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SHIR HODU LAUNCH PARTY
Thursday 14 January 2010, 7.30pm
SOAS
Room 116, Main Building SOAS,
Thornhaugh Street,
Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
Admission Free.
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EXTENDED BODY:
Exciting new release!
Shir Hodu: Jewish Song from Bombay of the '30s
Producers Julian Futter and Dr Sara Manasseh invite you to the launch of an extraordinary, re-mastered compilation of long lost professional recordings of the Bene Israel and Baghdadian Jewish communities in Bombay, India (originally on the King, Hebrew and Jay Bharat Record labels). Among the performers, all well-known in their communities, are Hazzanim (cantors, prayer leaders) and shofar (Ram's horn) blowers, a meat shop owner, music school directors, and instrumental stars of the Indian cinema. This musical link with the past has been vividly brought to life by the memories and photos of the descendants, relatives and friends of the singers and instrumentalists, gathered from across the globe. The CD comes with a richly illustrated 24-page booklet that will serve as a valuable source for future researchers into Indian Jewish musical traditions.
To purchase the CD please contact Alan or Mark at Honest Jon's: +44(0)208 969 9822
Website: www.honestjons.com
Produced by Julian Futter & Dr. Sara
Manasseh;
In association with Jewish Music Institute
Jewlia Eisenberg requested a Hebrew version of "Silent Night" for a video to go with a New Yorker satire (currently unavailable, but linked from www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/12/21/091221sh_shouts_rudnick). Not a great satire, but there are more painful things to read. Happy solstice, everyone.
Anyway, upon reflection, she decided that the issue was not "Christianity" vs. "Judaism" and she came up with a very different video:
"The Great Goddess is still rocking out with her bad self … taking new forms but still connected to that neolithic old-school vibe. Go boobs of Mary! Listen, enjoy, post, celebrate dark nights and solstice"
Like much of the rest of the Jewish world, I have been assaulted by countless copies of the video showing a new shlock Hanukkah (official JWA spelling) song by right wing jerk happenstance Jew (but only the "right" kind of Jews)-lover Orrin Hatch.
I have refrained from mentioning the item on these pages. Now, Rohl Kafrissen puts her finger on what is significant about this recording: turnabout is fair play.
Like Rokhl, my family has managed to forget this new one as we light candles this year, although we've done our usual couple of variants of "Ocho Kandelikos" and the Sephardic version of "Maoz Tzur" that Judy knows....
It all ends tonight and through tomorrow. Enjoy the brightest lights tonight and here's to hoping that Hatch's song joins "Hanukkah with Monica" on the trivial pursuit pile.
Forwarded to me by a friend:
The 5th Annual Sephardic Music Festival, sponsored by NYC's 92nd Street Y Tribeca location, got off to a roaring start with a performance by Galeet Dardashti's group, "The Naming". Dardashti mixes English, Hebrew, Arabic and Persian in original musical compositions and songs about women. Her subjects range from the matriarchs to her Teheranian great-aunt Tova who was childless and therefore put on tefillin every morning since she felt she had no excuse for slacking, given that women are generally excused from the compulsory execution of this mitzvah by dint of needing to take care of their children. 'The Naming' has good electronics which help visualize the biblical or midrashic texts from which Dardashti crafts her songs. The musicians are more than competent; they are clearly interested in using traditional Persian Jewish music in a respectful way when it gets fused into more western traditions. Themes include Sarah and Hagar, the Queen of Sheba's riddles and hairy legs, childbirth, and a beautiful song about the city of Shusan which is also a paean to Vashti (today's demonstrators in Teheran and Jewish women are all seen as Vashti's offspring).
Smadar Levi was uplifting ; her band had a lot of good energy and she genuinely knew how to work the crowd in a mix of English and Hebrew. The emphasis was on Moroccan music that was clearly suffused not only with Jewish and Moroccan themes but also with Sufiism. She had just come back from the music festival at Fez where she apparently did a command performance for the Moroccan king. Her mix of languages in original songs set usually in both Hebrew and Arabic worked well. Her band felt like an updated version of HaBreira HaTivit and people by the end of the set were clapping and dancing since she clearly invited audience participation.
