the KlezmerShack

From Eva Broman, on the Jewish-Music mailing list:

Here is a review of Amy Horowitz's book on Israeli Mediterranean music that might be of interest:

Mediterranean Israeli Music and the Politics of the Aesthetic, reviewed by Motti Regev, Aug 30, 2010

Musiqa mizrahit, aka Israeli Mediterranean Music, is a category of popular music mostly known for its strong Middle Eastern and Greek tinges. It has been at the center of Israeli public discourse on popular music since the late 1970s. By 2010, the leading theme of this discourse is the "triumph" of the genre in the field of Israeli popular music. With prominent performers such as Sarit Hadad, Eyal Golan, Kobi Peretz, Moshe Peretz, Shlomi Shabat, Lior Narkis and others filling up the largest music venues in Israel, leading the sale charts and ruling the radio airwaves, Israeli Mediterranean Music is by 2010 the "mainstream" of Israeli popular music.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:49 PM | Permalink

From Roman Litovsky:

"Merhavim is Russian-Jewish band from Beer Sheva (Israel). The leader of the band—Boris Blahman is a poet, composer, musician and brilliant performer. Marina Gershman - lead vocals, Elina Milkina - violin and vocals. They perform original songs and music based on Eastern European Jewish music tradition, rich poetic Russian-Jewish culture in mixed genre of Folk/Bard/Klezmer/City Romance (Chanson).

This group was founded long ago in Vitebsk (Belorussia), later they emigrated to Israel. By now they published 15 original CD's!

They perform in Russian with some Yiddish elements, therefore their audience was limited in US to Russan-Jewish community.

I am a friend of Merhavim and their devoted fan—so I decided to translate their songs into English. Merhavim liked the translation—Marina and Elina speak English professionally, and they decided to make it live. So, they published this new CD "Wandering Songs" that is in part inspired by famous novel of Sholom Aleyhem "Wandering Stars" and gives pretty broad picture of Jewish life in old Russia and Israel of today. I am an exclusive distributor of Merhavim CD's in US. Though I am not looking for commercial interest for myself,—I am trying to do whatever is possible to help Merhavim—to promote their art—to help them somehow to perform in the US.

For more information, email Roman Litovsky.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:25 PM | Permalink

Yossi Zucker writes that "The Real Arab Book," described last month on this blog, is now available directly from Or Tav in Israel. Regarding the question of translation to English he also writes:

To clarify the issue of the English translation of the text in "The Real Arab Book:"

There are two sections with text in Hebrew:

• A two page introduction, with very short descriptions (not even full sentences sometimes)
• The addendum, which is a discussion of the scales of the maqamat, which has partly Hebrew titles and again extremely short Hebrew descriptions/definitions.

In the body of the book, all titles and the names of composers are given in English as well.

Quickly going over the texts, I see that I could, with the author's permission, translate the introduction and insert the page. Providing a translation of the section on the scales of the maqamat is problematic. First of all, I would need to receive the original music files from the authors and insert the texts. Secondly, I am not sure how useful this section is, or (more importantly) how accurate. The authors have chosen to list the scales for the maqamat, but the scales are not the maqamat. Also, some of the divisions into families of scales that they have made may not be the most accurate. We are working very hard to be able to issue our English translation of David Muallem's "The Scale and Maqam in the Arabic Musical Tradition," and there you will find a much more detailed and accurate description of the scales and the maqamat that are based on the scales, along with a demonstration CD played on kanun. This book should be ready in several months.

I think that we should see "The Real Arab Book" as a collection of melodies and songs, and leave the business of explaining the maqamat to those who do it better.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:45 PM | Permalink

Binyomin Ginzberg spotted this one:.

I found an interesting book series during my recent visit to Israel and thought this might well be of interest to list members.

It's a series of books called "The Real Arab Book—For All Oriental Instruments", and it is modeled on the classic jazz "Real Book."

There are two volumes that I'm aware of. I've found a link to an Israeli music bookstore carrying these (Safir music store on Rehov Ben Yehudah). I picked them up locally.

Here are links to Book 1 and Book 2. The version I bought is a revised 2006 version.

In addition to the sheet music, the books also have brief explanatory sections in Hebrew on Arabic song form, the various scales/modes used, etc. The song titles are written in Hebrew and English (and often Arabic too). The index is in Hebrew and English.

I linked to the Music Bookshop website because they have scans of the index available for viewing. You can find it by clicking on the link "לחץ לצפיה בתוכן העניינים" to the left of the cover image on that site. They don't appear to have an English version of their site.

