9/21/10 Link Dump

Teruah has some thoughts about Jeremiah Lockwod's Nigun Project.

"Ripped from the news... "Dude, You Have No Koran!"


One of the original Elders at the late Protocols blog muses "On Music, or When More is More ."

Odelia Berlin, daughter of legendary clarinetist Mousa Berlin plays and sings "Machnisei Rachamim."

Life in Israel posts "Ayn Yiush BaOlam."

“Vos vet zayn?”

Here's a lovely little ditty from Micahel Wex's latest, set to music by German bassist Heiko Lehmann and friends.

In Which Dm Gets Mussar

Yaakov writes:

Your blog is excellent, although you need to do Teshuva for posting a version of “Who by Fire” that does not include Sonny Rollins!

"Who By Fire"

0:21 to 1:05 of this clip is essentially Yom Kippur Davening Al Regel Achas.

It was a deliberate choice. But, this is a great version too.

Can't Get That Annoying Chassidic Disco Song Out OF Your Head?

Unhear it!

From the mailbag...

Allen forwards the following useful sign.


Dovid Kerner writes:

Steve and I recorded a blues version of "Dear Everybody" and posted it to Youtube here.

May we see Gilad ben Aviva back home speedily to enjoy a sweet new year!

Wolf Krakowski forwards a video clip -- "Lomir Trakhtn Nor Fun Haynt" ("Let's Just Think About Today")

Anon from London writes:

I’ve been following your blog for several years now, and I’ve always found it of interest – thanks! I appreciate the balanced commentary (and the lack of comments that might undermine it...) and the humorous bits are always entertaining. I’m from London, so I also enjoy reading about things happening in the US JM world that I wouldn’t know about otherwise.

I got this video in an email from Tunecore this morning – it’s a video response to some blog post that claimed that filesharing is the best thing ever to have happened to music, by someone called Mike Lombardo. I don’t know whether you’ll consider it suitable for posting or not, but I thought you might like it anyway.

Many thanks again for your blog.

Craig writes:

Thank you for writing a critique of "Torah is not Hefker". I found that book in shul today while I was davening shacharis and read it. (Apparently, the book was hefker.) I wanted to check out its claims tonight on the internet and found your critique. I agree that the arguments in the book are weak. Furthermore, halacha has to be exact. The author does not explain how one can recognize whether music is good for the soul or bad for the soul.

One argument that did strike me as interesting as a reason to avoid rock and roll music, David Merrill's experiment with mice. Do you know anything about this?

The experiment with mice and rock music is meaningless. It was not conducted by a scientist under controlled conditions. Even if it had been, there would need to be multiple repetitions of the experiment to account for potential biases. One small experiment is simply statistically irrelevant.

As well, the concept behind the experiment seems to indicate the researcher’s bias against rock and roll. In other words, this was not an objective, neutral experiment. There is no compelling scientific evidence to back up Merrill’s claim.

Aharon writes:

Hi, I read your blog occasionally, and wanted to ask you a question: I learning clarinet, and play mostly contemporary jewish music, from Carelbach to MBD to Lipa, a little old school klezmer, and chassic stuff (like Modzhitz, etc.) I guess most of what I play is the stuff you'd play at a yeshiva-type wedding. Anyway, what keys, if any, are most common in these kinds of music? Are there any specific keys I should be certain to know if I want to eventually play this music with others? Of course, I would eventually learn to play in any key, but where should I devote my efforts first? Am, Dm, Cm, Em? Thanks for any advice you can give me. Aharon.

P.S. I am aware that the clarinet is a transposing instrument. I'm wondering what concert keys I should sound in, I'll take care of the transposition.

That's an interesting question.

The quick answer is, it depends. What are you trying to play? What context? There are some standard keys that wedding bands use for specific songs, so if you're trying to get onto that circuit, it might be worth learning them in those keys. For example, they usually play Od Yishoma in Gm.

That said, there is no specific key that is the "right" key for Jewish music. It depends on the song, range of the singers (if any), and instrumentation used. I would highly recommend not focusing on one key for Jewish music, but rather learning to understand how keys/scales work, and developing the ability to play in all of them.