—Esther Malka
It's time for a reprise of that killer holiday melody as sung by Jewlia Eisenberg and the wonderful SF band, Kugelplex:
This is a very rare public performance by one of the most wonderful klezmer violinists out there. If you're in the area, it's worth stopping by!
You're invited!
Sandra Layman will be performing with the Seattle Jewish Chorale and Kesselgarden at a free event on Sunday afternoon, November 29, between 2:00 and 5:00 pm, Barnes and Noble bookstore at University Village, NE Seattle.
It's a "pre-Hanukkah" event, with beautiful choral singing (including a lovely song for women's voices with violin), interludes of rousing klezmer music, and Hanukkah sing-alongs. Drop by, and bring the kids!
It's finally available -- at a special low price for the holiday gift-giving season -- the downloadable (MP3) version of my CD, "Little Blackbird"! Preview and buy it at: Little Blackbird
I try not to let visitors see my office, where the piles of CDs awaiting review stun me. But, today is Thanksgiving. We've set the table, Judy is working on some pies with a niece, and it's time for me to express holiday feelings by catching up with a few of the recordings that have been on my "this is wonderful. spread the word." list for a while. Foremost among these is this stunning 2005 recording by Deborah Strauss and Jeff Warschauer: "Rejoicing: Yiddish Songs & Klezmer Music." If you do not have a copy, you will want one now, and you'll probably want to get copies as Hanukkah gifts. In that case, don't let me stop you from ignoring my review and ordering directly from cdbaby.com. I'll encapsulate what I said in a few words: "Never miss a chance to hear Strauss-Warschauer Duo perform. Never be without their CD. It's as important as chicken soup."
From the Jewish-Music mailing list on Nov 17, 2009. Additional information on the Jewish Music Web Center:
I just received the sad news that fellow collector and lover of Chazzonus Barry (Berel) Serota has passed away. Although I never met him in person, I had the privilege of talking with Barry on the phone several times. The last time I talked to him on the phone, was at the basement of Chazzan Noah Schall during my stay in the U.S. in August.
Barry Serota did very much to preserve the beautiful art of Chazzonus and he leaves behind a great legacy. He published many rare recordings on the Musique Internationale label and his extreme knowledge of Chazzonus and Chazzonim will forever be missed. Fortunately some of his knowledge was passed on to others - I am among one of those privileged persons - and I hope the great gap he leaves behind will be filled by other collectors (I think no single person can replace him). Barry made Aliyah just a few months ago (maybe he saw things coming) and hopefully his short life in Eretz Yisroel was a happy one. I hope the enormous collection he leaves behind will fall into good hands, so it will be preserved for generations to come. The man did a great job for Chazzonus and I'm forever thankful for all he did. My thoughts go out to his family and loved ones. I hope they'll find the strength to deal with his untimely death. May he rest in peace.
It is a sad day in the world of Chazzonus...
Jeffrey P. Lieuwen
25th Anniversary
A Fertl Yurhundert KlezKamp
KlezKamp: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program
December 23-29, 2009/5770
< ahref="http://www.livingtraditions.org">www.livingtraditions.org
This is to announce the opening of registration for A Fertl Yurhundert KlezKamp, our 25th anniversary program to be held at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa from December 23–29. This year's program features a faculty of over 45 of the world's greatest exponents of traditional and contemporary Yiddish culture.
We invite you to follow us on Facebook and get regular updates about our upcoming event. For more information about the program register online at our KlezKamp website. We look forward to seeing you this coming December at KlezKamp 25.
