YK's Jewish Music Forum

MBD's Kisufim Review

2011-12-07T09:14:00.001-08:00

Yes it has been a while since my last review. But MBD's last album is a great excuse to write again, and I went ahead and downloaded the album from Mostlymusic's website, the first time I used their service. By the way, their website is working well and the process of buying was easy although I would suggest a Facebook Connect option as I hate signing up for anything these days (disclaimer: I have no connection to Mostlymusic and I payed for the album from my pocket)

To the album: it is MBD's last album and I deep inside don't want to be harsh on him and I do hope it's a good one.

The first two songs, Shalom Aleichem and Menucha have a lot in common, for the good and for the bad. Both songs have a "folkish" sound, have pleasant but forgettable arrangements, have Zemiros lyrics and are not really melodical. I would not put these two songs back to back as he has done here but I believe it does sets the tone and it shows what MBD is aiming for - authenticity. They remind me very much of MBD's Kumzitz Album which had this same concept and was very succesfull. These two songs don't have the same impact because they are not hits and are rather forgetable but at least it was well produced and it did set a very specific mood from the start. ***

Al Kein is a sad slow song that has a weak first part but that gains momentum in the second part, which doesn't follow the traditional "low first part/ high second part" setting that we know so well. The arrangement and adult vocals are as good as the first two songs but those who know me know how much I dislike these child solos. I do like soft child solos like in 4:55 and onwards but the child solos before that were unnecessary and in my opinion are counterproductive, specially in a sad song like this one. ****

Shomrei is a great composition from Rav Kalish that has a great arrangements, both instrumental and vocal. Here I don't mind the children singing - it fits in the mood of this song - and this unpretentious song is reminiscent from the songs introduced by MBD in Efshar Letaken, like Gevald for instance. *****

Hazkiri is the second slow song of this album and although the first part is ok, the second is really weak. The song is well arranged but otherwise unnapetizing. Wondering what caught MBD's attention here. **

Tzemach tzemach is a simple, refreshing niggun that is perhaps one of the strongest pieces of this album. It's a kumzits song that was very well arranged and all vocals are well balanced and pleasent to listen. Not a hit but this song is about pure relaxation. ****

Anim zemiros is reportedly a song from the Rebbe but honestly never heard it before. It's a nice composition and i specially like how the words in the second part don't particurarily fit well in the bars - it makes the song unique and differrent. Nice ending too, with a sweet falsetto from MBD. *****

The Chabad niggun is nice and very "traditional" but we had that covered with the tzemach tzedek niggun. I think it's positive to have one niggun in an album but two is just too much Dragging the album to the boring side ***

Hashiveini has unnoriginal lyrics and the compositon is very weak, so MBD needed some magic to make this song fly. Mission not accomplished and this song is an unnecessary "filler" in MBD's farewell album *

Nichsefo is the typical Moshe laufer song - Midtempo, easy to sing and not particularily original. But it's fun and interestingly, not arranged by laufer. I guess they wanted to maintain the folk feel that we have throughout the album, something laufer would probably not do if he were to be the arranger. ***

Kisufim is a yiddish song composed by mbd himself with Lipa lyrics. The tune is actually ok but it has no climax, leaving us with the feeling that something is missing. I guess it's more about the words....***

Simchas toireh - see Chabad niggun comment above. By now it's pretty clear MBD is going to a strange direction here. Nothing wrong with the niggun but it's just flatly boring and not only this adds nothing to the album, it actually takes a lot away from it. And the arrangement here is below the quality of the rest of the album. *

Ani maamin. Worst possible choice of lyrics, unnecessary child soloist and nothing new.
Yibone. Actually a great classic i did not mind to hear again. But what's the point of squeezing two distinct songs in one track?

Impecably arranged by M. Hershkovitz, Ashreini is another song composed by MBD and it features among the best in the album. I wish we would have more of those.

Bottom line, do I like this album? I prefer to put it like this - I don't dislike it. The arrangements are simple and groovy, with a common theme: strings, more strings and a great choir. As a result, Kisufim does have a very unique sound but the problem is not the production. I think MBD played too safe and tried to say goodbye with a Kumzits album that is not as good as the Kumzits album. The album lacks innovation and courage, two things that that every album should have and that could have made this album a masterpiece. That's why I didn't like this album too much. Efshar letaken was much better.

