the KlezmerShack

"Lullabies and Legacy" class, NYC, starts Feb 7, taught by Klezmatics' Lorin Sklamberg

2012-02-01T14:20:12Z

Have you ever wanted to sing your little one to sleep with a sweet Yiddish lullaby?

Join Lorin Sklamberg, vocalist of the Grammy Award-winning band the Klezmatics for a 4-week exploration into the world of Yiddish children's songs—songs of the cradle and home life, kheyder and nature.

Lullabies and Legacy with Lorin Sklamberg
Presented by The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
Tuesdays, February 7th - 28th from 12:00-1:30pm

Become a part of the tradition of passing this legacy on to your children, grandchildren, even your friends' children. Teachers, babysitters, friends - and lovers of Yiddish song are welcome, too.

For reservations call: 212-889-6800 x234 or email Workmen's Circle
www.circle.org/comeintothecircle.html

Ensemble Saltiel's "Wedding Songs" project - video

2012-02-01T14:16:05Z

From the Jewish-Music mailing list, Ates Temeltas writes (about a very exciting project from Aron Saltiel):

This video includes parts of a performance by Ensemble Saltiel¹s Sephardic Wedding Songs project.

More information about the project

To which Howard Eisenberger adds:

Bonjour a tous,

The 52 minute Paris concert of June 2011 can be found here. There is a download link for the audio.

Adrienne Cooper Memorial video online

2012-01-04T13:51:26Z

I have put up most of the video from Sunday's Memorial on YouTube . It includes Michael Wex's eulogy, and all of the singing and poetry. I will be linking to better, and possibly more complete video when it becomes available. I just felt that something should be up as soon as possible for those who were unable to attend and who miss her as painfully as do those of us who were able to gather and take comfort from each other in person.

Yafa Yarkoni, z"l, pioneering Israeli singer, 86

2012-01-03T03:29:47Z

From Ha-aretz:

Legendary Israeli singer Yafa Yarkoni dies at 86

Yarkoni was known as the singer of Israel’s wars and was one of the most acclaimed artists in the country."

Sofia Noël, z"l

2011-12-30T22:53:49Z

From Judith Cohen:

While we are still reeling from the loss of Adrienne—waking up wondering how she could not be here—just learned that Sofia Noël passed away on December 27, at the age of 96. I met her only once, in the early 80s when I was just beginning to work on Sephardic music, and she was friendly, to the point, elegant... Sofia Noel was both Sephardic and Ashkenazi; she fled Brussels for Spain during World War II. A classically trained singer, she performed Spanish chamber music, as well as Hassidic songs, and songs from different cultures, including a "three cultures" approach long before it became de rigueur. She also carried out research, published articles, taught enthusiastically, and brought Sephardic (and other) music to a wide public through her radio broadcasts. In the '70s and '80s many people in the world of Spanish folk music mentioned her frequently; since her retirement from public life, her central role in bringing Sephardic music to people's attention has become less and less known. For those who read Spanish, more information at www.rtve.es/radio/20111228/fallece-sofia-noel-voz-sefarad/485525.shtml

Funeral for Adrienne Cooper, z"l, Wed., Dec 28, Oakland, CA

2011-12-27T18:57:06Z

From Jeff Warschauer:

Memorial service and funeral for Adrienne Cooper in California tomorrow (Wednesday). Memorial event in NYC January 1.

A memorial service for Adrienne Cooper will take place at 11 am tomorrow (Wednesday) at Congregation B'nai Shalom, 74 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek, CA. This will be followed by a graveside funeral (approximately 12:30 PM) at Oakmont Cemetery in Lafayette, CA.

There will be a memorial service in NY on January 1st, New Years Day at Temple Ansche Chesed at 12 noon. To learn more about Adrienne and her extraordinary legacy, and for more details on Funeral and Memorial Services, click here.

Remember Adrienne

2011-12-27T15:46:29Z

I have posted some of my own thoughts and memories of Adrienne, most appropriately, I think, on the "Jewesses with Attitude" blog: Remembering Adrienne Cooper: Mother to the Klezmer/Yiddish revival.

