the KlezmerShack

From Michael Winograd:

Its always worth filming!! Inna Barmash-Zhurbin came across this dance set she filmed (I'm guessing Lev 'Ljova' was holding the camera?) from my 2008 "Bessarabian Hop" CD launch... amazing!!!

www.facebook.com/michael.winograd/videos/10159867513810176/

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:21 PM | Permalink

Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band #rehearsing our arrangement of Fisher Lid. Enjoy!

www.facebook.com/groups/bostonmusic/permalink/10155956878339356/

#rehearsaltake of Fisherlid. We use the melody from The Klezmatics' setting of Aliza Greenblatt's words, combine it with a tune from the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and a whole lot of Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band magic. Enjoy! (And follow/like the page to stay up to date on the new recording as we take it from rehearsals into the studio. Lots more to come!)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:15 PM | Permalink

One year ago today, the world lost Ben Zion Shenker, a rabbi, cantor and composer who had been dubbed "the greatest living figure of Hassidic music." Shenker devoted his life to niggunim--spiritual melodies used in Hassidic worship--in the Polish Modzitzer Hassidic tradition, starting with the melodies of Rabbi Saul Taub.

A new video from Milken's oral history project features Shenker's insights about the styles, inspirations and significance of niggunim in his own life, and in the various Hassidic traditions of Eastern Europe.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:38 PM | Permalink

Michael Winograd spotted this one:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:47 PM | Permalink

From Leonard Koenick on the Jewish-Music list:

We Can't Make This Up: Yiddish Song Performed On Mongolia's American Idol May 1, 2017, by Jordan Kutzik

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:42 PM | Permalink

From flautist extraordinaire, Adrianne Greenbaum, on the Jewish-Music list:

A student of mine in the Mount Holyoke College klezmer band just finished this project:ww.pioneervalleysoundscapes.org/building-klez-munity-the-diverse-klezmer-music-scene-in-the-pioneer-valley-2017

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:08 AM | Permalink

Adriane Greenbaum is the most amazing flute player I know. Pete Rushefsky posted this video on facebook: "Some of the amazing Edward Alpern's hi-def footage of Fleytmuzik's show at Museum at Eldridge Street this past Sunday. Ed's making a documentary film about our Poyln project called www.miracleofthemusic.com and contributions are welcome. Congrats to Adrianne Greenbaum on putting the musical parts of this wide-ranging project together."

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:23 PM | Permalink

Posted by Alan Bern on Facebook: "A short, beautiful documentary video about the Bobe Mayses project created during Yiddish Summer Weimar 2016, directed by Jenny Romaine with a wonderful team of artists (see the credits for a complete list). Thanks again to all who helped make this possible, from concept through grant application through administration through realization and presentation! It was an amazing and enriching experience!"

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:50 AM | Permalink

Thanksgiving is gone, and we don't have Chanukah to hide behind any more. The best cure I know of is to bring out this video, surely posted here often, of Jewlia Eisenberg, left coast vocal genius, and Kugelplex:

Should that not be enough, you can always try "Oy to the World," but don't say I didn't warn you!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:57 PM | Permalink

Jon Madof recollects a summer celebrating the release of the Zion80 recording (Carlebach meets African beats) with these videos:

From Krakov Jewish Culture Festival:

Jazzfestival Saalfelden, Austria:

You can get your copy of the CD from Tzadik Records

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:17 PM | Permalink

From Eva Broman on the Jewish-Music list:

I just found this recording of some classic selichot that I'd like to pass on. They are sung by "Ha-project shel Revivo", a trio of young Yemenite singers that is very popular in Israel (and 230.000 hits for traditional religious songs is pretty good!):

And here is an article about the group: 'Revivo's Project' brings Mizrahi pop back to its Arab roots, by Ophir Toubul, March 11, 2013, 972Magazine

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:11 AM | Permalink

From Helen Winkler on the Jewish-Music list:

"... there is a large collection of Yiddish song videos taken recently: www.youtube.com/user/aheymproject/videos. The videos are part of the Aheym project, www.indiana.edu/~libarchm/index.php/projects/aheym-project.html described as: "The Archives of Historical and Ethnographic Yiddish Memories (AHEYM--the acronym means "homeward" in Yiddish) includes approximately 800 hours of Yiddish-language interviews with 350 individuals, most of whom were born between 1900 and 1930. The interviews were conducted in Ukraine, Romania, Moldova." There aren't 350 up there yet, but there are quite a few to view.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:12 AM | Permalink

While I'm catching up on amazing finds from Eric Krasner, here's one more, posted to the Jewish music list last August:

"Here's a fascinating clip of a performance of Gershon Kingsley's 'Sabbath for Today' (1971) performed with an early Moog synthesizer. Gershon Kingsley is the man behind the kitschy Moog classic, "Popcorn".

"Gershon Kingsley's 'Sabbath for today,' conducted by the composer, broadcast on Channel 13 in 1971 from Temple Rodeph Shalom. Ephraim Biran cantor/soloist, Rabbi Gunter Hirschberg, speaker, Alfred Drake, narrator, Kenneth Bichel, Moog Modular"

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:50 PM | Permalink

I was a bit out of it this past month (bicycle accident—see Google Plus). Among the things I missed were Mickey Katz' birthday on June 15th. Happily, Eric Krasner has shared some links:

104 years ago on June 15, 1909, in the city of Cleveland, a baby born was born, Mickey Myron Victor Katz.

/thejewniverse.com/2013/mickey-katz-borscht-jester/ (includes video w/recording of "Duvid Krocket")

Need some "Yinglish" translation? "Duvid Crockett" was actuall banned in Mickey's hometown! Eric found this gem to help us understand the fuss:

"Big Chief" Norman Wain, a disc jockey in Mickey's hometown of Cleveland banned Mickey's hit, "Duvid Crockett" from his radio show on WDOK back in 1955. Radio host, Phil Fink translates the Yiddish and Yinglish lyrics for us in a search to find out why.

You can find out more about Eric's Mickey Katz movie project at:

www.MickeyKatzMovie.com

Here are two clips from a 1979 interview with Mickey Katz, plus a very short clip of Mickey posing for an album cover, put online by Eric this year—he has more—fund him!

Mickey Katz posing for the cover of "The Most Mishige" (1958) from CineGraphic Studios on Vimeo.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:42 PM | Permalink

Film clip of a very young Molly Picon singing the title song from Yid'l Mit'n Fidl.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:35 PM | Permalink

It was a drizzly, rainy evening as I rode my bicycle to the library for a delightful concert by Ezekiel's Wheel. The band is young, skillful, and inventive. It is a pleasure to listen to people in love with the music explore it live. I also realized how much klezmer has changed, even in the hands of relatively traditionalist players (without speaking of yeshivish or djs and the rock/jazz bands with the one "hava nagila" set—I have never, in fact, heard Ezekiel's Wheel play "Hava Nagila"). Nobody is trying to imitate old '78s any more. The tunes are longer, more danceish, more improvised. And even here, Sephardic music and other influences find their way, both explicitly and otherwise, into the playing. As I said, a delight

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:10 AM | Permalink

Getting more into the current holiday spirit, Moussa Berlin sends the following from Lag B'Omer celebrations past at Meron, in Israel.

Meron celebrations sketches with Moussa Berlin playing at background

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:44 PM | Permalink

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:41 PM | Permalink

From Talat's Alon Nechushtan, "Reincarnation of a Niggun," as performed by the Ayn Sof Orchestra, live from the six street synagogue in downtown New York, December 24th 2011.

Alon Nechushtan - "Reincarnation of a Niggun" for Big band from alon nechushtan on Vimeo.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:39 AM | Permalink

From Eric Krasner on the Jewish-Music list:

I had the pleasure of interviewing Peter Sokolow a/k/a Klezmer Fats, for a few hours in his home last week, at his piano. Here's a 3 minute peek:

I apologize for the unavoidable back-lighting in advance. Look for our Kickstarter campaign so I can hire a decent cameraman in the near future.

Eric Krasner
The Mickey Katz Project
CineGraphic Studios - CGS Films
E-mail Eric Krasner.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:08 AM | Permalink

Last night we saw a sneak preview of a new film, Punk Jews at the MFA. It was part of the film series from the National Center for Jewish Film.

Adapting a wonderfully expansive view of the concept "punk Jew" the film featured some wonderful montages, including Gay Pride events in Israel, and also included six more focused clips ranging from "Moshiach Oi," a one band that fits the more traditional hardcore definition of "punk," (but also making the connection to outliers as we realize that bandmembers are also enthusiastic follows of Reb Nahman of Breslov), to many of our friends playing at a fringe Jewish NYC gathering called "cholent," to a segment on child abuse in the Shver UltraOrthodox community in upstate New York. Other segments included Amy the Yoga Yenta, a segment featuring Y-Love and African-American Jews, and my favorite, a closing segment featuring Jenny Romaine's "Sukkos Mob," a wonderful troupe that takes to NYC's streets during Sukkos each year. If the Boston Jewish Music Festival folks are really on their toes (something I think we can take for a given), they'll find a way to bring the Sukkos Mob to Boston next year. Imagine Yiddish street theatre in Coolidge Corner or Harvard Square! (Of course, how this would happen given the mob's post-Sukkos commitments and the fact that they are pretty committed to being in NYC for the holiday, I dunno.)