With that said, my big kudos for MBD for giving us so many great moments throughout his remarkable Jewish music career.

Continue or not to Continue

2011-12-05T13:35:00.001-08:00

Even tough I'm pretty much retiring from this blog, it keeps getting very good traffic without any effort from my part.

I'm spending all my blogging time in my Safrut blog but this one continues to keep steam somehow.

As much as I like to review and comment about the Jewish Music scene, I'm unsure there's still a need for it today. So I pretty much get discouraged to spend time writing, listening and buying the latest JM gear.

Which leads me to the big q' - to continue or not to continue?

Ohad 3 Review + Video Songs

2011-10-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering if I should review Ohad 3 or not... The album is out already for quite some time - perhaps I should review something else.
Meanwhile, I've come across two videos:

I've heard Shwekey's brother a few times but he seems more rounded this time; he evidently took voice coaching classes and he sounds better now. The song is quite weak, forgetable although the lyrics are sung in a different way than the usual Mi Adir. He starts with the last part and if not for this lyrics change I wouldn't even bother to watch it - I don't listen to Mi Von Siach/Mi Adir songs anymore. Got sick of them.

Which brings me to another Music Video, this time by Yossi Green.
The contrast is evident - the lyrics. Yossi Green can spend months until he finds the right lyrics for a song, and he ultimatedly did find a great set of lyrics for this song. The lyrics alone propel this song to another level and YG knows how to play with the lyrics and interpret them. But I'm afraid he is alone; most of the songs I hear are still old lyrics battered again and again. Mi Adir/Mi Von Siach and Halach Hagoel are perhaps the most overused lyrics, and even Ohad 3 unfortunatedly had a Mi Von Siach - a waste of time in an otherwise interesting album.
The tune is interesting, changing the tempo very smoothly between the second and third part of the song, and the vocals are very good - first time I hear these fellows. YG has mastered the composition process like no other JM composer in the past decades, a real blessing for JM fans.
And unlike Yosef Chai's video, this video is novel - it is a real story. Somebody comissioned YG to compose a song for his Bar Mitzva son and the video illustrates the process. That's new, original and fresh.

jpost: iTunes categorizes Jewish music as ‘Christian & Gospel'

2011-09-18T03:36:00.000-07:00

By MICHAEL FREUND18/09/2011 Apple's online music store does not have a separate category for Jewish and hassidic melodies. Apple Inc.’s popular online digital media outlet iTunes classifies many of the most well-known Jewish performers and their albums as “Christian & Gospel” material and does not have a separate category for Jewish melodies, The Jerusalem Post has found.Albums by Avraham Fried, an Orthodox Jew, with titles such as Yiddish Gems Volumes 1 & 2, My Fellow Jew and The Baal Shem Tov’s Song all appear under the “Christian & Gospel” category. Other songs of his appear under the heading “World.”Similarly, Mordechai Ben- David’s collections Just One Shabbos and Yerushalayim Our Home, as well as songs such as “Yom Tov Medley,” are all listed as “Christian.”And the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s album Shaarei Shabbat – Songs and Blessings for your Jewish home” which includes the song “Am Yisrael Chai” (“the People of Israel live”), is included in the Christian category.Music for Jewish children and cantorial works by Joseph Malovany of Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue Synagogue are also not exempt from Apple’s unusual classification system, which deems them to be Christian.Contacted by the Post, Fried expressed astonishment. “Why would they put Jewish and Hassidic music under the ‘Christian and Gospel’ category? It makes no sense,” he said.“I don’t understand where they are coming from and what the point is of doing this,” Fried said. “I would hate to think this is an attempt to bury Jewish music under a Christian or Gospel label.”Repeated requests for comment to Apple’s corporate headquarters in California and its UK branch went unanswered.Fried said Apple should change its policy and create a Jewish grouping.“It is time to have Jewish and Hassidic music stand on its own,” he declared. “It should have its own category and be called by its right name – Jewish music.”Apple’s iTunes is said to be the largest online music and video vendor in the world. In February 2010, the company announced that more than 10 billion songs had been purchased and downloaded from the site since its inception in 2003.