Henry Sapoznik
This just in: Hank Sapoznik has announced that all sales of the "Youngers of Zion" CD will be earmarked to Mark Rubin's rehab fund. For those of you who missed my post on the Jewish-Music mailing list about YOV (perhaps more truthfully named "middle aged agents of Katz's deli" or somesuch) being a great place to get a Mark Rubin fix, here's what I wrote back in 2005:
I don't even know what to say about this. The album cover says it all, but you'll have to read the review to know how I heard it. Henry Sapoznik, with Austin's musical ambassador, Mark Rubin, and the absolutely stunning fiddle of Cookie Segelstein, teamed up to bring us the one and only Youngers of Zion / Protocols. Listen or else.
Since you are here, now, let me encourage you to purchase this delightful CD from cdbaby.com before you go elsewhere. Or, if you already have the CD, you can help the Mark Rubin fund, directly.
I'd have more to say, but opinions on this country's health care system will have to go elsewhere. Anyone stupid enough to try to justify how we can pay any more for health care than any other country and have so many people underinsured/uninsured and put up with recision and denied covered the way we do, even for those allegedly insured, so that we rank at the bottom of other industrialized nations by any measure (other than money spent), should stay out of my sight. Call health care reform anything you want, but if you are not pushing for reform, you should consider yourself wilfully ignorant and thoroughly uninformed. You should be embarrassed and ashamed.
Mr. Rubin has torn his rotator cuff and needs $4000. It's volunteer week. Please volunteer some needed cash.
In the meantime, I'll talk about Mark Rubin's amazing music. I personally make sure that I hear him every few months, in some ensemble, whether I thought I needed to or not--him, Hank Sapoznik, and Cookie Segelstein as the Youngers of Zion is one cure for anything that might ail you.
About a year ago, Rubin was sitting in for Andy Statman's regular bass player at the Ashkenaz Festival. Larry Eagle was on drums, so you know that I'm talking about a very hot trio. Rubin and Statman blew the place away. I have heard both play incredible music many times, but Mark pushed Andy who pushed back into places I have never before been (although I would happily return).
An amazing bass player. An amazing story-teller. Help if you can.
markdrubin.blogspot.com
Nobody who knows fiddler & poet Alicia Jo Rabin's first, pre-Golem release, Sugar Shack (2003) will be surprised to hear that her latest project, "Girls in Trouble" is amazing, tuneful, poetic, and just damn impossible to walk away from.
The album's concept is simple: while procrastinating about writing a thesis to complete her Jewish Studies degree at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabins wrote poems about several Biblical "women in trouble" and set them to music. Then they took on a life of their own. The subjects range from the obscure (Yiftah's daughter—the one example of uninterrupted human sacrifice in the TaNaKh) to the familiar—Miriam and Ruth. Part of the fun is trying to connect the story as told in Rabins' wonderful poetry, to the actual Biblical event. But the songs are balm. Even when the tales are chilling, her ability to tell a story and set it to wonderful, quiet music, is healing.
I wasn't going to mention this CD until it's release next week, but I can't stop listening to it. Like Rabins, I have to stop procrastinating and get back to work, so let me at least pass on the word about this recording—and suggest that you pre-order a copy at half price ($5.99) to ensure that it arrives asap. (The JDUB website says CDs will ship the week of Nov 3.)
For more information about Girls in Trouble, visit the MySpace page.
The Salt Wives sound like a very interested local band, and Daniel Kahn just seems to get better. If I can keep my eyes open so far past my bedtime, this is where I'll be until the wee hours, tonight.
Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird
Sept 16 10:00 PM
The Lily Pad
1353 Cambridge St, Cambridge, Massachusetts
With David Symons & The Salt Wives
Jo Amar passed away on June 26. The news was first announced to the world in the Jerusalem Post on June 28. Haaretz captured more of the essence of the singer and his significance, with some wonderful quotes from scholar Edwin Seroussi.
The New York Times obituary also captured much of who he was: Jo Amar, Genre-Blending Jewish Singer, Dies at 79, by Bruce Webber, published Jul 9, 2009.