The Q&A session revealed that much of the audience identified strongly with the film's themes—a surprising number of people are really Punk Jews, or have websites connecting Punks to mainstream Jews. We are all outliers. We are all, apparently, punks.

It's a very good film. Eventually it will be released and readers of this site should make a point of seeing it. You can find out more at punkjews.com.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:04 AM | Permalink

From Polina Shepherd:

At last I've managed to upload a short demo of our silent film programme - you may have seen Merlin and myself accompanying these fantastic earliest cinematic representations of east European Jewish communities. Thought I could share...

soundandlightcinematicduo.wordpress.com/

Sara’s Grief “Cine-fono” magazine 1913 #25

Sara is a beautiful Jewish woman, granddaughter of the local rabbi who is loved by two brothers, Itzik and Borukh. They are sons of a wealthy Jew, Rabinovitch. They both love her deeply but she loves Itzik. Her parents consent that she marries him. Borukh loves both Sara and his brother and wishes them happiness in their family life, but he leaves the shtetl. It would have been too hard for him to keep seeing Sara and realising that she doesn’t belong to him.

Itzak and Sara are happy in their mutual love but God didn’t bless them with children, which they desperately wanted. Ten years past since their marriage but there are no children.

So Itzak’s parents and other Jewish shtetl authorities decide that they have to divorce. For her grandfather the rabbi it is a shame that his granddaughter is childless, it means that she doesn’t have God’s blessing. The authorities insist on it but Itzak fights against their opinion. Eventually he is too weak to struggle with everybody and agrees to sign the get (divorce certificate). The get has been ready for a long time, so Itzak has simply to sign it and take it to Sara. From that moment, they would be considered to be officially divorced, but the question is how to get this paper to the wife that he loves to death. She wouldn’t agree to the divorce, but the Jews have a special trick in this case; one can bring this paper to the wife using deceitful means. The most important thing is to have witnesses. As soon as she takes hold of this fateful paper and the others witness it, she is divorced.

The authorities decide to use his trick. One of them dresses as a pauper and whilst taking mitzveh geld (alms) from her, drops the document. Sara picks it up and already whilst opening the document realises that trick, too late!

She is in despair. She shares her grief with her husband but at the same moment, the Jewish authorities announce that she has to leave her husband’s house, and he is a stranger to her fro now on. This terrible outcome affects the weak Itzak so much that he takes a rope and ties it to a hook on the wall and ends his bitter existence.

Itzak was buried according to strict Jewish traditions. And Sara is inconsolable. She moans and longs and yearns and after gets seriously ill. Her father and mother invite a doctor to see their dear daughter. The doctor having examined the patient announces categorically that she is absolutely fine and is going to become a mother soon. So if Itzak had waited to define his destiny, they would both be happy.

And this is a play of ruthless fate.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:03 AM | Permalink

My favorite Brooklyn rock band, the folks who put "transgression" into "shonde," have become much too good for niche labels. It's probably time to stop championing them as GLBT and to accept that they help fill a hole left by the breakup of Sleater-Kinney. Fine by me.

"Give Me What You've Got," is the second single off their September release, Searchlights (Exotic Fever Records, 2011). Directed by Emily Millay Haddad, the video premiered last month on Out.com!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:51 AM | Permalink

This is a wonderful new project that I've heard of via the wonderful Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett:

Please put out the word! Help us document on film the creation of this extraordinary wooden synagogue's exquisite painted ceiling and timber-framed roof. More about how you can help: www.kickstarter.com/projects/15287081/filming-the-replication-of-a-17th-century-wooden-s

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:00 PM | Permalink

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.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:16 AM | Permalink

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:51 AM | Permalink

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)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:22 AM | Permalink

One of the neatest projects to come out of Berkeley's Jewish Music Festival is the Ger Mandolin Orchestra, which has performed at the festival, and this past winter (? spring?), back in Poland. The project was initiated by a descendent of a member of the original Ger Mandolin Orchestra (a century ago, every town&mdashand many US "Workmen's Circle" groups, had mandolin orchestras), Bay Area resident Avner Yonai.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:23 PM | Permalink

From Dobe Ressler, currently visiting Israel:

git a kuk - fayne frumer muzikers fun Medines Yisroyel

Fishel Bresler remarks on the Jewish-Music mailing list:

A sheynem dank, Dobe!

The dance they were doing is (as I understand it) the last remnant of the old "Broiges Tanz," once done by the mothers-in-law at a wedding, now done by two guys instead, fighting (*nebech*) over a bottle...death resulting. Followed, of course, by "t'chies hameisim" *(b'ashkenazit)* - the resurrection-of-the-dead dance. It's not specifically a hassidic custom; I've been asked to play it for litvaks, too.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:55 AM | Permalink

I cannot thank Mark Rubin enough for passing on this bluegrass version of Gil Scott-Heron (z"l)'s "Whiteys on the Moon."

I suppose for KlezmerShack purposes I should have asked for the cantorial or klezmer version, though ;-)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:59 AM | Permalink

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:58 AM | Permalink

One of my favorite parts of the Passover seder is the prologue, "Ha Lakhma," the verse we sing in Aramaic—the common language, the lingua franca, the language that gave us our modern Hebrew alphabet, the language that was the "English" of that world. The verse basically says, "before we get going, and in language we want to make sure that everyone understands, the first part of this "order," this seder, is to make sure that everyone who is hungry has food; everyone who is needy is having those needs met. When we've taken care of that, we'll take the rest of this show on the road.

I'm not a big fan of the tune that we've been singing in Seders I have attended since childhood. As a "Happy Holiday" gesture, our friends at "Blog in Dm" posted a video of this wonderful new tune for the prologue by Yonatan Raze.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:27 PM | Permalink

From the Teruah blog:

Today I woke up to a twitter discussion between National Public radio strategist and digital technology community organizer Andy Carvin and Maria Al-Masani, a Canadian public relations agent, model, and former Miss Universe Canada. Al-Masani was telling Carvin, and others, about how Ofra Haza's song Kaddish was becoming the anthem of the current Yemeni revolution. Haza was a popular Israeli singer of a Yemeni-Jewish family who sang pop-Israeli, Yemeni-Jewish, and Yemeni-Arabic music.... [whole story includes video of Ofra Haza singing "Kadish"]

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:46 PM | Permalink

I haven't had time to catch up on anything, but back in January, Teruah blogger, Jack Zaeintz put up a fabulous list of Jewish music documentaries. He includes old favorites, of course—Michal Goldman's groundbreaking A Jumpin night at the garden of Eden that caught the klezmer revival happening, or A Tickle in the Heart about the Epstein Brothers. There are new films listed, such as the brand-new documentaries on SoCalled and the Klezmatics, and a couple of oldies that I have been avoiding for years. Never mind. They are all listed, and the filmmakers should only go on to produce even better films to come.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:59 PM | Permalink

Touring hasn't gotten any saner since the days of "Hard Days Night." This is what it looked like to Die Grine Kuzine this year:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:31 PM | Permalink

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:22 PM | Permalink

of all the incredible CDs on my "review or die" list, the top CD is absolutely the new collaboration between SoCall, David Krakauer, and Fred Wesley, Abraham, Inc. News to you? Check out the first video off the recording, as described by David Krakauer, himself:

"Just wanted to give you a quick heads up about my Band Abraham Inc.'s video "Tweet Tweet."You can see it in advance on Youtube on my channel which is: www.youtube.com/user/davidkrakauermusic.

I'm extremely proud of this video which is a cutting edge animated piece with artists from around the world contributing their considerable skills to it's production. I hope you take a moment to check it out and comment and hopefully give it a thumbs up.

If you have a YouTube account please subscribe as we're touring Europe in the Spring and should have lots of great videos to share. I'm looking forward to reading your posts in this New Year.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:52 AM | Permalink

From Noam Sender, from the bowels of the black hole that has been the KlezmerShack mail folder:

I am delighted to announce that the "Jews and Sufis: A Sacred Bridge" panel discussion and recital held at Temple Beth Zion on October 29, 2009 is now available for viewing online.

Since at least the 16th century, the Maftirim repertoire - Hebrew liturgical poetry set to Turkish makam music for use in the synagogue—demonstrates the deep relationships Ottoman Jews established with members of Muslim mystical brotherhoods.

There are two separate links, the first for the panel discussion and the second for the recital.

