening, one of the other Bukharians notices the CD player and calls over the groom's parents. A heated interchange occurs and when "Sasha" returns in his stage outfit, he's quickly sent packing.

Turns out, he used to be in the band, but isn't anymore. He'd found out that they had a gig, so he tried to sneak himself a set, relying on the fact that we didn't know who was/wasn't in the Bukharian band. I assume he'd have demanded payment afterwards, had he been successful, but who knows.

The "Idiot Party Room Manager"

This is the guy who somehow manages to snag a really upscale crowd for a Sheva Brachos in his restaurant, a less than ideal venue that was chosen for it's convenient location as much as anything else. At any rate, he now has a chance at booking some more upcoming events from the moneyed, frequent party-making crowd.

So, naturally, the "Idiot Party Room Manager" does everything possible to annoy the guests like the following:

Stacking unused tables and chairs in the room. Check.
Sending waiters in to loudly deliver mains during a speech. Check.
Failing to order tablecloths as in the contract AND not letting the clients know until they arrive and see cheap paper on the tables. Check!
Loudly telling waitstaff that the client is unreasonable. Check.
Failing to repair stuck door between party room and restaurant, meaning restauraunt noise will be "bleeding in" throughout the event. Check.
And on and on...
Odds this place will book another event from that crowd. 0%

Mark asks:

Is it permissable to sing the word "Jesus" in a song? Let's say I want to sing James Taylor's "Fire and Rain", which has the line, "Won't you look down upon me Jesus"?

Is there some halacha I'd be traversing? Or is it just frowned upon? What if I want to sing this song for non-Jews? Do I have to skip the line?

1/24/07 Link Dump

Here's a video clip of Adi Ran participating an an upcoming wedding album release. Interesting concept.

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.

1/18/07 Link Dump

Pitchfork reviews Matisyahu's latest effort.

Finally, the humorless scolds of the world have a reggae star to call their own.

Via "Ein Od Milvado!"

Attention Williger fan, you can check out "Al Tistakel" , a track off of his upcoming album here. It's the first track that loads automatically in the radio.blog player when you visit that site.

Here's a fun YouTube clip of Menachem Herman performing Shlomo's "M'heira". Not exactly the way R' Shlomo played it.

The Jewish Press covers some frum female performers. Via Jewish Blogmeister

Here's a setup line meant as a compliment to Nishmat Hatzafon: "the very bones of the group creak with originality and talent". Imagine if they didn't like them.

THE LIFE-OF-RUBIN BLOG posts a pic of a Dedi video clip shown at the HASC concert this past Sunday. In the clip, Dedi discusses his weight issues. The blurb at the bottom ID's Dedi as "Jewish Music's BIGGEST star". And you thought it couldn't get any worse.

From the mailbag...

D. submits some more peeps.

1) Cell phone up to speaker guy. A new thing that I see a lot of, where a guest holds his phone up to a speaker to play the music to someone on the other end….I am sure it comes through crystal clear……

2) The “I need to get my husbands attention from behind the mechitza, at (Insert name of favorite hall here________), but my husband seems to not look in my direction the whole time.” I love when after a few minutes of trying in vain to get their husbands direction; they cross out of the “safety zone” provided by the mechitza and actually walk a few feet into the mens side, all the while looking like they are committing a MAJOR aveyra……

3) “Oh, my equipment doesn’t draw a lot of Amperage” video/photography guy…..who insists on plugging in to the same outlet that you have a sound system, keyboard, bass, and guitar amps running out of….

4) “I take Drum lessons” guy….who will try to tell the drummer “play a 16th note on the high hat, do a triplet on the kick and then play dotted ¼ notes on the toms”….and then come over to explain after the gig that he is a drummer and was just trying to help (he yells his instructions during a dance set….when you have no idea what he is saying of course).