"Mr. Amar’s music was a hybrid, fusing Sephardic and North African-Arab songs, Jewish liturgical vocal styles and even Western-style harmonies into a kind of Middle Eastern pop. He sang in a bright, engaging tenor, recording about 20 albums, and with his crowd-pleasing manner, he performed not only in large performance halls with full orchestras but also in cabarets and at weddings and other private functions. He was often asked to be the guest cantor on Jewish High Holy Days, invitations he accepted selectively, in cities including Paris and Casablanca." [more]
Lori Lippitz, from Maxwell Street Klezmer, wrote: "I loved his singing and learned many tunes from his recordings. Very special to me is his Hamavdil with an Arabic-style chorus (French Morrocan)."
MORE...from Ben Bresky:
Can Non-Jews Play Klezmer? Tim Sparks does on his new CD
Can a Gentile play Jewish music? Which is more Jewish? Barbra Steisand's Christmas album or Tim Sparks' klezmer album? Find out in this in depth interview with non-Jewish jazz guitar virtuoso Tim Sparks on his new CD 'Little Princess', which gives Naftule Brandwein, the 1920s king of the klezmer clarinet, a smooth instrumental jazz treatment.
Pioneering a cure, by Mel Bezalel, Jun 15, 2009, Jerusalem Post
When the first pioneers arrived on these shores almost 100 years ago, they carried with them numerous and varied cultural identities, a reminder of their home communities that, in many cases, had evolved over many generations.
Music was a significant facet of this, says the New York-based Rabbi Greg Wall, producer of Pioneers for a Cure (PfaC), a charity project officially launched on Yom Ha'atzmaut this year to raise funds for cancer research through re-recording and distributing pioneer songs. Thirty tracks were recorded over the past two years in a New York studio, and are now available to download. [More]
Israeli radio's Ben Bresky sent me this a couple of months ago. It's still a good article about an interesting band:
Israeli Klezmer Revival Band 'Oy Division' Rocks Tel Aviv by Ben Bresky, Jun 10, 2009
If you think a club in Tel Aviv is no place to find a rocking acoustic klezmer band, then think again. On any given night, Oy Division is playing to an enthusiastic group of young Israelis. The rockers, jazz musicians, and world beat singers who make up the group have never done Jewish-oriented material before. But they’re now dedicated to the music their grandparents played, as demonstrated on their new CD which features accordions, clarinets and singing in Yiddish and Russian.
Clarinet player Eyal Talmudi talked about the group's thoughts on klezmer, Yiddish culture in Israel and their unprecedented Rolling Stones cover on Israel National Radio's 'The Beat with Ben Bresky.'
From Klezmokum's Burton Greene:
Klezmokum just posted 6 video clips from our tour of synagogues and culture centers in November, 2007 on youtube…. Check it out!
Also there's a documentary about my life and involvement with Jewish music at www.justin.tv/bgreene. (It's in 4 segments.. you have to wait about a minute for the first segment to begin.)
I'm a bit late in posting this, but Keith Wolzinger is now doing video podcasts. The latest, #54, covers an interesting French ensemble, the Watcha Clan
Klezmer Podcast 54- Watcha Clan In Los AngelesShalom Friends and Colleagues,
We are thrilled to announce that our new CD—Chalamti Chalom, I Dreamt a Dream—is now available for purchase on CDBaby. You can listen to samples and purchase the CD through this direct link.
Included on the CD are pieces by Morris Barash, Paul Ben-Haim, Maurice Goldman, Michael Isaacson, Marc Lavry, Alan Menken, Sergiu Natra, Moishe Oysher, Lazar Weiner, Moseh Wilensky, and Chanan Yovel.
Also on this CD are two Hebrew settings written by Paul Ben-Haim before he made aliyah in 1933. Left unpublished and unperformed in his archive, we have brought these remarkable, virtuosic pieces back to light for the first time.
We have combined our talents to create this CD of Jewish peace songs in Hebrew, English, and Yiddish. The music ranges from secular to sacred, cantorial to broadway, and from art songs to popular melodies.
We hope that you will enjoy listening to Chalamti Chalom as much as we enjoyed producing it.
To purchase your copy—follow this link.