A panel of scholars moderated by Reb Moshe Waldoks speaks on cultural, historical, religious, and musical aspects of the Jewish-Sufi collaborations in Turkey from the 16th to the 20th centuries.

Following a panel discussion, an ensemble of Jewish, Muslim and Christian vocalists and instrumentalists, including yours truly, play examples of relevant musical repertoire. Attached you will also find the program notes for the recital.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:53 PM | Permalink

And even more from the amazing klezmer flautist and teacher, Adrianne Greenbaum—this time from her regular band, Klezical Tradition:

A couple standards, non-standards, and that adds up to four - but there are three … for your listening pleasure - I hope:

Wedding Hora

The sound of the 19th century wooden klezmer flute

Firn di Mekhuttonim

From, Adrianne, who wishes everyone a freylekhn Khanike and warm weather and thoughts if you're out on the east coast in the US or any other cold climate. Can't wait for Spring and we haven't even started….

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:40 PM | Permalink

From klezmer flautist extraordinaire, Adrianne Greenbaum:

Please enjoy checking out a composite video I just finished of the Mount Holyoke College (really, 5-college community) Klezmer Band. Fall semester's focus was on the standards of the Belf repertoire:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:12 PM | Permalink

Eva Broman spotted this and posted to the Jewish-Music list:

A great website with two complete concerts of Judeo-Andalousian music:

www.akadem.org/sommaire/themes/liturgie/15/2/module_8917.php

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:49 AM | Permalink

Aeropuerto de Tucumán. Octubre 24, 2010 -17:00 hs|

El domingo 24, un vuelo de LAN que venía a Tucumán tuvo una demora, y un grupo de músicos pertenecientes al grupo KBB (Klezfiesta Buenos Aires Band, orquesta recién creada que debutó en la 3er. edición de EMMKA /Klezfiesta) comenzó a tocar música klezmer. Los artistas regresaban a Buenos Aires luego de haber realizado un concierto klezmer en el teatro San Martín. Sin duda, le dieron vida al hall del aeropuerto como pocas veces se pudo ver.

Jewish music to protest at Tucuman Airport (Argentina) Sunday 24, October 2010 17:00 | A LAN flight coming to Tucuman was delayed, and a group of musicians belonging to the group KBB,(Buenos Aires Klezfiesta Band, orchestra which debuted recently, that was created for the 3rd. EMMKA / Klezfiesta) started playing klezmer music . The artists returned to Buenos Aires after having made a klezmer concert at the Teatro San Martin. Without doubt, that gave life to the hall of the airport that rarely saw something like this. / Aeropuertotucuman.blogspot.com

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:56 AM | Permalink

"Kesselgarden continues to thrive in the miserable weather one finds in the early Seattle winter. Here is a clip from a recent rehearsal, just to show that only two old guys can still put on a hell of a show. Hope all is well and peace in 2011."

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:26 AM | Permalink

On a recent quick trip to Israel I managed to catch one of the bands I have most wanted to see, Kruzenshtern and Parahod (קרוזנשטרן ופרחוד). I have reviewed a couple of their CDs here on the KlezmerShack, starting with their first, The Craft of Primitive Klezmer. The band was as wonderful as I had already hoped. The set was part of a showcase of Israeli bands, none of which seemed particularly interesting to either my companions or me. But when this quartet took the stage, everything changed. Imagine John Zorn and Fred Frith taking "Naked City" to a pop showcase:

Talking to the bandleader, Igor Krutogolov, on a quiet afternoon in Tel Aviv we reviewed influences (okay, Zorn and Frith are obvious; others include the UK band, the Cardiacs, and ZU from Italy) and talked about the frustration of being a niche band in a tiny country. There is no place local to tour—there aren't enough local people interested in avant garde jazz to sustain anything beyond the occasional concert in Tel Aviv. They have been to several festivals in Europe, and periodically consider moving the band there.

Krutogolov talks mostly of the music as personal expression. It has precision; he often compared what he is doing to classical music, and indeed, as I stood opposite the band's newest member, accordionist Boris Martzinovsky in concert, I noted complex charts spread across a large music stand. The band is also very, very tight.

The music is really what he does. He has a day job to pay the bills, but, if we are fortunate, he will continue to push the music far into the future. A new KvP CD may be in the works this year. If I had my way, I'd see them here in the States. Anyone interested in helping, should contact me

You can get copies of their CDs via amazon.com, or find out more about the band from their website, www.parohod.net

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:39 AM | Permalink

Mark Rubin has posted a passel of videos from the last three years of "The Other Europeans"

"Here's a collection of videos of the "Other Europeans" project which took up a big chunk of my last 3 summers. Watching these videos, I can hardly believe I was actually there when this all happened."

View the whole series of several concerts on his blog, Chasing the Fat Man.

Readers of earlier posts will also remember that I put up the video from the band's Amherst, MA concert: National Yiddish Book Center on YouTube (clip below)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:49 PM | Permalink

Jewish hip-hop artist Yitz "Y-Love" Jordan recently returned to Israel for a series of concerts over the Sukkot holiday. He spoke with Israel National News about his new projects, his journey to Judaism and why hip-hop can invigorate Jewish youth.

For video from "The Beat of Israel" click here: www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/139888

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:00 PM | Permalink

Really nice article (and accompanying video) that captures one of the current projects, the Ayn Sof Arkestra, of the amazing Greg Wall, rabbi and one of the most "really gets it" people creating Jewish music out there, from one of the NY Times "Local" blogs. His partner in founding Ayn Sof? One of the few other people who deserve that "really gets it" accolades, Frank London:

A Jam That Goes On Without End, by Clint Rainey, Oct 11, 2010

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:25 PM | Permalink

An amazing show by "The Other Europeans" in Somerville, MA last night. The place was packed on a Tuesday night, much to everyone's astonishment and delight. (Well, the dancer's might have wanted more room)

The band plays a mix of lautari and klezmer music with an intense energy level, and with an ability to improvise together that continually blows me away. So many members of the band are famous in their own right, from Kalman Balogh, king of the Hungarian tsimbl, to Matt Darriau, best known as the reed player for the Klezmatics.

The killer moment in a killer evening, for me, came on a duet featuring Matt and bassist Mark Rubin (perhaps best known for his alt.country band, the Bad Livers). I have simply never seen anyone attack a standup bass with such ferocity such that Darriau pushed his own clarinet faster and farther than he may have known he could do (Rubin's playing, and his effect on his bandmates are well-known--a performance a couple of years ago with Andy Statman at the Ashkenaz Festival was my personal highlight of that festival). But the whole damn band was like that--14 people at times, crowded on a bandstand that seems crowded with half that number.

It was the sort of concert so transforming that people took a very long time to leave. We all had to stand around talking about what we'd just heard, and sharing the joy of being at a concert so intense and wonderful. And, of course, this was also the sort of event that turns into a social occasion—everyone who loves this kind of music was there, it seemed, so a lot of fun catching up happened in the afterglow of the fiercely great music.

At our tables we just enjoyed the concert—we didn't do any filming or recording. But you can catch last week's concert at the National Yiddish Book Center on YouTube (clip below)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:09 AM | Permalink

This past Thursday night this year's Paper Bridge festival was closed out by Veretski Pass performing the East Coast premiere of their new improvisational piece, "The KlezmerShul."

It wasn't klezmer. There was lots of classical, cantorial, jazz music. It was intense and wonderful. Here is the closing movement (I posted the two movements under 10 minutes, plus all of the QA sessions, on YouTube):

You can catch the entire concert from the Internet Archive at www.archive.org/details/VeretskiPasstheKlezmerShulAmherstMa15Jul2010

As I wrote last week, this performance of Ezekiel's Wheels last weekend at the LilyPad was the culmination of a week of great music. I taped the whole thing on a Flip camera, and the bandmembers edited it down and put segments up on YouTube. The band, playing to a full house, was joined by several friends onstage, and great fun was had by all:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:13 PM | Permalink

You don't know from Yeshivas Goldenshteyn? You're in for a treat.