5) “You don’t know anything HAND WAVE”. I only see this at more Chasidish jobs. Someone will come over and ask for something (make it louder/softer, play faster/slower, this rebbee is here, that rebbe is here, play this niggun, what do you mean you don’t know …….) and when the band leader does not respond fast enough or with the answer that said person is looking for, you get the HAND WAVE and a “FEH” at you as they walk away. (I wonder if that is their version of talk to the hand)

LIFE-OF-RUBIN writes:

in response to the guy who didn't enjoy the hasc 20 show.

It's funny how two people could view a concert so differently. I couldn't disagree more with the person who wrote those comments.

I thought Avraham Fried was fantastic. Now if your not a fan of Fried then I don't think that qualifies you to judge him in this concert. I am a fan of Fried and every song he did (except the two karaoke ones) were really good. The last two years or so I really feel he has hit a new level in terms of quality and singing. I will agree though that the Orchestra not supplying the music for those two songs was dumb. But even with all that, he himself sounded great during those songs.

On Helfgot/Fried - Again, wow, I sooo disagree. I really think you misread that situation. There is a difference between showing humility and looking disappointed. I think Fried shows great humility when he sings with people like Helfgot or Ohad who can hit those notes that he just can't. He is the first one to admit that they are extremely talented and he gives them his dues. He is a huge Chazzanos fan and I felt that he looked privileged to be able to sing with such a big name in Chazanus.

... and I think they sounded out of this world good together, I think Fried kept up better then anyone would have expected. Oh, and that look on his face when he sat down after it was over, to me at least, seemed like sadness that it was over. I think that he loves Chazanos and if the consumers would allow, he would put more of that on his CD. I would admit that isn't his specialty, but overall I think he does it just fine.

As far as the Gabay/Levine comparisons, only someone who is "one of those people" who just constantly says "it all sounds the same" could make that observation. There are plenty of difference between the two. Boruch Levine, for better or for worse, has a very nasal voice, very high pitched, composes not just his own songs, but has been composing for many other singers too. He also plays an instrument, while Gabay only sings. They sound different, they have very different styles, as I mentioned in my review, track 11's Tamshich is a great example. You won't find a song like that anywhere near a Boruch Levine CD. It's a great rock song that could easily have been on any Jewish rock CD.

If you don't enjoy Fried/Gabay/Levine/Dedi type performers, why on earth would you even attend such a concert.

By the way, my wife thinks all the non Jewish rock bands I listen to all sound the same too. But anyone fan of rock/alt will tell you that Nirvana and The Strokes couldn't sound more different. When your not into a certain genre, then yes, it all sounds the same.

Reviewed -- Discs by Nochi Krohn Band and Yosef Karduner

In the mail... a pair of discs from Sameach Music. Yosef Karduner - "Breslever Melave Malka" and Nochi Krohn Band - "Ananim".

"Breslever Melave Malka"

Yosef Karduner's "Breslever Melave Malka" is an album featuring Karduner performing many traditional Breslover Melave Malka songs.

MoChassid and A Simple Jew have blogged about this disc.

I've been a Karduner fan since I heard his album, "Simanim Baderech". Something about his music really resonates, and I've tried to figure out exactly what it is. I think there are a number of elements that combine for the quintessential (to my ears )Karduner sound.

They include:

1) A warm nylon string guitar sound.
2) Strong nylon-string rhythm guitar as the main rhythm instrument.
3) Dumbek and shaker for percussion rather than trap drums.
4) Simple, but tasteful guitar fills, usually on acoustic, but occasionally on electric.
5) A sense that the songs were through-composed to the text.
6) Simple bass lines.
7) Odd phrasing, timing, and number of bars. (For example, "Hashivenu" on "Simanim Baderech" or "Ha'aleinu" on MoC's CD)
8) Searingly passionate vocals.
9) Effective use of subtle multi-tracking on guitars and vocals.
10) Effective occasional use of subtle keyboard pads.

As an aside, I saw Karduner live on his first trip here, and it was one of the most powerful musical experiences I've witnessed. The man has an incredible gift for expressing his spirituality through song.