Adrienne Cooper passed away peacefully on Sunday evening after a long fight with cancer. Famous primarily for her extraordinary voice and ability to make Yiddish song clear to all, regardless of whether or not the listener understood the language, Cooper was, in many ways, the mother of the Klezmer/Yiddish revival of the 1980s.... [more]

Bob Blacksberg's photo, of Adrienne singing with a group at KlezKanada 2010, captures how I remember her, perfectly.

Adrienne Cooper Khane-freyde bas beyle-buni z"l

2011-12-26T14:02:10Z

From Jeff Warschauer, last night:

"Adrienne Cooper passed away peacefully earlier tonight.
Borukh dayen emes.
Zol zi hobn a likhtikn gan-eydn un zol zi nisht visn mer fun keyn tsar."

The funeral will be held on Wednesday in California. A memorial is currently planned in NYC on Sunday, Jan1. Details to follow.

Despite knowing that she was failing, I find myself still unable to put down in words the grief I feel at losing a friend, and the grief of a larger community that has lost a friend, a teacher, an amazing performer and scholar, an advocate and activist. Among her lesser accomplishments is the co-founding of KlezKamp, an annual gathering whose 27th annual gathering convened just yesterday. Ari

In Monday's Forward, Jeffrey Shandler writes: Adrienne Cooper Embodied Progressive Spirit

Judith Pinnolis, who wrote Cooper's entry for Encyclopedia Judaica, expands it and adds her own appreciation: Adrienne Cooper: A Yiddish Light Goes Out

A song for the season

2011-12-25T13:21:22Z

It's a repeat, but this is the day to enjoy this gem: If you see this today (Sun, 12/25, 2011), and you are in the Bay Area, you can also skootch over to Saul's Deli for the annual KlezmerJam/Latke Fest from 11am-2pm

Yiddish at the Tel Aviv tent city

2011-10-24T21:41:55Z

There is an article on the last page of this issue of the Frankel Center newsletter (the University of Michigan center for Jewish Studies) of great interest to many people on this list: "Dos folk fodert sotsyale gerekhtikayt: Social Protests and Yiddish in Tel Aviv," by Shachar Pinsker.

The article concludes, describing the tent city and the protests, thus: "... More than everything else, this is a revolution of consciousness, one in which even a speech, or a demonstration poster in Yiddish are not out of place."

Much fun. You can read a copy at
www.lsa.umich.edu/judaic/pdfs/newsletter1011.pdf

Recent video

2011-10-14T14:22:04Z

Since getting an iPad for my birthday, I have been trying it out as a recording device with varying success. It is more cumbersome and creates video/sound of slightly less quality than I get with the Flip camera from work. But, alas, Flips have been discontinued and the iPad is often with me, where the Flip is not. And, the iPad lets me take notes while wandering.

A couple of nights ago, I took some video of the Sukkoth gathering at Occupy Boston, then promptly lost the recording during an ill-timed maneuver on the iPad—I am still learning how to care for and feed the darn thing. Given the quality of the video at night with little illumination, this is not the loss it could have been, although I would not have minded putting the brief gathering and ceremony online.

In any event, last month I recorded most of the Klezmatics concert in Boston. Great fun. I'll start with the concert finale, a deconstructed "Ale Brider:"

You can view the entire series on the "KlezmerShack" channel playlist for the concert on YouTube.

At the beginning of October I tried again, this time in full daylight, and using the "Luma" iPad app, which hopefully takes some of the jitters out the recordings. (Thanks to a car that ran through a stop sign while I was bicycling to work in August, I had an encounter with the street that left me with a broken collarbone. The car did not stop after causing the accident, but the collarbone is healing. Unfortunately, it will still be a few months before it is comfortable to hold up a recording device for more than a few minutes.) So, here is Somerville's delightful "Honkfest," a celebration of street marching bands held each fall. In addition to my injury, the delight of just wandering and shmoozing got in the way of serious recording, so here is a brief taste of the afternoon (and more tastes on YouTube in my Honkfest2011 playlist)