Yeshivas Goldenshteyn's performance at the 2010 Northwest Folklife Festival (4 of 7 videos already online, the rest should be online within the next few hours) at "professormobesser" on YouTube:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:21 AM | Permalink

My name is Anne Kalmering, singer/actress from Sweden. I´m performing Jewish music in concerts, festivals, radio, TV etc. I performed at Ashkenaz 1999 (time flies...)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:41 PM | Permalink

By way of announcing the next festival, the festival has presented clips from the 2nd Annual Festival:

3er. Edicion de EMMKA
Encuentro Mundial de Musica Klezmer en Argentina

Klezfiesta 2010
Octubre/Noviembre 2010

Klezmer en el Bicentenario
Klezmer on the 200th birthday of Argentina

www.klezfiesta.com.ar

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:03 PM | Permalink

Found by Lori Lippitz of Maxwell St. Klezmer:

Have a sweet Passover and don't o.d. on the matzo brei.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:34 AM | Permalink

See blog.nfb.ca/socalled for further information

The “Socalled” Movie is a documentary film about klezmer hip-hop artist Josh Dolgin—aka Socalled. Featuring Katie Moore, Fred Wesley, C-Rayz Walz, David Krakauer, Matt Haimovitz, Arkady Gendler, Benjamin Steiger Levine, D-Shade, Gonzales and Irving Fields. The movie is a kaleidoscopic portrait, offering 18 entertaining short films about Socalled’s creative process.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:36 PM | Permalink

How far behind is the KlezmerShack in reading correspondence? By us, it's still Mardi Gras in New Orleans, as you can see from this video supplied by the always-amazing Mark Rubin standing in with Panorama Jazz Band. We may let ourselves remain stuck in Mardi Gras for a while.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:54 PM | Permalink

The Sway Machinery traveled to Mali in January to play at the Festival of the Desert. It was quite an exciting moment for the band. You can check out some of what transpired in this video of The Sway Machinery and Super 11:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:37 AM | Permalink

From David Chevan:

During this past MLK weekend the Afro-Semitic Experience celebrated our 12th anniversary of music making with a Friday night service in New York City, a benefit concert for New Haven’s Columbus House Homeless Shelter, and a concert at the Museum of Jewish Heritage also in New York City. We had a wonderful time in New York City sharing our music and having a real Afro-Semitic Experience at the Museum of Jewish Heritage where we gave our New York City premiere of our new work (and new CD): The Road That Heals the Splintered Soul .

Our performance at the benefit concert for the Columbus House Homeless Shelter in New Haven was video recorded by our friend, pianist and visual artist, Richard Gans. Three of the tunes we performed have now been posted to YouTube and they have a lot of good energy. Richard was not limited by his use of a single camera and he did a great job as he captured the performance. You can really feel the wonderful vibe in the room last Saturday night as we transformed the place with our healing feeling. There are two little girls and a little boy who sat in the front row for most of the concert and they are sure feeling the music!!! You can see their heads bobbing in most of the camera shots. What fun.

The Road that Heals the Splintered Soul:

Obatala:

Adon Olam:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:04 PM | Permalink

A nice historical montage, beautifully sung:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:19 PM | Permalink

Most years we Jews guiltily acknowledge that it's true, Jews wrote most of the most insipid popular songs of this once sacred season. This year, to return the favor, Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah wrote an insipid Hanukkah song which has been getting a lot of play. I've been ignoring it, but I just noticed a great catch by Teruah's Jack Zaientz:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:17 AM | Permalink

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"

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:49 PM | Permalink

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)."

Continue reading "Jo Amar, z"l, June 26, 2009" »

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:16 PM | Permalink

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.

Click here for mp3 podcast download

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:13 PM | Permalink

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.)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:09 AM | Permalink

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

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:06 PM | Permalink

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

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:03 AM | Permalink

Listen to Itzik Gottesman narrate, in Yiddish, a memorial held on August 12 in NYC to commemorate the night of the murdered poets. Music by Hy Wolfe, among others.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:05 AM | Permalink

Raising the eternal question, is real seediness preferable to Disney veneer? I'm with them—give me seedy instead of Disney. Might feel differently if I lived in the area—until gentrification made the issue moot ;-).

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:40 PM | Permalink

As long as I'm stealing a few minutes at lunch, let me get up this video posted by the amazing Mark Rubin, last seen live by me just a week and a half ago, with Frank London and the Klezmer Brass AllStars at the Lowell Folk Festival. Man, two years ago it was Stephen Greenman. This year, Frank London. That festival is doing well at scoring Jewish performers worth seeing. So, where was I … Itzik Gottesman sent Mark this VHS tape about 15 years ago. It's from a conference in 1986. It's just a fragment, but a long enough fragment that you get a sense of why Michael Alpert and so many others credit her with being a primary influence on learning Yiddish song. It matters a lot, now that she's gone, to have something online that helps memorialize her and helps convey at least this couple of songs.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:38 PM | Permalink

I spotted this on Teruah blog. Josh is in fine form performing one of his most original songs—one for which I happen to own an actual LP single.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:34 PM | Permalink

It took the "insult" of seeing a class listed in another city, as though I had been intentionally ignoring this person's own city, to prompt someone from Minneapolis to send me this information. Don't let yourself be that person--if you have information that is of interest to people interested in Jewish music in your community--either send it in, or don't complain about my not listing it! I still might not have time to put something online in a timely fashion--but that process doesn't even begin until I get the "who what when where" in a form that I can actually figure out what is going on, cut and paste, and present it to ya'll, thus:

Klez Class

Tuition $140
Ages Adults
Instructor: Judith Eisner

Want to find your roots or plant new ones in the rich soil of Eastern European Ashkenazic Jewish music? You’ll learn the modes which make Klezmer music so compelling.We’ll play some of the most popular freylachs, horas, and bulgars in the repertoire. Fiddles, clarinets, trumpets, accordions, keyboards and percussion are the principal instruments in Klezmer bands but anyone is welcome.

6 week class begins June 17, 2009
Classes are 60 minutes long
Wednesdays 5:30 p.m.

MacPhail Center for Music, 501 S 2nd ST , Minneapolis, MN 55401, 612.321.0100

macphail.org/catalog_classes.html#kc

You can view Judith Eisner and her klezmer trio playing, below:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:15 PM | Permalink

Lori Lippitz of Chicago's Maxwell St. Klezmer spotted this. It's not on the CD, but I am pretty sure that this is also covered by Paul Shapiro's "Brisket 'n' Ribs Revue" group in concert:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:52 PM | Permalink

A couple of clips from 2008 Radu Gabrea documentary film, "Romania, Romania: Searching For Schwartz" about which I know nothing, other than Elizabeth Schwartz (whose voice is featured on both of these particular clips) having alerted me about the YouTube videos. There is a whole series. Enjoy.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:43 PM | Permalink

Found on the Teruah blog a couple of months ago—must post!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:39 PM | Permalink

So what goes on late at night at those KlezKamp roadshows? Mark Rubin provides some documentation from last month's KlezKamp Roadshow in Madison, WI. YouTube's "byray" writes:

Part 1 of the Sunday night dance at Temple Beth Israel Center, Sunday April 19th, 2009, Madison Wisconsin. The Kamp was led by UW Artist In Residence Henry Sapoznik, who was still at the movie "His People" when the band started. Aaron Alexander on drums, Dan Blacksberg on trombone, Josh Horowitz on button accordion, Mark Rubin on bass and tuba, Cookie Segelstein on fiddle and Michael Winograd on clarinet. The dances were led by Steve Weintraub. I filmed until my arm grew sore and my feet refused to stay still. So I put down my camera and joined the dance!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:40 PM | Permalink

For those who missed seeing Margot Leverett solo last month with some special compositions, including a new piece by Matt McGarrell of klezmer tunes for clarinet and wind symphony, there is a second chance:

Matt McGarrell's wonderful arrangement of klezmer tunes for clarinet and wind symphony. which I performed last month with the Brown University wind symphony. I love the arrangement. It was such a pleasure to work with them.

The video does look like it was recorded on cellphone, but the sound quality is decent:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:28 PM | Permalink

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:51 PM | Permalink

Let me step back to Madison and Yid Vicious for a moment to present a 20 minute video of the band's participation in "Car-less" week in Madison, WI.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:31 PM | Permalink

From Avia Moore

one of our film scholarship students made this short film about dance at KlezKanada. I only found out that I was the "narrator" last week. Here it is:

It includes shots at the of the piece I developed with my students at KlezKanada last year. Also really nice shots of Steve's class.

Hope you enjoy!
Avia

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:53 PM | Permalink

From Art Waskow's Shalom Center:

We have just posted on YouTube part of the only existing film of the original Freedom Seder held on April 4, 1969, the first anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, the third night of Passover.

Doing the electronic wizardry necessary to put excerpts from the film on YouTube made it a little darker than the original. But you can clearly see and hear the readings, the comments, the questions, and the joyful responses of hundreds of people of varied racial and religious communities who gathered in a Black church in the heart of Washington DC to celebrate the Seder.

Continue reading ""Freedom Seder" on YouTube" »

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:47 PM | Permalink

Lox & Vodka's Caron Dale posts to the Jewish-Music list:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:43 PM | Permalink

Pete Rushefsky writes to the Jewish-Music list:

There's now a Youtube channel dedicated to clarinetist Marty Levitt with some great concert vids from the '80s: www.youtube.com/user/levittlegacy

For the curious, Binyomin Ginsberg notes that the trumpeter in the videos is Ken Gross.

Dave Levitt writes:

A remastered collection from the Marty Levitt Klezmer Ensemble was just released on March 31,2009 through Universal Music Group.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:31 PM | Permalink

From Moussa Berlin, who plays the lead clarinet:

Our Rabbis taught: He who sees the sun at its turning point, the moon in its power, the planets in their orbits, and the signs of the zodiac in their orderly progress, should say:

Blessed be He who has wrought the work of creation.