This album is a good album for what it is, but it's not a quintessential Karduner album. Many of the tracks feature drum machine and prominent synth/keyboard playing. The lead guitar, mainly played by Menachem Herman, is not subtle when it appears. And, being that the songs are not original, there is an element of personal expressiveness missing from the vocals compared to his original music.

That said, despite missing many of these elements, this isn't a bad album and I've found much of it to be pleasant listening. To me, the music on this album is more effective on the tracks that eschew drum-machine and that feature more subtle keys work.

The two opening tracks, "B'motozei" and "Chadesh Sossoni" were both covered by Diaspora on "The Last Diaspora" which is where I know them from. Karduner sings the melody on "B'motzoei" slightly differently from Ben Zion Solomon's version. I wonder which is the original and which is a stylistic embellishment.

"Agil V'esmach" is an excellent track. The switches from tempo to rubato evoke the "rhythmic anomalies" that add charm to a Karduner performance. The synth accordion adds color without making the arrangement too busy.

Two of the tracks, "Elokim Yisadenu" and "Keli Chish Goali" share the same melody. On the first played as a freilach and on the second as a slow song. I prefer the faster version, but both are nice.

"Adir Ayom" features a guest turn on vocals by R' Abish the first time through which evokes the sound of some of the vocals on the Hebrew University release "The Hasidic Nigun As Sung By The Chassidim". Simple, but beautiful.

"Al Tira" evokes the groove of classic Karduner songs like "Mikimi", "L'inyan Hitchazkut", and "Kol Ha'olam".

Overall, this album is a nice collection of Breslover Melave Malka music. My favorite tracks on this album are "Agil V'esmach", "Al Tira", "Hamavdil", and "Elokim Yisadenu".

"Ananim"

Nochi Krohn Band's "Ananim" is an excellent album featuring nice melodic songs with interesting, tasteful, and creative arrangements and lots of vocal harmonies. The musicianship is excellent, and the song selection is very good. Nochi did an outstanding job here.

Jewish Music Blog reviewed this album here.

Drummer Benny Koonyevsky and bassist Conrad Korsch anchor the tight rhythm section on the disc, which features Nochi's piano and Rhodes playing, tasteful acoustic and electric guitars by Marc Levine and Yoshi Fruchter, percussion by Shaya Lieber, alto sax by Yosaif Krohn, and nice lead vocals and vocal harmonies by the band members. A small horn section, flutes, saxaphone (often played by guest Dror Ben-Gur) and/or a small string section are used tastefully on some of the tracks.

The music evokes classic Jewish vocal bands like Ruach and Kesher, but with a more sophisticated edge. Leader Nochi Krohn has spent a lot of time backing up many of the Chareidi folk rockers out of Israel, like Chaim David and Shlomo Katz, and this disc evokes their influence, but with an American sound.

Most of the singing is simple, yet tasteful. On the thankfully few occasions that the vocalists attempt embelleshments typical of popular Chassidic "stars", the effort fails. The havarah is mainly standard American Jewish havarah, although the singers do occasionally lapse into yeshivish.

Notable tracks include "Hiney Keil" which closes with some pretty solo piano and "U'vney" which features tasteful bass and tremelo Rhodes solos. "Mah Rabu" is a nice opener that sets the tone for the disc.

The A section of "Kineret Niggun" sounds very much like Carlebach's "Re'ey Na". The opening groove is powerfully performed by Benny and Shaya.

The title track, "Ananim" doesn't do anything for me. Not musically and especially not lyrically. I'm very critical of original lyrics in general, and I'm not feeling this one. It just sounds simple; there's no interesting or evocative wordplay. Not that there's necessarily something wrong with tsimple -- it's possible to have beautiful simple lyrics like Naomi Shemer's "Al Kol Eleh", for example, or Diaspora's 'Kotel Song" or Woody Guthrie's "Get Through This World" off the latest Klezmatics album, for that matter-- but in this case it doesn't work that well.