Review of Shades of Green 2

2011-04-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

If there's one genre of album I never buy, that is what I call "Chazora Albums". Falling in this category is a plethora of wedding albums, remix albums, project next albums that are easy and cheap to produce. I don't buy those because there's nothing new there - it's basically a double charge for songs you have paid for already.

Shades of Green series is a notable exception. First, it has YG's production standard, which is far higher than the average album out there. But more importantly, it's a testament to Yossi Green's remarkable career, coming straight from him.

Shades of Green 1 was good, I would say 6 on 10. There wasn't much new in the songs and it was just plain "Chazora Album" albeit with a very good production.

This time it's different. The production in #2 is somewhat more sophisticated and it enables Yossi to innovate more than before. Almost every song has a cool shtick, featuring Yossi Green's interpretation of his own hits - instead of a tired review of his songs we have totally new versions of his hits.

Shades of Latin - interestingly, YG decides to tweak his iconic Sephardi-style song into a latin sound. It's a nice try but I think the song loses all it's identity with this tweak and it becomes a weak latin song. Ohad's Gedola Shiro is also an unlikely candidate for a latin song but it worked better, and as usual, YG shows off his exceptional harmony skills with a dissonant note at 4:00. Novel and cool. ***

Shades of Motown - Hu Iftach is not among Yossi best hits and I wouldn't have chosen it for this album. It doesn't blend in the Motown style at all. Happy Days does, but overall there's little innovation in this shade. **

Shades of Dance - that's where the album changes gear. The arrangement is clearly Shai Bachar (I think) and the two songs are perfect for this Dance theme - no tweak this time. But although the songs are well done, Yossi has little room to innovate here, as the original songs had pretty much the same vibe and even more energy, thanks to Gertner and Wald's superb vocals. ***

Shades of Hipsh - the funky arrangement gives YG room for shticks - I love the one in 1:30 and 4:20. Nice concept. ****

Shades of Rock - The arrangement, I believe from Lamm, is weak. It's the traditional JM rock beat, the one we have heard countless times in the past decades and that's a dated kind of rock. Trumpets, saxophone should have no place there and I wish Yossi would dare to turn this into a heavier rock song. *

Shades of Baroque - Chesed VeEmet is probably one of YG's most relaxing and sweet songs, and Yossi brings the song to the next level with clever arpeggio vocal arrangements. Tzomo, if my memory serves me well was released by Yossi Rose in his first album (which didn't sell well but was quite good). I don't rank it among Yossi's greatest hits but it's ok. Lamm's arrangement is again weak, specially towards the end of the song, but YG carries the song well and smartly.***

Shades of Debka - great shade, showcasing YG's aptitude for middle-eastern songs. I wouldn't have used flutes and clarinets in the arrangement - why not keep it Arabic style? The vocal arrangements are very smart and cool, this is one of the best segments of the album. I wish that Yemenite rabbi from the 8th Note would be back here for a special appearance. ****

Shades of Blue - clever intro, tweaking Wald's original song. This Ani Maamin is from YG's most powerful songs and I'm happy he went for some solos opposed to using his choir the whole time. The arrangements has little from blues, and this song in general is not blues. But the second song is interesting, coming from Nissan's album. Few people bought Nissan's album but this song is a gem, and I always wondered why Nissan didn't succeed. YG makes this song really special, even better than the original and makes justice to this dark-horse song. Very strong shade *****

Shades of Soul - soul? If that's what they were shooting for, it failed. **

Shades of Chant - This is the album's best moment, a truly revolutionary Shade. From beginning the end, this shade is legendary, turning two of YG's most tired songs into some sort of byzantine chorus songs. This time the execution of this shade was flawless, and YG sounds better than ever in the chorus parts. This is the direction I keep wishing JM will go, and credit must be given to the arranger - it's not Lamm and it doesn't sounds Shai but it could be him. Everything in this song works, it's the complete package and that alone was worth the 25 dollars I was charged for this album (yes, I overpaid). ***** plus