And when [does this happen]? — Abaye said:

Every twenty-eight years when the cycle begins again and the Nisan [Spring] equinox falls in Saturn on the evening of Tuesday, going into Wednesday

This year it will happen on the 8th of April 2009 (Erev Pesach 5759)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:45 AM | Permalink

Our favorite heirs of Mickey Katz, Yiddishe Cup, send out two videos from shows back in February. This one claims to be "klezmer hip hop" featuring throat singing. Beat boxing. Hip Hop. "Tsiganeshti." Jack Stratton, soloist.

And then we have "Halelujah," with Hawaiian lap steel guitar. Gerald Ross, soloist.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:06 PM | Permalink

Two videos featuring Budowitz talking about their music, from WatchMojo

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:02 PM | Permalink

From the usual suspect—Mark Rubin, this was recorded in his living room by folklorist Itzik Gottesman. "The audio drops out a few times, but hang in there, this is the real deal straight from the master himself&hellipse;.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:11 AM | Permalink

This trio are from the Zemer group, from Rio de Janeiro. You can see also a reharsal joining samba and klezmer music. We, from Zemer, met percussionists from the School of Samba Beija Flor, one of the greatest groups of samba in Rio de Janeiro. This meeting was recorded for a documentary about a neighborhood were the first jews settled when arrived in Rio, in the 40s.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:58 PM | Permalink

Lori Cahan-Simon spotted this one:

A Yiddish rap song by German/Israeli singer Zionlight. The aim is to keep Yiddish alive amongst the younger generation. "Gey nisht avek" (don't go away) is a song dedicated to the Yiddish language, saying don't go away. Read more: Zionlight on MySpace

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:25 PM | Permalink

So, what do you get from two Orthodox Jewish rappers of different backgrounds? A familiar-sounding pitch in new clothing:

Erez, of Shemspeed writes: "we will be releasing one song per month from DeScribe & Y-Love, preview "Make It" which comes out Feb 24th, click to the myspace.com/describeylove

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:09 PM | Permalink

Jack Zaentz covered this back in May, and here I am catching up—but this is important:

Yiddish Film Project
Worlds within a World: Conversations with Yiddish Writers
Beyle Schaechter Gottesman: Song of Autumn
A VELT MIT VELTELEKH: SHMUESN MIT YIDISHE SHRAYBERS BEYLE SHEKHTER-GOTESMAN: HARBSTLID

The League for Yiddish is pleased to announce that the film Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman: Song of Autumn (BEYLE SHEKHTER-GOTESMAN: Harbstlid), the second film in our series Worlds within a World: Conversations with Yiddish Writers (A velt mit veltelekh: shmuesn mit yidishe shraybers) is ready and available for viewing and purchase.

Continue reading "Worlds within a World releases Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman film" »

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:06 PM | Permalink

Eva Broman spotted this site and wrote to the Jewish-Music mailing list:

Just by chance I came across this blog with some wonderful pioutim by the Tunisian hazzan (Cantor) Acher Mizrachi:

achermizrahi.centerblog.net
il.youtube.com/user/achermizrahi

Check out "Habibi Ya Habibi" with Itzik Kalah, achermizrahi.centerblog.net/4475505-Habibi-Ya-Habibi-Itzik-Kala

"Naguila Hallelouia" with Ruby Chen, il.youtube.com/watch?v=bPXb_XJLyQY

And a modern version with Stalos and Oren Chen, il.youtube.com/watch?v=vFGkbe4Gywc

Another Tunisian piout with Beni Barda, il.youtube.com/watch?v=LzdDA7gkt18

There is a lot more on the achermizrachi site. Here is an article about his music: Creative Cultural Fusions: "Orientalizing" the Ballad Melody, by Samuel G. Armistead, Faculty Research Lecture, 1998, University of California, Davis. Enjoy!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:32 PM | Permalink

I heard part of this, and I saw a bit more on the news, but here is one of the most exciting parts of this afternoon's concert. Doesn't have anything to do with Jewish music directly (although there may be few who grew up in this country who haven't sung it—heck, I first learned it in Canada, when I lived in Calgary as a child, with just a few identifying landmarks change). But this is a more complex version than is usually sung, and Pete Seeger looks like he waited a lifetime for this moment. I thought he was ready to retire back in the '80s, and here he still is.

May some of our hopes and dreams for this new administration, with our ongoing efforts, turn out true.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:57 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

There is an ear-splitting promo video of this past September's Klezmer Festival in Argentina , 15 to 21 September 2008 at the festival website, www.klezfiesta.com.ar. It's not the same as viewing live clips, but both the video, and the festival, are exciting, nonetheless.

I note that the Bellingham, Washington-based "Millie and the Mentshn" are among the festival participants!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:08 PM | Permalink

From bassist-at-large Mark Rubin comes this video:

A snippet featuring the amazing Moldavian trumpeter Adam Stinga from Yiddish Summer Weimar.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:41 AM | Permalink

Lionel Mrocki, of the Australian klezmer supergroup Klezmania writes:

My nephew has uploaded 2 video clips that the "yiddish rock band" Flamen recorded in yiddish revival city of Melbourne in 1986.

The first song "Zibn Teg" won second prize in the Charlotte Yiddish Folk Song Contest in 1987. (I still have a photocopy of the United Carolina Bank check from the Charlotte Yiddish Institute)

I squirm when I see or even think about these clips, the production was all done gratis and it shows, but they're part of my history

Flamen - Zibn Teg (7 Days)

Flamen - Unter A Grin Beymele (Under A Green Tree)

And, bringing us up to current times, here is a first recording by Yiddish Choir Melbourne with a number that has probably never been heard before in international Yiddish circles:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:34 PM | Permalink

Continuing our quick catch up from around the world, the DJ's from the UK's GhettoPlotz presents their own take on the world of Yiddish music, this time, in a mere five minutes—but with video!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:30 PM | Permalink

So, you just heard Pete Sokolow doing some very American-style klezmer. Now, by way of contrast, the great Moussa Berlin wails away in Jerusalem on "Bar Yohai nigunim".

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:21 PM | Permalink

Michael Winograd posts this great video from a recent gig by the Tarras Band: "The Tarras Band plays the music of Dave Tarras (no way!!!) featuring Peter Sokolow on piano, Ben Holmes on Trumpet, Michael Winograd on Clarinet, Jim Guttman on Bass, Richie Barshay and David Licht on Drums. Here Mr. Sokolow tears it up on an old klezmer standard "

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:17 PM | Permalink

Keith Wolzinger posted this last week—I believe it is the first video cast by his wife, Renah Wolzinger. From the content, it looks as though this was recorded at KlezKanada last summer. For more on mothers who play drums, see a video from earlier this fall.

Watch the new short documentary film by Renah Wolzinger about legendary Klezmer drummer Elaine Hoffman-Watts:

There's even more video of Elaine from the Philadelphia Folklore Project: Women Play Klezmer

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:22 AM | Permalink

Sharon Frant(d) Brooks spotted this one. She writes: "This is a GREAT modern Chanukah fun musical piece."

I can't seem to get the page to give me embeddable code, so follow the link—it isn't so far: omnivibe.com/film/fun/daysoflight

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:22 PM | Permalink

If you look through YouTube you will find that our old friends at Maxwell Street Klezmer have recorded their own version of "Ocho Kandelikas." Fortunately, this song from their new CD with Rabbi Joe Black shows some different Hanukkah consciousness. Remember, not for nothing is this the holiday of oil

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:18 PM | Permalink

Check out Medea's Video Pick of the Day for Dec 22. Yup, it's our Toronto friends, KlezFactor, whose most recent CD, Klezmachine is attracting a lot of attention. That album is now the #1 charted album on CHUO radio's "International" chart, for the week ending December 16th -- and that's up from #6 from the previous week. The band also charted at #19 for the CIUT chart (all included) for the same week (ending December 16).

You can get your copy of KlezMachine on cdbaby.com.

Or, you can get started by watching this jazz-klezmer cut from KlezMachine, "Naftule Brandwein is a badass mathematician."

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:29 PM | Permalink

I really enjoy this, but I am beginning to feel the same way about "Ocho Kandelikas" the same way I feel about מאוז צור and "I have a little dreidl." Get with the program, folks. Let's have some really neat new Hanukkah songs (see previous entry about the new Erran Baron Cohen CD for one example that might still seem worth repeating next your. Or may not).