I haven't had a chance to play through these yet, but on quick perusal, I see that includes some specifically Jewish songs like Tzur Mishelo (aka Los Bilibicos), and Yehallel Niv Sefatenu, among others.

It may be possible to get the books directly from the author, E-mail Jacob Nakov

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:58 PM | Permalink

This from Eva Broman on the Jewish-Music list. Commentary Eva's, from last month:

I came across a few clips that give a picture of the relations between Jewish Israelis and Arab Israelis which differs quite a lot from the ones we're used to seeing. The clips show Arab singers performing for Israeli Jewish audiences, as well as Israeli Jewish singers appearing in front of enthusiastic Arab audiences.

The first one is from a live show with Druze singer Sharif, in a Jewish club:

On 16-Jan-2009, I got an email from "Michael" giving further details: "The village where Avi Biter is singing is Jisr Az-Zarqa, between Caesaria and Zikhron Yaacov on the Mediterranean coast." Thank you!

Continue reading "Music, Jews, and Arabs - a common ground" »

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:18 PM | Permalink

I entirely overlooked this set of even newer reviews by George Robinson featuring new Israeli music, ranging from Yeminite Diwan to modern Jazz. Take a gander at A 60th Sampler, June 29, 2008, again, from the Jewish Week by the esteemed musicator.

For the curious, the featured CD, “With Songs They Respond: The Diwan of the Jews from Central Yemen”, is available from our friends at Hatikvah Music International. E-mail Simon@Hatikvah right away and enjoy!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:26 PM | Permalink

Eva Broman found this one, The Land of Milk and Honey:

The original concept was to introduce to the world a man we believed was lost to history. From childhood on, we all sang and danced to the song “Eretz Zavat Chalav u’Dvash”, but like most, we believed the song was one passed down from generation to generation, a traditional song written eons ago, another song of the collective Jewish experience. But through a chance encounter a few years back, we learned that the composer, Eliahu Gamliel (now in his 80’s), was indeed alive and still teaching dance and music in Israel.

For more, check out the website for the documentary.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:01 PM | Permalink

Ever since their oddball hit, the "Sticker Song," an amalgamation of Israeli bumper sticker slogans penned by the brilliant novelist and journalist David Grossman, I have been curious about הדג נחש. I got a CD and it sounded like pretty mainstream hip-hop pop, but what do I know? So, when I heard that they were coming to Brandeis, I wasted no time in getting tickets.

Sad to say, this concert was a reminder that I am no longer 15 (the age of a friend's son who loves the band), nor am I part of the crowd of Brandeis students that could enjoy the music simply because it has a beat and is in Hebrew. The evening began with an opening band, Nanuchka (sp?) from Brooklyn. Not a terrible band. Excellent stage presence. Then, after a very short 10-minute stage change, the main band appeared.

They feature an okay horn section. Well, one trombone and one sax. The trombonik was okay. The sax wasn't bad. The beat was pretty reasonable. The acoustics in the hall were such that anyone who hadn't already memorized the lyrics was out of luck. The voices sounded reasonably good. But after an incredibly repetitive refrain on the first song of מה שבא בא, and an incredibly repetitive refrain on the second song that seemed to be "oh yeah, oh yeah," I began to sense a certain sameness. Somewhere in there the band did a wonderful spoof on California surf bands as transmogrified by Israeli hip hop sounds, but even that eventually went on for too long. Then, the bass player, not one of the more capable members of the band, did an exceptionally long, wankerish solo. Then the band kicked up the volume and Judy and I realized that we had enjoyed as much as we were going to enjoy.

This was not a bad concert by any means. It just wasn't a good enough concert for people of my advanced age. It's not new to me any more, and it wasn't a special social event for us. I think I've heard enough. I wanna hear the really exciting edgy Israeli bands like Boom Pam or Kruzenshtern & Parohod. Maybe we'll get a chance in April when we hit the oft-promised land. But I think I've gotten enough of this one for now.

