Chag Sameach!

From the mailbag...

Six13 forward a link to their video "P-A-S-S-O-V-E-R." Their description: "It's our "Kosher L'pesach" take on two big hits by Usher and Ke$ha"

Dovid Kerner forwards a link to Matza'laya. I think I've posted this one before.

BDE - Micky Lane Z"L - UPDATED

Shalom emails to inform that Mickey Lane died recently. Baruch dayan emes! There's an obit here. His brother Zal has commented on the blog in the past. Condolences to the family.

UPDATE: 4/12

I will add any reader comments to this post.

Zevy Zions writes:

We all grew up with Mickey’s bass lines on all of the early Neginah albums. He was a great musician and he will surely be missed.

Sy Kushner writes:

I was saddened to read of Mickey Lane's passing. Mickey was truly unique, one of a kind. Though I had not been it touch with Mickey for many years, I recall our conversations about music and musical gear, both about which we were passionate. We both laughed at our inability to get rid of our obsolete gear with the result that both our pads looked like a Sam Ash warehouse. He performed with me during the Mark 3 days. He was surely a handful on the bandstand and beyond. May G-d give him peace and rest his soul.

Yehuda Mond writes:

Mickey Lane hasn’t played on a JM album since the late seventies (as far as I know), so here is some background for those who’ve never heard of the guy. Any Jewish music listener who has listened to the Rabbis’ Sons, D’veykus, Kol Salonika, Neginah Orchestra records, and The Messengers (among many other artists from the ‘60s and ‘70s) has heard Mickey’s bass line. Back when contemporary Jewish music was in its infancy, and before the fretted and fretless bass guitars became more standard, the bass fiddle (a.k.a. contrabass) was used, which was one contributing factor for the Rabbis’ Sons “folksy” sound.

My condolences to the Lane family – Mickey has earned an honorable spot in the JM Hall of Fame.

Parenthetically, a shout-out to Sy Kushner: We’re still singin’ Romemu. Keep squeezing the accordion!

UPDATE 4/17:

Shalom writes:

YouTube - MICKEY LEE LANE - "HEY SAH-LO-NEY"

YouTube - Mickey Lee Lane- "Shaggy Dog"

This is a side of ML that we never got to hear; I remember him only as a bassist and engineer, not a guitarist, but it sounds like he could rock out with the best of them.

An earlier one: hYouTube - Mickey & Shonnie Lane - "Daddy's Little Baby"This one is credited to Mickey and Shonnie Lane; did he have a sister?

There's some other stuff of his on YT if you dig around. Someone put up a discography at the Goner Records Mobile Message Boardbut that's just the non-JM stuff. Might be interesting to start going through some old records and see what else there is with his name on it.

Commentary Discovers 613

It is a great time for Jewish music, but I don't know that I'd choose this to illustrate that.

Ironic Orthodoxy

Oh dear!

To The Tune of....

Over at On The Main-line, Fred posts an interesting piece - "The original Shlock Rock: R. Yisrael Najara's 16th century religious Hebrew poetry set to Middle Eastern rock music.

Bigger Than Bieber

Leftover Cholent has da deets!

I'm Incensed!

From Shotei Hanevuah singer Ro'i Levy's Tehilla" (Glory) project, which is dedicated to prayers from the prayer book - "Ketoret." Groovy.

Concert Controversy - UPDATED

Yesterday, a promo video for an upcoming concert to benefit Tzivos Hashem was posted online. The event featured Avraham Fried, Lipa Schmeltzer, a boys choir, and a segment called Jewish Kids Got Talent.

Apparently, some in the community found either the notion or the actual footage of the black choreographer and hip-hop dancers to be unacceptable, and controversy erupted.

A little while ago, The Cool Jew interviewed the event producer, who defended the decision to include those performers, and said the show would continue as planned. A short while later, the Lubavitch youth organization "Tzivos Hashem" contacted TheCoolJew.com to state "this issue has been corrected. These performers will no longer be part of the show and will not have anything further to do with it."