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:41 PM | Permalink

What could be more fitting on this fourth day of Chanukkah but to present this non-embeddable video of a cut from Erran Baron Cohen's new CD. Look closely, and while Chassidim carefully put up Jesus' name in Hebrew graffiti, there's also a bit of Y-Love:

Erran Baron Cohen - Dreidel

You can also visit the official website for "Songs in the Key of Hanukkah"

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:21 PM | Permalink

From Jewlia Eisenberg, who has spent the last couple of months unreasonably ill and could use some good healing:

Happy solstice. To celebrate, here's a video clip you may dig: everyone's favorite bosnian-jewish khanukah hit, sung by me with kugelplex (like last year's "yiddish rudolph"). que viva flory jagoda! i just entered into correspondence with her this year, she's pretty inspiring for me.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:47 PM | Permalink

Today's corny, but nice Chanukah video - turns out the singer is a friend of someone here at work:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:58 PM | Permalink

Check out this video from a concert in Moussa's honor this past week:

נ.ב - מצ"ב הקישור להופעה בערב ההצדעה ל 50 שנות מוסיקה של מוסא ברלין . אם כי הצילום אינו איכותי דיו ,אך הוא ממצה ומרגש לצפייה

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:36 AM | Permalink

We're all familiar with Elaine Hoffman Watts, mother of trumpeter/vocalist Susan, and drummer extraordinaire. Now, Christian Dawid returns from a trip to the Ukraine with this video of Maria Parfenivna Baranovska, mother of part of the family which makes up the extraordinary Konsonans Retro:

She is, as he puts it, "Ukraine's Coolest Drummer"

Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:58 PM | Permalink

Whoa! This one spotted on the Blog in Dm, which caught it elsewhere. Looks like the attempts by some haredirabbis to make being a rebbe look pretty stupid are bearing fruit. If poking fun at the rebbes isn't your cup of tea, there are some excellent recent CD reviews this past week. Need I mention that the holiday that has no historic gift-giving tradition overlaps this year with the majority culture holiday that, likewise, had no such tradition until coming to Amerike:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:07 PM | Permalink

This just posted to Facebook (and YouTube) by Margot Leverett from the CD release for her fabulous "Second Avenue Squaredance" CD. You get a sense of why I can't stop listening--and now you know what to get the bluegrass and/or klezmer music fans in your life for Chanuka! (Did I mentioned David Licht on drums, Tony Trishka, or the others?)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:46 AM | Permalink

I see this as one response to the shameful passage of proposition 8 in San Francisco last week, "Brokeback Dreidel", by Captain Smartypants, a Seattle Men's Chorus Ensemble:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:26 AM | Permalink

I can't resist. Here is the German klezmer band, Di Grine Kuzine doing a brassy sounding, visually thoroughly cheesy version of "Popcorn" from way, way back in 2003 (gee, that's generations in Internet years):

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:17 AM | Permalink

Michael Winograd posts this video in which Pete Sokolow talks about Dave Tarras with the Tarras Band—contemporary musicians playing Dave Tarras' music:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:15 AM | Permalink

I am so jealous. Eisenberg is one of the most creative people working with Jewish music (and just about everything) today. A query about a Ladino version of "Miserlu" (fielded by the always-knowledgeable Sephardic music maven Judith Cohen netted this wrapup of how she's spent her summer, none of it I might add with a bit if truculence, in Boston. (I did catch Basya Shaechter at Ashkenaz, so it was't a summer without creative highlights on this coast.) At least it's documented!:

… in other news, everything well here. played in the krakow jewfest this summer, that blew my mind. lots of amazing musicians, no sleep. here's a clip:

bowls project almost finished recording, it's coming out on tzadik in february. sketches here: www.charminghostess.us/projects.html

below on that page is this side project i'm doing on the intersection of rebetika and salonikan jewish folk music. kinda cool. doing it with the guys from kugelplex as you can see. it's pretty fun, sexy.

frank london was in town and we did a bunch of khassidish and roma tunes with him, it was fun, here's a little bit of one:

i think that's everything. …

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:55 PM | Permalink

Don't know anything about this, although I applaud the effort: Someone named "Barak Kassar" has created an interesting video ראש השנה card at rassak.com/5769/

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:27 PM | Permalink

This was sent by David Chevan in time for the Sept 11 remembrance, but has sat, like too many other entries, awaiting time. As we approach the High Holidays (and the election season), it still seems very relevant. Don't forget to check out his new CD of this recording. [ari]

“There are three ways to mourn. The first is to cry. The second is to grow silent. The third is to transform sorrow into song.” —Abraham Joshua Heschel

"Our friend, videographer Jay Miles, recently completed a film he made of The Afro-Semitic Experience and Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi recording the Yizkor prayer for Martyrs. He posted it on YouTube. I mention this only because today, September 11, you might want to take a moment to reflect and listen to a memorial prayer instead of listening to politicians mouth empty phrases and even emptier promises.

"If you are so moved, please share this music with your friends and family."

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:43 PM | Permalink

Here's a nice Rosh Hashana treat, as it were—interview with Paul Brody, with clips from a performance by his band "Sadawi," in Vilnius, Lithuania. Treat it as a counter to this summer's antisemitic incidents in that once-very-Jewish town.

tv.delfi.lt/video/69XYITkp/

And, of course, German-based trumpeter Paul Brody's bands are worth listening to regardless, or from wherever.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:40 AM | Permalink

Here is a link to video of me singing "Beltz" during the homage concert to Leopold Kozlowski (the "Last Klezmer of Galicia") with Raanana Symphonette Orchestra.

Raanana, Israel , 08 October 2007
Vira Lozinsky

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Writer Ruth Ellen Gruber attended the first performance of Yiddish Summer Weimar's "Other Europeans" concert:

The project is a collaborative effort of the Yiddish Summer Weimar, the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival and the KlezMORE festival in Vienna. Driving force behind it is Alan Bern. For details of the project, see www.the-other-europeans.eu/project.htm

Yiddish Summer Weimar kicks off next weekend with a 3-day "other Europeans" symposium.

Günther Schöller notes:

The internet radio station emap.fm broadcasts both Vienna concerts:

The concert of the "Yiddish Music Project" is on July 7th, starting at 9 pm local time, that's 3 pm in New York. The concert of the "Roma Music Project" is on July 8th, same time.

Both concerts should also be available as stream on demand afterwards, but I'm not 100% sure.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:15 PM | Permalink

Klezmer has really caught on in Paris. Catch this quick video from Yom, a Parisian klezmer channelling Naftule Brandwein.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:57 AM | Permalink

Thanks to Jack Zaentz for discovering this gem, a clip from the 1998 movie, train de vie. Now, if I could just convince Netflix to carry the DVD so I can watch the whole story:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:24 PM | Permalink

Well, first of all, you can view the KlezKamp channel on YouTube (to which you can even subscribe with your ipod or newsreader) at www.youtube.com/klezkamp

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:03 PM | Permalink

It's Krakow Jewish Culture Festival Time! Several of the concerts are being broadcast, starting with today's cantorial concert. Krakow time is GMT+1, or 6 hours later than here on the US East Coast. To catch the7pm local time concert, tune in at 1pm EST, or the equivalent for wherever you are. There will be concerts all week, most at 7pm and 10pm Krakow time.

www.dni-kultury-zydowskiej.info/en

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:43 AM | Permalink

From Channe Nussbaum, Queen of Danish Klezmer, ever pushing the edges of Yiddish music, this time, in Mexico! (Is that the largest bass balalaika you've ever seen, or what?

Klezmofobia has recently returned—all high from playing stadium concert in Mexico City for at least 15.000 wild young mexicans. We were also invited to perform in the mexican TV show "Animal Nocturno"; a channel wich is broadcasted in all Mexico, Latin America and the USA.

We met other bands from many countries who also participated the Ollinkan Festival, and we had a marvellous time partying and jamming with people from Africa, Portugal, Spain, France, England, Germany, South America etc.

Here's a couple of samples from the TV show "Animal Nocturno":

Grine kuzine/Zigeuner

Vi ahin zol icg gehn

Best regards
Channe Nussbaum

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:15 PM | Permalink

Chana Pollack recently sent a link to the "first yiddish web-video we made here at the Forverts."

It's neat! But when I suggested that it was time to move beyond the nostalgia stuff and do some hard-hitting video news in Yiddish, she responded, "Sandler's already got me cranking on the video magazine. We're on it—it's in the works. And someone in the land of Klez calling us nostalgia freaks? Ahem. Unless you're Wolfe Krakowsky--you're swimming in the stuff."

Touché. And for those of us who need a bit of help, here's the english-subtitled version:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:05 PM | Permalink

KQED's SPARK video crew chronicled the Berkeley Jewish Music Festival's first ever artist residency: "The Ark presents Cyclical Rituals (part 1): Spring". The 10-minute clip is now available online (also includes a separate segment on David Grisman):

http://www.kqed.org/arts/spark/episode.jsp?eid=196867

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:36 PM | Permalink

Christian Dawid writes: "For those of you who are already looking forward to the Kraków festival and KlezKanada…">

"[Filmed last night [back on May 18, 2008—the KlezmerShack can be slow. ari]. Yes, it's pretty dark, but the tune is all the brighter!] [You can also see Guy Schalom dance for three seconds.]"