(Incidentally, I took the time to send this response to Aharon's question when it first came in, but he didn't have the courtesy to thank me. This is something that has been happening too often. It's almost always from people interested in a certain repertoire. If you're going to email someone and ask them to help you, at least show a little basic courtesy.

The Shwekey/Amnon Yitzchak Ban Contretemps Gets Even Weirder

No comment!

U'nesaneh Tokef!

Shana Tovah!

An Important Post...

... at Parsha Blog: "Manipulating the Gedolim: Did Rav Amnon Yitzchak do this to Rav Shteinman?" Excellent questions!

9/1/10 Link Dump

It's been a while...

I want this for my B-day!

A nice review over at the Forward's blog: "These Breslov Tunes Were Saved by Rock & Roll."

Here's a bizarre video. ‘Sinner’ Singer Given "malkas' 39 Lashes By Rabbis.

On the Jazz front, check out this trackby Danny Zamir and Evyatar Banai.

"Jewish Music’s Elite Sing For Rubashkin." No comment. On the same topic, here's "A Song for Sholom."

Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone!

Check this out! Makom on Kobi Oz's Mizmorei Nevuchim. Resources for educators who want to use the material on his new album.

The Second Son compares Jewish and secular songs. Best catch. Lev Tahor's Im Lavan Garti similarity to Lionel Richie's Cinderella.

Patric Aleph writes "Wearing A Yarmulke Got Me Laid." Oy.

Hampton Stevens writes "How Matisyahu's Hasidic Reggae Music Made Me Cry."

Klezmer organ!!!

"Senior Citizen Choir takes on Hip-Hop!"

Abanibi = "Dance Fever"

Augean Stables: "Only Israel has no right to defend itself…"

What? "Rabbinate To Strip Authority of Rabbis Who Sing Under Chuppah."

More Music Bans...

Here's a video, "Rav Amnon Yitzchak sits with Rav Shteinman" that demonstrates how "gedolim" are lied to. Shame on Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak. Simply put, he is lying.

Here's Rafi's 'nut' 'graph which sums up the scene:

Rav Shteinman doesn't seem to understand a lot of what Rav Amnon Yitzchak is saying. He doesnt seem to understand who Shwekey is and what he does. He doesnt understand what music albums are and what disks are. He doesnt understand what the internet is and how Shwekey uses it. Yet Rav Amnon Yitzchak persists until he can get Rav Shteinman to approve.

Rafi has more here.

Meanwhile, Rabbi Dov Lior wants to ban boogie-woogie. Shorter Rabbi Lior: Baruch Goldstein good, boogie woogie bad. Shameful.

Confidential To Greedy Office Owners...

... if you're going to ask musicians to work for reduced rates because it's a last minute "low-budget" gig, be honest. Especially if you intend the sub-leader to collect payment. We do see the contract, you should know, because you send it to us to collect payment at the end of the gig.

How To Book A Gig In One Act

phone rings

Client: "Hi! Do you play Bat Mitzvahs?"

Dm: "Sure!"

Client: "Have you ever played a Bat Mitzvah for kids from XXX school?"

Dm: "Yes. I recently played the XXX family's event."

Client: "My daughter told me she wanted us to hire the musician who played that event. I left messages for that family a few weeks ago asking who it had been, but they never got back to me. That was you?"

Dm: "Yes."

Client: "We'd like to book the date."

Peace In Our Time

A sad sign of the times in the West Bank.

Dealing With Annoying Requests

Here's one approach we've seen...

Best Bencher Ever

Betcha didn't get one o' these nifty benchers at any of your gigs this season...

6/30/10 Link Dump

At Vosi Iz Neis (and many other places) "Jewish-Music Figure Gets Prison in $36K Theft." Naturally, the commentors there show their scorn for... the victim, Nice. [/sarcasm]

DovBear posts "Stuff Jewish kids do in what looks like a dorm room."

Rabbi Lazer Brody: Jewish recording artist.

Yesomim hayinu v'ein Turkish concert.

It's the 1930's Again!