UPDATE 3/27
I've done some checking around, and have been unable to find anyone else commenting on this aside from the Cool Jew's posts. There doesn't appear to be any controversy over this on any of the popular Chabad/Lubavitch websites. It looks to me like a one man crusade by the Cool Jew against the black choreographers. That changes the story materially, so I though y'all should know. CJ did write another post today, "Rabbi Heller Blasts Tzivos Hashem Concert" about the topic, but without audio, I'd read that as this rabbi is opposed to concerts in general, not specifically addressing this one and the question of non-Jewish dancers etc. In other words, the only person who seems to have had a problem here is the blogger himself. That's a very different story. It speaks to his racism alone. That's a relief to hear.

PS, as that post quoted Lipa, the dancers did appear at today's show.

UPDATE 3/28

The Cool Jew posted a rant, Shame on You Tzivos Hashem, today. I'm counting this as confirmation of my previous update. He's trying to gin up opposition, but, contrary to his reporting, this does not appear to have been generated controversy beforehand.

Maccabeat-down II

The authors respond to criticism of their Jewish Week article with "Missing the Point: It’s about women (and men) and Orthodoxy, not the Maccabeats."

Meh. A weak response to defend a weak article.

Dear Mr. Waters,

In the Forward, Israeli musician Koby Oz writes a Letter to Roger Waters on Israel and BDS.

Maccabeat-down!

In the Jewish Week... "Where are the Women in the Maccabeats Video?"

Most of the commentors thus far disagree.

From the mailbag...

Ben writes:

I thought you'd enjoy this new music video for Purim. It features 100 Israelis from all different backgrounds dancing in the desert.

It's called Raise Your Mask - a parody of Pink's Raise Your Glass.

Happy Adar!

E. sends a link to the Maccabeats "The Purim Song."

He also forwards a link to this VIN exclusive.

Jew Man Group writes:

Hi there!

Big fan of your site. We’re a new “Kosher comedy” venture that just released our first single – it’s “Bar’chu!”, a remix of “Forget You” by Cee-Lo, and we’re hoping you’ll find the video worthy of posting. It’s going viral as we speak. J

Please check it out and let us know what you think!

Psachya writes about Mikis Theodorakis:

The sad thing (for me) about the Mikis Theodorakis debacle is that he,at one time, was rather popular in many Jewish homes.

Those of us who grew up listening to Art Raymond's "Morning Simcha" radio program were very familiar with some of Theodorakis' music. Art didn't play it himself, but for years his program on WEVD ("The Station That Speaks Your Language") was immediately followed by a Greek language program. And, every morning, the first sounds heard after Art signed off was a selection from Theodorakis' score for the movie "Z". As a result, Theodorakis got a bit of a following in the Jewish music-listening community. My grandfather A"H had an LP of the "Z" soundtrack, and I've seen it in many other LP collections beside Shlomo Carlebach, Jo Amar, Ruach Revival, and other early-'70's Jewish music icons.

So it turns out that the guy was an anti-Semitic jerk all along. It just makes me sad. This is music I grew up with.

Shalom writes:

You wrote: "In case you had any doubt... "

No, I never had any doubt. Ever since I read, years ago, that he composed a so-called "Palestinian national anthem", long before the PLO had morphed into the PA, I kind of got the idea.

Shame, because the soundtrack to "Z" has got some great music on it; now I feel uncomfortable listening to it.

You think this is gonna stop Jewish musicians playing his music, though? I'm not altogether sure they even should. I remember the controversy a couple years ago regarding the move to rename Corbin Place, which was named after a notorious anti-semite; I think the biggest "shtoch" you can give them is to have Jews living peacefully on "their" street, or enjoying "their" music at a Jewish function.

(For other self-proclaimed anti-semites, check out author Roald Dahl. Personally I prefer to say "Jew-haters", because that was the original term before the PC folk got a hold of it, and because some of the worst Jew-haters are themselves Semitic.)

Hinei ma tov...

Shalom also fowards some more Al Hanisim clips:

First of all, how'd you know it was me?