I liked this album alot and I'd highly recommend checking out this disc.

Both of these discs are available at Sameach's website.

From the mailbag...

PT writes:

Shmuel Simenowitz:

That album was also very influential on Kabbalah. Izzy Botnick, our guitarist, was a huge fan, and we did a cover of "Hinay Ma Tov (Jewish Blues)" and also jammed to "Hino Adon Olam." Not surprising since Izzy andYonah were good friends.

It was one of those albums, along with DYB's Live from King David's Tomb and Gates of Return, that made us realize that Jewish Rock was viable.

I think before those albums, many of us with guitar chops were not in any way considering playing Jewish Music.

Psachya Septimus writes:

I wanted to let you and your readers know that I'm in a new band called The Bentchers. The band members are Yitzchak Halevi on guitar, myself on keys, Dave Hirsch on bass, Dave Leibowitz on drums, and all of us on vocals. Our music is a combination of classic-rock, blues, surf, spiritual & folk styles with a Jewish touch. I'm personally very excited about the band - we knew we had something special right from the very first rehearsal. Anyway, we'll be doing our first public performance at The Actors' Temple in Manhattan on Monday, January 22. More information is available at Black Box Entertainment: Midtown Showcase of New Jewish Rock and Comedy.We tentatively expect to go on about 9:30 PM, but please feel free to also check out some of the other acts on the bill, as they look very entertaining.

A dissatisfied HASC concert attendee writes:

I was at the HASC concert, too, and I have to say, Life of Rubin's review is more of a blow-by-blow than a critique. The concert sucked. I've seen larger bands at weddings. Where were the strings? Where were the tympani? Lamm phoned it in, without an ounce of originality or effort. The mikes weren't balanced correctly, the backup choir wasn't mixed correctly, nobody rehearsed sufficiently, and for a 20th anniversary show, this was an absolute disappointment.

Avraham Fried actually had to sing over a karaoke CD of "Simanei Yisrael" and "Father, don't cry" while the musicians sat quietly, twiddling their thumbs. He is so tired. So tired. He did his duet with Itche Meir Helfgott, and it was like watching some movie where the aging crooner tries to keep up with the rising star, and can't. Helfgott didn't even need a mike, and he was outclassing Fried in every respect - range, depth, tonal accuracy, even. So for the "kumzitz" finale, Fried sat down on a stool, shoulders slumped, head down, while Dedi and Ohad came out and patted him on the back, almost as though they were comforting him in mourning.

Earlier, Dedi sang "V'atah kadosh" to the tune of the Flashdance theme ("What a feeling!"). I mean, seriously.

Ohad shows some promise, however, in terms of stage presence and talent. Too bad he doesn't have any decent material.

Oh, and Dovid Gabay and Baruch Levine sang. I'll give $10 to anyone who can tell them apart from the tenth row and back.

I can't understand why someone with an apparent visceral dislike of this kind of musical entertainment would have attended. Although, the karaoke complaint is legitimate.

And here's a money quote overheard at the concert:

"The concert started at 7:30! You can't come in here at 9 and expect to have your seat! We came down from Tier 3, row BB. Go sit there!"

Lovely!

Peeps in Da Hood -2007 Edition

A new year brings out some new peeps. Here are some folks we've met in the new year (l'misparam).

The "Door Guy"

The "Door Guy" is the guest who stand in the doorway the band needs to use to load out at the end of the night. He appears in venues with no elevator, where the band has to make multiple trips to carry out all their equipment. He's got to talk to various family members, the conversations must take place only after all the guests have left, and they must take place only in that doorway. "Excuse me", we say, lugging speakers through the door. He grudgingly moves. We return a moment later for some more equipment and, you guessed it, he's back in the doorway. "Pardon me", we say lugging a heavy mixer and get the same reaction. We must've made five trips and this guy was in the doorway the entire time. Heavin forbid that he notice you and move out of the way! Rather, each time, we have to ask him to move. Nice.