B'virkat Shalom,
David Berger and Joyce Rosenzweig
Led by famed klezmer musician Jeff Warschauer
Play wonderful music while making new friends and having a great time!
For more information, please contact Sara Lerman at (212) 889-6800 ext. 252
www.circle.org
MORE...
NEW YORK PREMIERE
November 8th - December 13th
Tickets now on sale! Click here to purchase tickets for
THEO BIKEL in SHOLOM ALEICHEM: LAUGHTER THROUGH TEARS
Written By Theodore Bikel
Music Direction by Tamara Brooks
Tamara Brooks, Piano
Merima Kljuc(o, Accordion
Directed by Derek Goldman
Presented by Special Arrangement with National Jewish Theater
Arnold Mittelman, Producing Artistic Director
Originally developed in 2008 by Theater J, Washington, DC
Ari Roth, Artistic Director and Patricia Jenson, Managing Director
THIS SHOW WILL BE PERFORMED MOSTLY IN ENGLISH WITH
YIDDISH AND RUSSIAN SUPERTITLES
A PLAY WITH MUSIC CELEBRATING THE GREAT YIDDISH WRITER
Regular Ticket Prices: Orchestra $55, Balcony $45, Students $25*
*Student tickets can only be purchased at the box office, student ID required
BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW
MORE...KLEZFIESTA 2009
Ya esta llegando la 2º Edición de la Klezfiesta, y esta año llega recargado!!!
Próximamente recibirás información de los lugares y horarios de las presentaciones.
Buenos Aires
Del 7 al 15 de Noviembre de 2009
Website: www.klezfiesta.com.ar
Posted by Binyomin Ginzberg to the Jewish Music list last month—I'm just catching up now:.
[H]ere are some pictures and video from the first Jerusalem Klezmer Festival Itzik posted about. The accompanying text is in Hebrew.
More about the event (also in Hebrew).
There was also a book of Klezmer sheet music "Nishmat Haklezmorim—The Soul of Klezmer" released to coincide with the festival. I don't have much information about the song contents, but I do know that it includes the repertoire of the Jerusalem klezmorim and contains traditional dance melodies for the Bottle Dance, Tkhias Hameysim Dance, and more.
It has many photos and the text in translated into six languages. I did some of the English translations including forewords by Mousa Berlin and Giora Feidman.
I haven't seen the book yet—I wasn't at the festival—but I anticipate getting one soon, at which point I'll have more information about the contents, should anyone be interested.
KlezmerShack favorites: Ribs & Brisket Revue
New England premiere! (If you don't count a wonderful show at the 2008 Paper Bridge fest in Amherst)
Saturday, October 24, 2009 8pm
Sunday, October 25, 2009 2pm
Ribs & Brisket Revue has been serving up heaping helpings of '40s & '50s-style Jewish jazz, Yiddish swing, and various kosher-style blues to fans everywhere. Ribs & Brisket Revue both entertains and impresses: chicken soup for the weary, postmodern soul. The most fun you’ll have at a concert this year!
Tickets: $25 General; $23 JCC members and seniors
Related events
Pre-show talk: Sunday, October 25, 2009 12:30pm
”Roots: Klezmer Meets Jazz—Exploring Jewish and African-American musical traditions”
Hankus Netsky
Faculty, New England Conservatory; Founder and director, Klezmer Conservatory Band
Free with ticket to either show or $8 General / $5 JCC members
Ribs and brisket bake-off: Enter your favorite brisket recipe!
A panel of culinary judges, including Firefly’s chef, Steve Uliss and PBS Cookbook authors Sheila and Marilyn Brass, will select the best recipes. Winners will be announced at the Saturday evening show and a taste of the winning recipe will be served.
Winner receives
- Gift Certificate to Firefly Restaurant
- Free tickets to selected JCC events
- JCC gym bag
- Bragging rights!
From Alex Lubet and Marvin Margoshes on the Jewish-Music list last week:
Big article on Tucker in yesterday's NY Times. This is the centennial of her recording debut and there's a cd re-release of her earliest sessions that was highly praised. The article is great, too.