Second, I've uploaded yet another Al Hanisim, this time really the original (it came out before the composer's own version).
YouTube - Really The Original Al Hanisim (Izhar Cohen, 1974)

(Someone else has uploaded a live performance at YouTube - אודי דוידי- על הניסים. Good stuff.)

Also, I've put up the original version of Tanchum Portnoy's Eitz Chaim, so the folks who sing it wrong can learn the right way.
YouTube - עץ חײם (The Original "Eitz Chaim" (Tanchumim, 1975 - composed by Tanchum Portnoy

A valiant attempt, but there is no chance that'll help.

Bob writes:

I think many Shlomo Carlebach tunes would go really well with a Caribbean-style steel band. Has this been done? I'd pay for a CD like this.

Yehudah Mond writes:

Tribute to Moshe Yess A"H:
Although it has been two weeks since the passing of Moshe Yess A"H, he deserves honorable mention for the major influence he's had on JM. While some might argue that he has gone off the deep end during the last few years, his musical style and personality is inimitable. For those old enough to remember there was Megama, and even the younger generation knows "My Zaide", with many a budding guitar player picking out the chords to that song (can't miss that CMaj7). His voice added a whole lot of feeling to Journeys 1 through 3 (e.g. The Ninth Man, No Place Like Home, Ride the Train, The Rebbe of Lublin, Pesach Blues and more), The Amazing Torah Bike, Miami Experience 1, and of course the immortal Marvelous Middos Machine...
Like Dr. Doomshtein, whom Yess played to perfection on MMM, Moshe Yess was also a ba'al t'shuvah who became involved with Jewish music while in Yeshivas D'var Yerushalayim. The bold, daring characteristic of his unique bass voice, and his personality, which shone through every recording, will be sorely missed.

Shmuel writes:

With all the brouhaha surrounding the passing of Debbie Friedman, it seems that the untimely passing of Moshe Yess, one of the seminal figures in modern Jewish music has gone unnoticed. Having worked with Moshe and Megama on several occasions back in the day, I can truly say that he was perhaps the finest singer/songwriter to cross over from the secular world. The man had real chops and he knew how to craft a pop song. His approach to Jewish music was original and totally out of the box. Lyrically, he had the soul of a poet. The effect that his song “My Zayde” had as far as lighting up Jewish souls across the world is simply incalculable. I still get requests for it almost every time I play out. (I frequently play for older crowds). Simply astounding. On top of that he was a really, really nice guy – just wanted to sit and jam.

Busy Weekend for Jewish Music

It's been a busy weekend for Jewish/Israeli music. First, Israeli trance DJ Noy Alooshe collaborates with Libya's Col. Ghaddafi to create "Zenga Zenga", a viral hit across the Arab world.



The neatest part of this is the fact that many in those countries will also see another side of Israel,apart from the government propoganda that is the usual fare there. Comments like this one can only help:

I pray for the Middle East especially during this time of protests against the long held dictatorial styles of government in all those Arab countries.

May you be able to shed the autocracies which have ruled you and lied to you and tried to keep you controlled with stories of hatred toward Israel---instead of being legitimate governments themselves.

The idea of Israel being the "boogey-man" has helped keep themselves in power. This, as well as many other lies, needs to come to an end.

It's currently the most-favorited comment on that clip.

Meanwhile, Yoely Lebovotz goes to the country!



Oh, and Lipa Schmeltzer released a wedding album too.

'Zorba the Greek' Update

In the J-Post: "Zorba the Greek" composer: I’m anti-Semitic

In case you had any doubt...

Matzav.com Needs An Editor!

E. forwards a link to a Pinchos Lipschutz article,
"Simcha, Unplugged."

Check this!

Have you ever noticed that when musicians play at weddings, they appear indifferent to their own music? They sit or stand impassively as their fingers run up and down their instruments. As they blow their trumpets, pound their drums and glide their fingers across the keyboard, their faces are expressionless. No wonder. Their ears are plugged. They are unable to hear their own music, much less enjoy it.

The only musicians who visibly enjoy their own music are those who sing. For these artists, singing is an opportunity to express their deepest longings and emotions in music. The singer whose soul is wrapped up in his music has the uncanny ability to touch his listener’s soul.