Ap reports: "Group of Youths Attack Jewish Dance Group."

6/23/10 Link Dump

Jeremiah Lockwood's latest Nigun-in-Residence at the Forward is Mimitzrayim Ge'altanu.

The WJC reports about a children’s song endorsing martyrdom that is gaining popularity in Arab world. This is sad!

KFAR is giving away free Jewish music by The Sway Machinery * Moshe Skier Band * Tracy Friend * Modern Klezmer Quartet * Golem * Sagol59 * Breslov Bar Band * Shir Yaakov * Stereo Sinai * Sarah Aroeste * Naomi Less * Evan Jacover.

Treppenwitz (happy B-day, BTW) comments on Elvis Costello cancelling his Israel concert.

On the same topic, in the Guardian... "When Musicians Boycott Countries There Are No Clear Winners."

Guess who's cornered the vuvuzela market... that's right!

Tablet writes up and podcasts Yiddish Princess. So does The Arty Semite. YP front-princess Sarah Gordon is one of this years 36 Under 36.

Ben Sheffner says that the "We Are The World" flotilla spoof does not count as legally protected parody. See why here.

Tim Sparks Guitar Seminar in NYC - Monday Night 6/14

Tim Sparks forwards info about his upcoming workshop in NYC. I highly recommend checking this out, especially, but not only if you play guitar.

For Immediate Release:
Tim Sparks Performance/Seminar
Monday. June 14 at 7:00
at The Stone, corner of Avenue C and Second Street
admission 20.00
The Stone
contact: tcguitar@aol.com
Tim Sparks will play renditions from his Tzadik Records repertoire, including celebrated contributions to Masada Guitars and his most recent CD on Tzadik, Little Princess.

This performance will be followed by an in depth lecture demo explaining and discussing the materials and techniques that comprise his unique approach to world, jazz and Jewish traditional music.
Notated transcriptions of some of the tunes being discussed will be provided.

“An amazing technician with elements of guitarists Leo Kottke, John Fahey, Lenny Breau, Andres Segovia and Doc Watson, Sparks stands alone in his ability to arrange and abstract worldly elements into a cohesive guitar-based approach.” All About Jazz New York

“Sparks is one of those rare players, like Bill Frisell, who transcends the inherited vocabulary of the instrument to create something other than guitar music with it – something both simpler and more complex.” Seth Rogovy, author of The Essential Klezmer: A Music Lover’s Guide
to Jewish Roots and Soul Music.

“Sparks is endlessly inventive and virtuosic in the extreme." George Robinson-The Jewish Week

Annals of JM PR

It's been a while since we've taken a look at the state of JM PR. Here's an actual unedited text of a promo email sent out by an American PR company on behalf of an Israeli artist.

Sameach music is proud to announce that the eighth album of Sandy Shmuely is finally here and its called “Ki Tov.” The album, one of the best out recently, includes hits like “Sandish” that just has a great feel about  it,  as well as melodic songs and the quiet joys strings Wally’s famous. Sandy Shmueli, an American artist with eight Jewish music albums under his belt, last recorded in an Israeli production, blue and white. Sandy’s songs (numbering in 54) are a mix of folk and popular connect to everyone. Sandy’s Israeli personality reflected in tunes, processing and execution of his many hits. Shmueli While lives in New York, but through performing across the globe lives around the country all the time.

The new album “Ki Tov” includes eleven tracks of diverse original songs all written by Sandy himself. Arrangements and production are a joint venture between Shmueli and Asher Lugasi, an Israeli musician with a recording studio in the NY. Sandy specializes in Jewish poetry, Jewish and traditional variety of the latest music styles, and appears nightly at celebrations and events world wide. Shmueli is considered a prolific creator in the field of Jewish contemporary music.

[sic]

6/10/10 Link Dump

Lorin Sklamberg has a new blog, YIVOSounds.

Following up on the United Breaks Guitars saga, here's the final video in the trilogy.

Here's an idiotic Vos Iz Neias op-ed about wedding photographers and overtime charges.

In the J-Post... "Gibson... Yamaha... Budagov?"

Finally, a wet tichel contest.