Afro-Semitic Experience, "Further Defintions...." featured on NPR

2011-09-28T20:47:33Z

From Davido Chevan, about the new a href="/bands/chevan/further/">Afro-Semitic Experience CD:

A story about the new CD on the NPR News Show, "Tell Me More," aired today. Samples of four tunes from the new CD are being aired along with an interview of Alvin and David by NPR’s Jacki Lyden. I know we cannot get that show anywhere around here but there is a pod cast that you can stream or download (for free!): www.npr.org/2011/09/28/140876465/jewish-new-year-brings-new-music

And if that was not enough NPR has chosen “Adoshem, Adoshem,” one of the tracks on the album to be today’s SONG OF THE DAY!! Here’s a link to that site: www.npr.org/2011/09/28/140875436/afro-semitic-experience-pray-sway-love-the-lord

Cantor Sam Weiss: "Carlebach, Neo-Hasidic Music, and Current Liturgical Practice"

2011-09-27T02:35:12Z

It is a measure of my distraction these years, countered by Sam's patience, that this is finally available. Heavily illustrated and footnoted, a version first appeared in "Journal of Synagogue Music," Vol. 34, Fall 2009, published by The Cantors Assembly.

"The 50th anniversary of the release of Haneshomoh Loch, the first record album by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, is an opportune time to assess his musical and liturgical legacy....." [more]

You can read all about it at www.klezmershack.com/articles/weiss_s/carlebach/

and a very happy rosh hashana to all....

Music to accompany a new year

2011-09-24T22:56:34Z

Tonight, of course, is selichot, the midnight prayers held on the Saturday night before the New Year. With that in mind, I have shuffled the mountains of CDs on the review table and come up with six especially wonderful recordings that most seemed perfect for tonight, and of course, for the new year:

First on the list is last year's long-awaited recording from Adrienne Cooper / Enchanted. I would have reviewed this long ago, but that would have implied that I would put it on the shelf and move on to other CDs that I need to review. No way this CD is unshuffling from the iTunes. Read more, and you'll understand why.

I couldn't stop kvelling about the Veretski Pass project, "The Klezmer Shul" back when I first saw it live over a year ago. Now the CD is out and you can hear why. A fusion of klezmer and jazz and avant garde modern music, the arrival of this CD a couple of weeks has pushed almost everything else out of mind.

This one CD summation of three monster concerts from a year ago, "Further Definitions of the Days of Awe" is a perfect summation of both the Afro-Semitic Experience's wonderful fusion of Jewish and Black sacred music, and the art of the Cantor as mostly represented by the irrepressible Jack Mendelson, but also including several other significant names. And what better time for High Holiday nusakh than the High Holidays?

All last year we got periodic new sounds from "The Nigun Project" by Jeremiah Lockwood, commissioned by the Forward. What is most striking is how much ground Lockwood covers in re-imagining the Nigun while also making deep music. I love this one.

I am a year late in my review, but at least I am right in time for the holidays with this return of Steven Greenman's sacred music persona, Stempenyu. This time, he captures "Stempenyu's Neshome". I typeset and laid out the CD, so it can't be all bad—actually, if I were as good a typesetter as Greenman is a violinist, this would be long out of print. Fortunately, you can still get your copy in time for the holidays.

Why? Because if there is one thing that will ensure repentence, and get us in the frame to approach the awe of the approaching holidays, it is a reminder of what makes us happy. This loving 2008 re-release of Danny Rubinstein's original 1958 "The Happy People is all that.

Yiddish classes w/Deborah Strauss, NYC, start Sep 25, 2011

2011-09-23T00:01:54Z

Come Play Klezmer with Deborah Strauss at the 92nd Street Y, New York City!
5 Sundays starting September 25, 3-5 pm

All instrumentalists (intermediate and above) are invited to join the kapelye (band) led by international klezmer star-fiddler and educator Deborah Strauss.

For more info and to register go to:
www.92y.org/Uptown/Class/Klezmer-Ensemble.aspx