Thanks to Andy Tannenbaum for correcting my spelling of the band's name and pointing out that it is a pun on the near-ubiquitous notices on Israeli buses for נהג חדש. Not so clever a pun as Tipex (now spelled "teapacks" in english after the Israeli makers of "white-out" objected, which obscures the original idea of the band represented people who had been "whited out" from the national discourse), but a pun, nonetheless. Check out Wikipedia for more info.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:38 PM | Permalink

Eva Broman found these clips:

I just found some really nice clips on youtube. The first one is "Divahn" performing Avihu Medina's "Shabechi Yerushalayim":

And some of my favourite Israeli artists, the comedy/singing combo "Ma Kashur?" together with Sharif in a real "hafla" tune: And something totally different, from another era in Israeli music and television (Yigal Bashan, singing "Yesh li Tsipur K'tana b'lev" (I've a small bird in my heart)): I fell for this song when I first heard it in the movie "Bikur Ha-Tizmoret" with a group of Israeli friends. It must be something of a classic, because all the Israelis instantly recognized it and hummed along. "Bikur Ha-Tizmoret" is highly recommended, BTW. There is some excellent acting, and a warm, understated humour.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:14 AM | Permalink

If there is an Israeli band that I am eager to hear, this is the one. I have missed them at least twice here in the States. Last spring, Global Rhythm did a great write-up:

Here in the States, wedding bands get a bad rap. The term is a surefire punch line and cultural shorthand for “cheesy,” conjuring up images of tuxedoed mediocrity, canned schmaltz and Adam Sandler. But Israeli surf-rockers Boom Pam are proud to wear their schmaltz on their sleeves, taking their name from a 1969 pop hit that’s become a perennial favorite at Israeli weddings—and recording a version of their own that went straight to the top of their homeland’s charts last year….

www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicFeatures/BoomPam.cfm

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:43 AM | Permalink

Simon at Hatikvah Music in LA writes:

New** 2 CD/200 Page Book -of Yemenite Diwan from Hebrew University
*** Ya'anu B'kol Shirim - With Songs They Respond****
The Diwan of The Jews from Central Yemen

Hot of the presses, this exciting deluxe 2 CD set including a hard cover booklet of over 200 pages—110 pages in English and over 109 pages in Hebrew—including lyrics to all the selections. The booklet give a detailed history of the Diwan and the origins of each of the selections.

The Songs in this set fall into 2 categories, "Sabbath Songs", and "Songs for All Occasions" (Celebrations) and are based on the works of the great poets: Shelomo Ibn Gabirol, Yehudah Halevi, Shalom Shabazi, Yosef Ben Israel, and others.

The recordings on these CDs were made between 1977 and 1979 sung by The Kiryat Ono Ensemble including such renown Yemenite artist as Aharom Amram, Zado Zubeiri, Zekhariah Yitshak, Yehuda Cohen and many more.

We accept Visa & Mastercard.
Thank Your
Hatikvah Music
323) 656-7083

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:30 PM | Permalink

This is the song Eurovision is having issues with? Give me a break!

But, if the truth be told, I agree with my old friend Michal Ayalon—"Salam Salami" is much more fun! Who needs reunion concerts by Poogy reruns when Tipex is writing new satire. (Okay, neither of these is the band at its most profound. There must be a place for peaceful frivolity. And remember, Katz's Deli in NYC still has a sign in its window (still current, unfortunately, but for the fact that your child in the armed forces might be either gender today): "Send a salami to your boy in the army".

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:07 PM | Permalink

Tzadik recordings artists Davka have been working on an interesting fusion of new Jewish music for a decade, fusing classical training and traditions with klezmer, yiddish, sephardic, and middle eastern sounds. A few years ago they appeared at the Berkeley Jewish Music Festival with an amazing women's Balkan chorus, Kitka. I have been a fan of the latter almost since their inception in 1979 and treasure my cassette copy of their first release. In a PBS special that aired in December 2006, the two groups appeared together, again. There are also some interviews with members of the two ensembles about Jewish music and what it is to them. Kitka performs a wide variety of Jewish, primarily Sephardic music, while Davka also delivers a very nice live performance. They close with a few numbers together and are joined by Cantor Stephen Saxon (KlexX). It's a lovely program. If your PBS station hasn't yet aired it, encourage them to do so. Or, purchase a DVD (more interviews, songs) yourself.