The "It must be a live band" party planner.
This Peep strongly believes that every event must have live music provided by band X. They will stick with their preferred method of entertainment no matter the musical needs of the party and/or the client's budget. This inevitably results in situations wherein a rock band is booked for a gig where the client wants "Big Band" music only or a duo is booked for a gig where the client wants the latest "club" hits. Of course, they don't tell the band any of this until they drop the request list on them the night before the gig.

This brings us to our next peep, the "Last Minute Requester." This client wants to hear lots of non-standard material and drops these requests on the band at the last minute, Then, they can't comprehend that the band might not actually know all of their favorite songs.

Here's an actual list we were hit with over the three days preceding a recent gig.

"1985" by Bowling for Soup
"Break Away" by Kelly Clarkson
"A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson
"It Ends Tonight" by The All American Rejects
"Move Along" by The All American Rejects
"Beautiful Soul" by Jesse Mcartney
"Pon the Replay" by Rihanna

Another recent request was DJ Sammy's remix of Chloe X's "Heaven". Yes, they did want a small acoustic ensemble to exactly duplicate that arrangement.

The "There's Somebody Famous here" guy.

This is the person who feels compelled to come over and tell you that "insert name of Jewish singer/entertainer" is a guest at the event. Hey, thanks for letting us know. Next time, let us know before we medley their most famous song with the theme from "Cheers". Mmmkay?

From the mailbag...

Rabbi Shmuel Simenowitz responds to Kelsey Smollen

Kelsey - I understand several copies sold on e-basy for around $80 each! I should have kept a few cases - I could have retired! For those who remember, "Jewish Blues - Out of the Woods" was released circa 1980 - it featured myself, Moshe Antelis on bass, Barry Brenner on drums, a young Gershon Veroba doing a very strong vocal thing and none other than legendary blues guitarist Roy Buchanan on guitar for a couple of scorching duets. It got a tremendous amount of airplay on non-Jewish radio as a result of Roy's participation. It was fairly eclectic stylewise containing country, bluegrass, electric smokin' blues and even reggae (yes there was Jewish reggae before Mattisyahu!) Most of the songs were covers with a couple of strong originals - I ran into Yonah Lloyd (a former guitar student of mine) on a trip to Israel a couple of years ago and my kids were amazed when he sat down and played a very credible version of my "Hino Adol Olam". The vocals were unremarkable but the groove overall was way ahead of its time - I shoulda let Gershon do all the vocals!

By the way I reread her post - the "will pay top dollar" thing - kinda resonated with me. We should hook up - maybe there's a copy or two kicking around still in the shrink wrap. I became an entertainment lawyer, playing my way through college and law school, made it big as a music lawyer, walked away, got my semicha, bought a farm in Vermont, started making maple syrup and now, back on the road, playing and talking about making it big as a music lawyer, walking away, getting my semicha, buying a farm in Vermont, and making maple syrup ! It's good work if you can get it. The Freiliche Farmer - Songs, Stories, and Laughs for your Concert, Kumzits or Farbrengen

Jack Berger writes:

Would you know how to contact Isaac Honig?

Ron Benvenisti writes:

FYI. I gave up on Finale... never used Sibelius. Too many releases and bug fixes kept breaking. I switched to Overture about 3 years ago and never looked back. It has some quirks and a learning curve, but the responsiveness of the vendor has been great. The biggest bonus is that the latest release has VST support so that the latest sample libraries can be used right from the score, with appropriate instrument articulations supported by the score entries and VSTs. Even GenieSoft's low end ScoreWriter 4 is pretty darn good and has VST support for $59 bucks! When I look at the various score software forums, I think it was a good move.

Naftali writes:

At a wedding last week, the Kallah walked down to the chupa to "Tanya", because her name is Tanya. She wanted it with someone singing the words not instrumentally.

Al ta'am v'al re'ach...

PT sends a YouTube video of a recent gig.