I know what he's describing. I've seen guys who do that too. That said, the generalization is frankly offensive to all musicians.

Fighting Lies With Lies

Life In Israel posts about a radio interview with MBD about his recent concert "for women only" in Israel.

MBD talks about the lies pro-ban activists have been saying. Like this one:

He said that before his last performance, the one to a woman only audience, Rav and Rebbetzin Landau (the rav of Bnei Braq) called the head of the organization and said that they had been told they were bringing a dancer to perform. The organizer was in shock and after a moment responded that it is not true but there is only one performer at the show and that is Mordechai Ben David. The Landau's thanked her and wished her well. MBD says he is happy the Landaus checked out the story and did not just sign based on what the askan tells them, like many other rabbonim do.

Rafi and the comments section call out MBD on his own dishonesty. He's been flogging a revisionist history for a while already. It's not working.

Ban Updates

Our good friend, Rabbi Ephraim Luft goes 0-2 this week in Israel. (We reviewed his magnum opus "The Torah Is Not Hefker" here.)

Meanwhile, a riot broke out at Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak's speech in Emmanuel, after some opponents played Jewish music he's been campaigning against, whi;e he was speaking. We've mentioned his campaign against Shwekey in "Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak Makes Stuff Up!". Via FM.

Discussing The Unspeakable

Recent events have me pondering the following topic -- How to have a discussion when one side believes the other side should not ever be mentioned or when mentioning one side, in and of itself, has consequences.

Two examples:

1) The recent brouhaha over a Jewschool post about Debbie Friedman. You can read about this here. I thought about whether or not I should bring this subject up at all. The family's response -as well as the fact that this was common knowledge- make me think that there is no additional harm to the family in linking the discussion. That said, personally, I found the Jewschool post offensive. There are appropriate ways and more importantly times to raise these questions. Not during shiva and in clear ignorance of the facts. However, it illustrates the conundrum I'd like to address, which is that there is no way to have this kind of conversation without raising the issue in some way. If the Jewschool blogger's facts had been accurate (they weren't), his point would be much stronger, than if he hadn't used the name.

2) I received an email about a recent post of mine on bans. The email was critical of my position/presentation. It included a request not to post the email, or even portions of it, without permission. Since I make a point of posting critical emails, I emailed back asking permission to post the email and a response. When this writer expressed discomfort with the idea, I offered a right of response as well. Ultimately, my correspondent denied permission to publish on the grounds that since, from their perspective, their position was Torah, it would be impermissible and impossible for me to disagree with it. Go argue with that.

The question I'd like to put out there is this. How can one have discussion on important issues, when one side, for whatever reason, makes even the raising of the topic off-limits? Perhaps, as in a situation like my first example, it can be done while respecting the individual's privacy. However, in matters of public policy, is there really no way to raise questions about the actions of Rabbinic leadership? Personally, I can think of a number of recent examples in which rabbinic action was taken in response to public criticism. In quite a few of these cases, I am convinced that if not for the public nature of the criticism, no action would have been taken.

A short list:

1) The Lipa Schmeltzer concert ban
2) The recent RCA "brain death" paper brouhaha
3) Agudah et al on sexual abuse

So, for those like my respondent who apparently believe in papal rabbinic infallibility... Do you ever think there's an appropriate way to publicly raise questions? If not, why do you grant yourself the right to take a position, if you won't concede that right to your counterparts on the other side? More importantly, if that is your position, why should the folks on the other side even address your concerns?

1/17/11 Link Dump

Over at the Forward's Sisterhood blog... "Taking on the Rabbinate."

Tininitus? Reboot your brain.

I want a printer like this!

John Lennon vs. Van Halen.

The J-Post obit for Debbie Friedman... Beloved US Jewish songwriter, Debbie Friedman, dies

Rootless Cosmopolitan on " The Death of Yiddish?"

At Life in Israel..."nteresting Psak: Which Music Should Be Used To Introduce Shabbos."

Here's a great song for you! "Mean Old Jews Who Crucify My Lord" by Sister Albertha Harris Lewis. A real toe-tapper!