For more information, visit the filmmakers' website, www.forestcreatures.com

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:14 PM | Permalink

I got this from Judith Pinnolis' Jewish Music WebCenter blog. Who knew! James Loeffler, of the Jewish Music Forum, and currently an assistant Professor of Jewish History at the University of Virginia has researched the origins of 'Hava Nagila' and written a lovely article for myjewishlearning.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:24 AM | Permalink

It started with a new Rough Guide release, this time, the Rough Guide to the music of Israel. It is really good. I don't mention it very often, but I first began writing about Jewish music as a reviewer for the Jerusalem Post back in the late 1970s. By then I had spent years doing community theatre and hanging out with musicians in Israel. I didn't write for the Post long—it was difficult to focus on a gig writing for a newspaper that I shunned reading—but I have never lost my love for Israeli music and its diversity. This recording captures a good slice of that diversity, as updated and compiled just a couple of months ago. There is also an interview with the compiler on the CD, playable on a computer via webbrowser. Although a Jewish lad growing up in a Zionist home, the compiler seems ignorant of most details of modern Jewish history. But he has enough generalities generally right that this, too, forms a good introduction to Israeli music, overall. Those who let their ears get them into trouble will dig more deeply.

The problem was that I got so wrapped up in the first CD, that I had to spend time with that Idan Raichel CD that I've been meaning to write about for years: 2002's Idan Raichel Project. I find this the most mind-blowing Israeli CD in years. In some ways, it reminds of of Ofra Haza's early work, an explosion of traditional sounds transformed for this time and place. It also reminds me of my favorite Israeli band of the '90s, the Ethnix. But it's also it's own original sound, building on Israeli and world music, with everything from reggae to hip hop, inflected by Raichel's Ethiopian roots. Wonderful.

By now I was in trouble, so I also polished off a review of the relatively recent release of the final album by Israeli jazz masters, The Platina: Platina / Girl with the Flaxen Hair. Released back in 2003 as part of tributes to bandleader Roman Kunsman who had just passed away, this is material that was original recording in 1976 and then lost. The studio mangled most of the original tapes, then the band broke up. And we all moved on, remembering the concerts and the transformed Debussey of the title track. I have tried to begin to describe how good it sounds, even now, 30 years later. This is a must-have CD for anyone remotely interested in jazz or jazz-rock or Debussey.

There is something about Philadelphia Jews. I've said this before, but with the release of Klingon Klezmer / Blue Suede Jews, it bears repeating. This is, after all, the home of Benny and the Vilda Chayas. But it's also Hankus Netsky's home turf. It's the city that gave us not only Anthony Coleman, but also nth generation straight-ahead klezmorim like Rachel Lemish and Susan Watts. This latest excursion by the Klingons is a delightful, zany, and damn fine exploriation of the psychedelic side of klezmer.

The 10th Anniversary of the first Masada material has prompted a wonderful re-examination of that work by a wide variety of artists. I confess to being among the few who find Zorn's Masada okay, but don't have a great need to own each volume. On the other hand, listening to Jon Madof and his noisemakers, er, Rashanim, transform some of the material is entirely different. 2005's Rashanim / Masada Rock, Vol. 5 is going to be part of your essential Masada collection.

Ladies and gentlemen, for another take on the extraordinary John Zorn/Masada material, may I offer you the totally flipped, amazing Koby Israelite / Orobas: Book of Angels Vol. 4, 2006.

And, finally, in a nod to everything that I didn't have time to listen to today, all of which is at least htis good, I offer one last fusion, the world music band Asefa, house band to Sam Thomas' Brooklyn-based "Jewish Awareness through Music" organization. Samuel Thomas / Asefa, 2005. Same bass-player, incidentally, as with Jon Madof's Rashanim. These folks get around!

I can't believe how many CDs are crying out for attention and didn't get any today. Stay tuned. I'll try to do this again, real soon now. I have to. The pile fell over last week. Everything is confused, and until I get some reviews written and some CDs put away, I've lost use of my favorite reading chair.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:43 PM | Permalink

David Krakauer has released a live album, recorded last summer in his family's ancentral town, Krakow. The album, on France's notable jazz label, "Label Bleu", is due to be released in the US by Harmonia Mundi USA on January 13th.

Krakauer's "Klezmer Madness" ensemble will be making its Carnegie Hall debut on February 25th with guest artist jazz composer/pianist Uri Caine.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:02 PM | Permalink

Judith Cohen found this delightful article in Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper:

Chopin for the Oud, by Noam Ben Ze'ev, Friday, Nov 14, 2003

Two cellists and three oud players join a kanunist and two flautists, violinists (both of the Arabic and the Western variety) and players of percussion and wood instruments and piano. They hail from Sakhnin and Ramat Gan, Shfaram and Modi'in, Herzliya, Nazareth and Kafr Kana. This multicultural orchestra, and its unique assortment of human and musical talents, is the Jewish-Arab Musical Youth Orchestra - a longish name for a young ensemble, whose teenage members gather together to make music with one another.....