A Century Later, She’s Still Red Hot, by Jody Rosen, Aug 28, 2009
You can find out more about Sophie Tucker on the Jewish Women's Archive, or see her live as part of the JWA film, Making Trouble, now available for home purchase. (Disclaimer: I am an employee of JWA and pretty damn proud of it because of materials like these. ari)
Oh, this is delicious—from Alain Mihaly :
Extrait du concert Jacques Franck en juin 2008. Zahava Seewald et Zohara interprètent : la chanson "Abulafiah, I would Lay down my life" compositeur J. Zorn sur un thème de Samuel Hanagid Extrait du concert Jacques Franck en juin 2008. Zahava Seewald et Zohara interprètent : la chanson "Abulafiah, I would Lay down my life" compositeur J. Zorn sur un thème de Samuel Hanagid
Every year I end up leaving KlezKanada with a bit more music than I arrived with. This means that the trip home in the car is especially fun. This year, there were few new CDs, but what was there represented, I think, the diversity and depth of this "Naye Dor" (new generation) that was on display at the great concert at camp.
The hit of the pack is clearly this new CD by violinist Jake Shulman-Ment. Called אַ רעדעלע / A Wheel, his violin work is superb as he plays fairly traditional klezmer, with a few Yiddish vocals, all with a very pre-America European feel that is nicely complemented with tsimbl work by both NY's Pete Rushefsky and Cleveland's Alex Fedoriouk. Will this setting of Linestski's poem replace the Jerry Garcia song of similar name? Perhaps! In songs, as with life, the wheel keeps turning. This album? I'll be listening to it for a while. Pick up your copy at cdbaby.com.
Shulman-Ment is involved in several bands. It is rare to see a klezmer- or Yiddish-related concert of interest in NYC that doesn't feature him, these days. One of his many side projects is a "transylvanian" folk band called "Metrofolk." Not knowing what I had in hand, I happened to swap it out in the car's CD player with an early Muzsik´s CD. For a few seconds I wondered if I had mistakenly left the first CD in place. Billed as "Traditional Gypsy, Hungarian, Romanian, and Jewish folk music and songs from Transylvania, freshly interpreted on the streets and subways of New York City," this first release, "Renegades of Folk" is a delight. Vocalist Kata Harsaczki is a lovely find. Shulman-Ment fiddles like a soul on fire. Pete Rushefsky makes a cameo on tsimbl, er, cimbalom. The repertoire includes some specificly Jewish songs from the region along with a host of other songs and tunes. The literal translation from Hungarian, "I smoked and burned my mouth" and "My heart aches inside and out" add piquancy. This is a fun album, and also available from CDbaby.com
And now for something completely different. Fans of New Orleans' Panorama Jazz Band have long been aware of Patrick Farrell's accordion playing. A recent transplant (except for during mardi gras season) to NYC, he is also a stalwart of the ever-amazing Frank London's Klezmer AllStars and Michael Winograd's klezmer ensembles. Now he has his New Orleans-style brass band, Stagger Back Brass Band and it rocks. This is the band you want to invite to your street party—to any party. It's a romp through world music as interpreted by New Orleans-style brass and it is as good as it sounds. Better. You can check out samples and pick up your own copy (and support the KlezmerShack by using this link) from the usual cdbaby.com.
One of the elemental recordings of the Klezmer Revival was this 1978 recording by Dave Tarras, modestly titled, "Music for the Traditional Jewish Wedding," and originally released as a cassette from New York's Balkan Arts Center (now the Center for Traditional Music and Song headed up by the ubiquitous Pete Rushefsky). The recording was rereleased last year? on CD, and I now have a copy that I can easily listen to on my computer. It's not that I have forgotten how good Dave Tarras is, it's that I hadn't thought about this recording for a while and was surprised how often I found myself preferring familiar songs his way. We have created new "classics," but Dave Tarras was the Master of the Jewish Clarinet. It's worth the reminder. Get your copy from the CTMD and help support Pete! Your ears, your feet, and all but jealous clarinetists within range will thank you.