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:45 PM | Permalink

Gustavo Bulgach here frOm Klezmer Juice…. Here's a new video of us performing @ the DOROTHY CHANDLER THEATRE in LOS ANGELES last December. I hope everything is fine and we'll see you guys soon with UNA NOCHE YIDDISHE. ZAI GEZUNDT

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:25 PM | Permalink

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:09 PM | Permalink

It was just a few years ago that Mark Rubin sent me word of an exciting project. He and his Austin-based band had screened the 1920 silent film by Paul Wegener, The Golem to a (mostly klezmer, with some davening assists by Cantor Neil Blumofe) soundtrack he composed. The results were captured on DVD.

The result is fascinating. In the 16th century Prague, of course, wild Jewish wedding music would surely have been popular as 20th century German Jews would have distanced themselves as far as possible from such unmannered music. Anachronisms abound upon anachronisms (including some of the very romantic plot twists), all moved along at an enlivening pace by Rubinchik's Yiddish Ensemble. Occasionally, one can hear the reactions of the audience viewing the movie.

This classic was almost immediately sold out. I am pleased to announce that "The Golem: How He Came Into The World" is once again available to the discerning public, with the klezmer accompaniment from www.filmbaby.com as DVD or digital download.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 3:57 PM | Permalink

I owe this one to Jack Zaentz' "Teruah blog:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:23 AM | Permalink

Glenn Tamir posts this clip to YouTube, with this explanation:

Just went to a great show at a club called Barbi in Tel Aviv. Max Romeo ("War Inna Babylon") played a great show.

Here's a little clip of "Ska Ska Ska" into "Wings of a Dove"

Enjoy!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:49 PM | Permalink

From the people who gave us an amazing latke recipe (don't worry; I'll repeat it come Hanuka again), the world's best version of the Purim story, and the Flounder Blues, comes a new video series on YouTube: Play along with the Austin Klezmorim (complete with music on your computer screen). Here's the world-famous Zeltser Vasser:

Catch the whole series, or subscribe to it on Bill Averbach's YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/billaverbach

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:13 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

It's Mardi Gras time in New Orleans and that means that our favorite tuba-playing bluesman, Mark Rubin is hanging out with Ben Schenk and the Panorama Jazz Band. Mark provides a bunch of fine photos on his blog, and I've borrowed the YouTube video from the same source:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:02 AM | Permalink

It's Black History month. On a site that talks mostly about Jewish music, there isn't a lot of intersection once I get through with the bittersweet way in which Rabbi Heschel's yahrzeit and the Reverend King, Jr's birthday come at the same time, just before the month begins. (Bittersweet because both are missed.) But there was a fascinating place where "black" and "Jewish" intersected in a fascinating way, and that was Harlem. A couple of months ago Grammy-winning producer Aaron Levinson got folks ranging from Taj Mahal to Don Byron to celebrate that shared history in a remarkably wonderful CD, "The Harlem Experiment. You first heard about it here back in October, and then I found a great review and other info. Now, I offer a wonderfully tasteless political cartoon animating "The Reefer Man" from that self-same CD.

I confess. I'd be tempted to eschew the video and get a few copies of the CD.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:09 PM | Permalink

If you read this site regularly, you will remember me kvelling about a wonderful documentary a couple of years ago about Cantor Jack Mendelson. Now the movie's Director/Producer Erik Anjou writes that it is available on DVD from Ergo Media.

For those wondering what Anjou will do to follow up the movie, I have had the opportunity to view some clips from a new documentary about The Klezmatics. Should be very exciting.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:52 PM | Permalink

Ates Temeltas, who run's the band's label, sent this Veretski Pass interview to me month's ago, but it's still good video. It also includes footage of the band playing:

Prior to their concert at California State University, Sacramento [in October 2007], members of Veretski Pass were interviewed by the producers from MusiqBase website. Here is the link to the first part of that interview in which Cookie, Josh and Stu talk about the background of music performed by Veretski Pass.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:40 AM | Permalink

An lovely person who was trying to "friend" me on YouTube sent me this video of Jason Rosenblatt and his niece Neshama Rosenblatt enjoying some quality harmonica time together. Another klezmer generation gets its licks in on "Bei mir bistu shein". Indeed!:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:43 PM | Permalink

Rokhl Kafrissen blogged this one on her גלות ײד blog

UCLA receives $1 million to establish chair in Jewish music: UCLA alum and wife make gift in honor of Yiddish entertainer Mickey Katz, By Carolyn Campbell and Eleanore Reznikoff

While I'm at it, read down on recent blog entries and you'll find a link to video of KlezCalifornia way back when—When KlezKamp was a baby. Such young looking Hank Sapoznik, Adrienne Cooper, Margot Leverett, and Joel Rubin, among others. I can even swear I caught Jim Rebhan at one of the jam sessions.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:47 PM | Permalink

On the Jewish-Music list, that subset of participants, the guardians of all that is proper Yiddish kulchah (not necessarily the people promulgating such culture) have been having a field day emphasizing how much they despise an especially shmaltzy version of the song by a Russian singer. It is sufficiently gruesome to my ears that I will not repeat the link on this page. But Radio host Rochelle Zucker has dug up a tango version of the song, beautifully sung by Argentinian singer Zully Goldfarb (whose "Makh tsu di eygelakh" came in for criticism, itself, a few months ago):

Here is another Youtube version of the same song by Argentinean Tango/Yiddish singer Zully Goldfarb. She performs in the Tango Clubs in Buenos Aires and always includes several Yiddish songs in her show - and always explains what they are and where they come from and also about her own life as a daughter of Polish Immigrants to Argentina

Something is going on in Argentina. There is some fascinating Jewish culture happening there, ranging from this singer, to the klezmer/Yeshivish band, Orkestra Kef, to the brilliant improvisationists, the Lerner Moguilevsky Dúo. Posted by Ari Davidow at 4:32 PM | Permalink

For those (myself included) who can't get enough of Konsonans Retro, here's a jam session from the Helsinki Klezmer Fest with members of that band, Kharkov Klezmer (another set of amazing folks) and more, forward to the Jewish-Music list by usual provocateur, Christian David:

Christian continued, "Here's another groovy Moldavian tune from the same session:"

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:49 PM | Permalink

David Chevan, currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Afro-Semitic Ensemble, writes to the Jewish-Music list:

Just wanted to let you know that there is now a video on YouTube of The Afro-Semitic Experience jamming this past Sunday night with Y-Love rapping!! It is pretty cool (though you can't see Baba and Alvin drumming) and the audio is decent enough that you can even hear when Y-Love switches to Aramaic. Hope you enjoy!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:46 AM | 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":

Posted by Ari Davidow at 8:14 AM | Permalink

The greatest klezmer Christmas song ever! The biggest Jewish contribution to solstice celebrations since Irving Berlin penned "White Christmas"! A Yiddish "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," performed by San Francisco's Kugelplex. Vocals by Jewlia Eisenberg of Charming Hostess.

More at www.kugelplex.com and www.charminghostess.us

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:59 PM | Permalink

From the wonderful traditional klezmer clarinetist, Gustavo Bulgich, come these YouTube Videos of a recent show:

Gustavo here.

Please check out the posting of 2 videos from the show "UNA NOCHE YIDISHE" Premiered on October 20th @ the Red Cat theatre in Los Angeles.

ZAI GEZUNDT

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:06 PM | Permalink

It's hard for me to call a medley that starts off with a lovely "Shalom Aleichem," and has some clear Hawaiian influences a "klezmer medley," but the music is beautiful and Stacy remains one of my favorite guitarists:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:43 AM | Permalink

Correction? Am informed that this band, whose videos are on YouTube as the "Shondes" are, in fact, called "Something Fierce." Interesting band, but the real shondes can be found at www.myspace.com/theshondes. So what's up with these YouTube videos?