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

George Robinson announces a slew of new music columns published almost all together in New York's Jewish Week:

Five-Star Klez: From New Orleans and Odessa, fusion and traditional approaches.

A Fall Sampler: From Solomon Rossi to Michael Strassfeld.

Heard Around The World: From Turkey to London to the Lower East Side.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:23 AM | Permalink

They are a trio and they don't play klezmer. But whatever it is, this is wonderful, wonderful experimental music - the sort of music that causes people like me to brave dozens of tedious mishmoshes of sound to find something this good.

All I know about the band is that they come from Russia. Now they live in Israel. They formed a year ago. And they are insanely good. For more, read my review. Then run out and order the album.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I got carried away. CDs were falling off the shelf, so I sat down this weekend and stayed sat down until I got several reviewed. We've got some great new Jewish music, some avant garde and jazz, some klezmer (lots of klezmer), some Sephardic and Mizrahi music, more klezmer and Yiddish folk.... That's not the whole gamut, but odds are that something in this weekend's stack will be just what you were looking for:

• Aufwind / Inejnem, 2002, Yiddish folk/theatre/klezmer
• Gilad Atzmon & Orient House Ensemble / Exile, 2003, jazz w/Middle Eastern influences, political
• Koby Israelite / Dance of the Idiots, 2003, cholent--just about everything
• Metropolitan Klezmer / Surprising Finds, 2003, klezmer, yiddish folk, theatre, more
• Den Flygande Bokrullen / Tarrschwein, 2002, headbanger klezmer
• Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band / Sweet Return, 2003, klezmer, yiddish, new Jewish music
• Divahn, 2002, Sephardic, Mizrahi
• Massel-Tov / Vas iz vikhtik..., 2002, klezmer, Yiddish

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:43 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (1)

When I was in the former Leningrad years ago, I remember browsing the street stands for cassettes of incredible local bands. Good street music is always found in lousy, crowded marketplaces, and it comes on poorly recording cassettes.

The subject of Mizrahi (of Jews from the former Ottoman Empire) music came up on the Jewish music mailing list a while back. Longing and nostalgia were expressed for those cassettes available at the bus station or in the open air food markets. As was to be expected, Dr. Judith Cohen, wandering ethnomusicologist and author of our Short Bibliography of Sephardic Music (and many articles and publications) had been there and written about it. We are delighted to make her 1993 article on "Israeli Bus Station Music" available online,

www.klezmershack.com/articles/cohen_j/bus_station_1993.html

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:59 PM | Permalink

Every year, George Robinson pegs the best of the albums that he has reviewed. The Klezmershack is months behind, so I'm just getting this up now. Still, the choices are excellent, so any time is the right time to read them:

www.klezmershack.com/articles/robinson/021125.sounds.html

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:13 PM | Permalink

Eva Broman found this article by Israeli scholar Edwin Seroussi about ""Mediterraneanism" in Israeli music: an idea and its permutations" from Music & Anthropology, Journal of Musical Anthropology of the Mediterranean, Number 7

www.muspe.unibo.it/period/ma/index/number7/seroussi/ser_00.htm

Fascinating!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:00 PM | Permalink

Best greetings from Poland!

I am writing to you because I would like to inform you that we just released the CD called "Nedudai" by SHANI BEN-CANA. This is wonderful record of young talented musician who lives in Safed, Israel.

Continue reading "Wandering through Jewish tradition by BEN-CANAR: a new CD from OW" »

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:45 PM | Permalink

From: "Eva Broman" on the Jewish-Music mailing list:

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2003 +0100

For anyone interested in the development of "Eastern style" (Musica Mizrahit) music in Israel, here's an interesting piece from The Jerusalem Post, by Helen Kaye who has written several articles on the subject:

http://www.jpost.com/com/Archive/01.Sep.1998/Features/Article-1.html

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:34 PM | Permalink

The latest reviews include Lori Cahan-Simon's secular Yiddish Passover song, a SoCalled Hip Hop seder, Nefesh' debut album, 'unplucked,' a delightful album by Israeli band, Tea Packs, 'your life in a lafa,' and Jewlia Eisenberg's latest effort, an avant gardeish, mostly a capella piece based on the writings and diaries of Walter Benjamin and Asja Lacis. A mediation by singer between two lovers. A 'Trilectic.'

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:13 PM | Permalink

reviews of great new releases of music by Mikis Theodorakis, Zakarya, Naftule's Dream, Chava Alberstein, and Monsieur Camembert.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:05 AM | Permalink