One of the pleasures of KlezKanada was sitting across the table from Toronto's Yiddish scholar, Anna Sternshis, and her kids (did we talk about the explosion of babies at KlezKanada?) and discovered that she is married to Dan Rosenberg who is responsible for several of my favorite "Rough Guide" compilation CDs. (He is also responsible for the excellent Rounder set, "The Hidden Gate: Jewish Music From Around The World"). His guide to Israeli music was reviewed on the KlezmerShack a few years ago. I thought he juggled an impossible task and caught an incredible slice of what has been interesting and innovative in that country's music. I felt that his guide to the Klezmer Revival missed some critical bands (nothing from Australia's Klezmania and, I think nothing from Canada—not even the Flying Bulgars from his own town. There were also a few cuts I would probably not have put on my own compilation. On the other hand, had I realized that there was another volume coming, the "Rough Guide to Klezmer Revolution" I might have been more excited, because this CD does capture much of the breadth of what is new and exciting in klezmer-based new Jewish music. From the Klezmatics singing "I Ain't Afraid" to South America's Moguilsevsky & Lerner—and yes, the Flying Bulgars are here, along with SoCalled and Mikveh, Margot Leverett, and Shtreiml, and David Krakauer, and Wolf Krakowski, and Oi Va Voi, and lots more from around the world. In short, pretty much everyone I was pissed at him for leaving off the first CD! This is the best sampler of what's new in the Klezmer world since last year's KlezKanada compilation. As was the case with the Israeli music CD, it isn't that I can't think of incredible artists or bands who aren't represented, but that the geographic and music span of the diversity is so well represented. If you can't have everything, this is a good starting point. Hey, it's got Dan Kahn on the cover. It's got to be good. Pick up your copy today.
I mention one last recording, from 2003, because it kept coming up in conversation. Klezmania's Freydi Mrocki was at KlezKanada this year and kept kvelling about the soundtrack to this remarkable book by someone "down under" named Arnold Zable. It's called "The Fig Tree" and features music by Klezmania, Klezmeritis, and several Greek bands from the same neighborhood. It is such a delight that it is already part of my car-driving music repertoire. If you can figure out how to get a copy from down under, you'll thank me for it. I just have to get a copy of that darn book and see what the real fuss is about.
Audition for Harvard's landmark production of the most popular Yiddish play of all time—Shulamis: a timeless Biblical operetta of love and deception, of the price of revenge and the power of forgiveness.
Our production will feature a new translation, a new musical score, a live orchestra, masks, avant-garde design elements, and innovative choreography. Songs will be performed in Yiddish (with supertitles), while the dialogue will be in English. NO PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF YIDDISH REQUIRED. Actors and singers, please come prepared with a song (ideally a musical theater or opera selection). Dancers are encouraged to audition for our dance-only corps.
We are looking for actors, dancers, and singers of all ages and backgrounds for a large ensemble cast. Come audition to be a part of this historic, professionally guided project that will breathe new life into a Yiddish theatre classic!
Performance dates are December 2-6 at Harvard's historic Agassiz Theater in Radcliffe Yard. Rehearsals will run mid-September through early December. No rehearsals will be held on Saturdays or on Jewish or secular holidays.
Auditions will be held through Harvard Common Casting:
Tuesday, Sept. 8: 9 PM - Midnight
at the Agassiz Theater in Radcliffe YardWednesday, Sept. 9: 9 PM - Midnight
Thursday, Sept. 10: 6-9 PM
at the New College Theater (10-12 Holyoke Street, Cambridge) in Harvard Square
For further information click here and click here, too!
The National Yiddish Theatre - Folksbiene is casting its upcoming 2009-2010 production of Kids & Yiddish our annual family musical. We are seeking children (13 and under) and one young adult (16-25) union or non-union with an outgoing personality, excellent report with children, acting and movement skills, strong vocals and a working acquaintance with Yiddish or a great ear for language.
The show is presented primarily in English, however there is significant Yiddish content.
MORE...
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