Found this great punk band with a wonderful Jewish name, albeit, no particularly Jewish content or sound. It's a shonde that I haven't heard of them before. If you know more about them, send me e-mail.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:01 PM | Permalink

Keith Wolzinger sends notice that his band, South Coast Simcha Band, has joined the trend and now has a wide panoply of performance clips up on YouTube. S'iz a pleasure, Keith:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:57 PM | Permalink

Lori Cahan-Simon spotted this one and posted to the Jewish-Music list (does he ever write the KlezmerShack? does he ever call?):

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:11 PM | Permalink

Dancer Yehuda Schnaps sent in this link:

Movie with some clips of music ,dances and sites from the beautiful Klezmer parade at Sukot in Jerusalem (See dances of original chasidic dancers at the start of second minute in the movie)

Dennis Wilen, of the Jewish Journal of LA spotted this one: the amazing Danish Yiddish pop star, Channe Nussbaum:

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:01 AM | Permalink

Pete Rushefsky writes to the Jewish-Music mailing list:

Bob Cohen has graciously put up a YouTube video of footage from a recent Tantshoyz put on by CTMD. Here's Zev's (Zev Feldman) demonstrating "shining"—i.e., things to do when you've been thrown in the center of a freylekh circle:

Next CTMD Tantshoyzes at the JCC in Manhattan (Amsterdam & 76th) are on

• Sunday May 20th at 6PM (led by Deborah Strauss)
• Wednesday June 6 at 7PM (led by Michael Alpert)

Hope to see you at some of the upcoming events!
A zisn Peysakh, Pete Rushefsky
Center for Traditional Music and Dance
212-571-1555

Support for the Yiddish Dance Project was provided to the Center for Traditional Music & Dance by the Forward Association and the New York State Council on the Arts Folk Arts Program, a State agency. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 6:45 PM | Permalink

Doug Cole sends in the following. I am hoping for updated listings on the klezmershack's band pages, soon:

My partner Judith Eisner, fidl has a very nice website that has video of her new band: Classic Klezmer. You may remember her from the remarkable photo of the Tsatskelehs All grrrl klezmer band posted on your band list a few years ago. And of course you will recognize her from Klez Kanada, she has attended last five years or so. The band was recorded at a cable tv station here in Minneapolis and the cable people have a website where they display local talent(baby blue arts). So check it out and tell everyone! I'm the biggest fan of course being her partner.

It's not as easy to play as YouTube, but if you have Windows Media Player, you should be okay.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:33 PM | Permalink

As near as I can tell, it was Helen Winkler, originally posting to the Jewish-Music list about this video, that sparked Roger Reid's long post about the Hutsul music craze (and the subsequent discussion) a couple of weeks ago.

Now, Inna Barmash adds more information about the recording, also posted to the Jewish-Music mailing list:

Ah yes! I remember that night—this is in Budapest, at Fono in the Fall 2006. Tecso played after a wonderful set by Nikitov (Niki Jakobs et al) - that explains why you see Adam Good on bass jamming with the Ukranian musicians. The really frustrating thing about this recording is that I'm standing right behind the video guy the whole time, so no proof remains that I was there (except my own blurry pictures :)

The person posting the video is none-other than the omnipresent and sagacious Bob Cohen of Di Naye Kapelye. He turned us on to Tecso, and he's got a wonderful post on Tecso on his ever-enlightening blog. Sadly, Mihailo Csernavec, the tsimbalom player in the band (who was already ill at the time of this show) passed away very recently, and Bob tells his story and the story of the band here: Mihailo Csernavec, Hutsul Tsymbaly player, 1947-2007.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:24 PM | Permalink

We just saw a rather amazing, transgressive movie called "Mendy." Released in 2003, it is about a young man who leaves the Satmar community and must figure out who he is. He must also figure out how to survive in a world where he has no skills—no knowledge of the world outside of studying in the yeshiva—no geography, no math, nothing. The movie touches on the usual religious transgressions (including a sexual scene involving t'fillin), but it is in the thoughtfulness with which the main character makes the transition from his familiar, beloved former life of prayer and devotion to G-d that the movie's impact is greatest.

Continue reading "Mendy" »

Posted by Ari Davidow at 12:09 AM | Permalink

Metropolitan Klezmer has put up several clips of songs performed at a recent concert. That would be reason enough to mosey over to YouTube, but film expert and bandleader Eve Sicular has also tied this particular video back to it's original soundtrack. And, for those unfamiliar with American Shadkhn with the late comedian Leo Fuchs, there's more to this story than just the pshat.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:18 PM | Permalink

As received:

I am writing,should you be interested in some of the musical material I have recently broadcast on youtube.com, which amongst other things,features my attempts at bringing back to life the ancient sounds of the Jewish Temple Lyre,the "Kinnor",last played by my very own Levite ancestors in the Temple of Jerusalem,almost 2000 years ago...now only played,in my spare room,Salford,Lancashire,England!

Check out the the following link to all my somewhat unique musical videos which I have so far uploaded(which,amongst other things,also include an even more unique fusion of "Jimmi Hendrix" style electric violin and traditional Klezmer!!!)...

www.youtube.com/profile?user=Klezfiddle1

Shalom!
Mike Levy

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:42 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

Mel Korn stumbled onto this one. "This is a clip of Andy Statman playing the clarinet in his twice-weekly concert that takes place in a little shul on Charles St ":

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:02 PM | Permalink

Marilla Wex uploads yet another significant addition to the Michael Wex online video collection. In this episode, the Wexter discourses with drollity on … well, I let Marilla explain…

For those of you who weren't there and for those of you that were—I just worked out how to upload this short but very funny clip of Wex MCing at a concert in summer 2006. He'd just read an article about a Belgian lending library that was planning to lend out people from various ethnic groups....

www.the-yiddish-world-of-michael-wex.com/michael-wex-in-action.html

it's the first of the two videos. The second I think most of you have seen - it's Wex giving his version of "I'm Too Sexy".

Posted by Ari Davidow at 5:11 PM | Permalink

Moshe Berlin sends to the following link of Hasidic singing at this year's 7th of Adar celebration in Meron, Israel:

www.tsofar.com/zofar/mashtap/show.asp?id=8465

The 7th of Adar is the traditional Hillula (Moshe Rabeinu's day of birth and death) at the tomb of Rabi Shimeon Bar Yokhai … A lot of klezmer music, chassidic dancing, and of course "Khalakes" (first haircut to 3 years old kids).

Posted by Ari Davidow at 10:47 AM | Permalink

It's one of the few entries on YouTube of klezmer music actually tagged "klezmer." Wish it were longer. Margot introduces the band at the end, including one of the folks currently touring with returnee to the Jewish fold Jorma Kaukonen (who can be any religion he so chooses, so long as he doesn't stop playing blues ;-).)

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:42 AM | 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

archived on their website () and on the popular Dutch all-music program Vrije Geluiden which can be viewed at www.vpro.nl/programma/vrijegeluiden/. (Once on the website click on "bevat video" in the Nikitov Ensemble section and then click on "kijk hier naar Vrije Geluiden 11 Feb. 2007" on the left to view the show. The music performances are at 4:00 and 22:40 in the video). The group concludes the tour at De Waag in Haarlem where centuries of troubadors performed to prove their skill and talent and, in more recent history, folk singers like Joan Baez and Simon and Garfunkel have come to pay homage to the great singers of the past. The band begins their fall European tour in November.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 11:41 AM | Permalink

Lila Feingold passes on this, um, version of one of the songs we instructed the band, at our wedding, not to play:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOxVXQlZXqI

And Cantor Sam Weiss contributes this swinging version of the dreidl song featuring singer Kenny Ellis:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpYZIktK2Yg

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:42 PM | Permalink

I'm only a few months behind in the list of really cool stuff that I need to get up on the KlezmerShack right away. But, here's a wonderful item forwarded to us by tuba god, Ron Caswell:

A friend of mine did a short 3 minute film on a day in the life of a tuba player in New York City. Some will find it amusing. Others will be horrified. I apologize in advance.

Ron

turnhere.com/city/new_york/Around_the_City/films/472.aspx

Posted by Ari Davidow at 1:38 PM | Permalink

Another item from the amazing Helen Winkler:

I now have a page up with video and photos from the event Judith Cohen and I did a few weeks ago:

www.yiddishdance.com/Researchphotos.html

The video clip of the broiges tants requires the most recent version of Quick Time to view it. This dance happened quite by accident as I had not planned to do it but Judith started playing and singing it earlier in the evening and we decided to include it at the last minute. My dance partner, Judy Silver had never seen a broiges tants before so it was very improvised and spontaneous. I welcome all information that people might have about this dance from past years, as I am accumulating a collection of people's recollections elsewhere on my web site.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 2:00 PM | Permalink

Usually we avoid mentioning Hanukkah until the great secular Jewish holiday, Thanksgiving, has passed. But this year, that's when Hanukkah starts. Fortunately, Hip Hop Hoodios, our favorite Spanish-English bilingual Jewish rappers have released the best Ladino Hanukkah hip hop video to date. Forget that. This is the best Hanukkah video to date. It pinche rocks!

Posted by Ari Davidow at 7:59 PM | Permalink

mailto:klezcorner@aol.com
"Two Yiddish Dances" -- Settings by Nathan Vizonsky, as taught by Miriam Rochlin. What dances go with Klezmer Music? After all, "Klezmer" IS dance music! This 48 minute video teaches a Freylekh and two variations of the Sher. It also looks at the life and circumstances that helped give Yiddish dance it's unique flavor and style. Narrated and produced Karen Goodman, the dances are taught by Miriam Rochlin who studied with Polish-born dancer/choreographer Nathan Vizonsky in the 1950s. Documentary/Instructional video:48 min $24.98. Available at: Hatikvah Music, (323) 655-7083.

Posted by Ari Davidow at 9:33 PM | Permalink