Shades of Yiddish - ***

Shades of Accapella - interesting premise as we rarely see YG venturing into accapella and it was smart to bring more voices, I was afraid YG would do a Eli Gerstner shtick of one man acapella work. The arrangement by Mo Kiss is very good, but the AKAPella soloist in Min Hameitzar does not nail the song, lacking Shlomo Simcha's power that we saw in the original. Even YG's solo sounded better than the other soloists, so that is a letdown. If you ignore the soloists, the song is well built and I love how YG comes out in this setting, specially in the unusual modulation in 4:15 - I loved it ****

Shades of March - I don't know this march.. not a fan of it. Not memorable, not as creative as YGs usual compositions. The English song is cute **

Always on Call - quite a surprise! Nice vocals, nice song and nice cause.

Shades of Green 2 is better than 1. There's still lots of room for improving and I would dare more with the arrangements next time. And I would make it more 8th Note-ish - why not bring guest singers for every song, a la Gideon Levine? I would still keep YG's vocals as this is about his legacy but one bar here and there could be sung by guest singers. Nice album; special mention to Shades of Chant - wow!

Pessach Video

2011-04-17T04:23:00.000-07:00

It seems like people feel like we need new shtick videos every Chag these days. While some are definitely interesting and creative, others like this one fall sort. He can actually sing and has a pretty sold voice, but why mix Sole Mio and Pessach? Corny.

A Jewish Star Videos and more

2011-02-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

Video: performers

Video:
Interviews with judges and contestants

So... A Jewish Star is over and a day later we know who won - Piamenta Jr - with a very energetic performance. Did he deserve it? Looking at all the performances, this was the only listenable piece. The rest was subpar, very very weak and mostly off tuned.

What is clear is that well produced auditions masked the real voices of the auditioners. They are all at best average voices, and that's already a compliment. Next time the auditions should be voice only. Let's be real.

In a more positive note, this edition showed that anyone, ANYONE, could have been standing there. Yes, you also. Maybe that will encourage more people to submit videos.

The lack of interactiveness hurt this a lot, since only the people who attended te show were actually part of it. The unfortunate souls who couldn't make it had no connection to it until today. Didn't anybody think of making a live feed over the web?

In any case, shkoiach to Piamenta Jr who did feel confortable in stage much like Binyamin Moshe last year. We already have a pattern of Israelis doing well in the contest and that's no surpirse - Israeli Jewish Music is far more interesting the mainstream today. Israeli seem to have more chutzpa to do their thing without being afraid of standing out. That's great for music.

The Finalists are here - A Jewish Star

2011-02-12T15:40:00.001-08:00

A Jewish Star Season Two - Finalists from COLlive.com on Vimeo.

Well, many surprises made into the next stage and many very talented contestants were left behind, but it is what it is.

The more edgy contestants are Weinstein and Menkes, but it's interesting to note that neither of the two have special voices - their strength is in their original compositions. And that's ok.

Now I can't understand how Hillel Braun and Piamenta made it through. It will probably remain as the mystery of this century.

In any case, A. Fried was as always on the ball and consistent, albeit less aggressive than last year; Peillin does have value as a judge as he knows what to look for in a performer. However Eli G was surprisingly popcorn-ish, very superficial and way too afraid to say anything undiplomatic. Is he the Paula Abdul of this show? He has the experience and pedigree to be there but I really hope he steps up his game in the live show.

All in all, this show is very lukewarm and I hereby call again for a different formula for next year. Let the judges choose and then the public. The current formula forced the judges against the wall, as they have no say in who will be the top 10 and they could only bend their head's down and agree.

The judges should be more in the spotlight! The video above was OK but far from being a immersive entertainment section. If done it correctly, this show has the potential to be a blockbuster.

A Jewish Star vs American Idol

2011-01-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

A Jewish Star will soon move to the next stage, and VIN released a list of the more popular contestants.

As the show moves on, one thing is clear - the voting system is tricky. Why? let's first look at American Idol's system, which was the inspiration for this show. In American Idol, a panel of unknown judges judge hundreds of thousands of contestants around the US, choosing the more interesting auditions. This always includes bad contestants, who will be later be made fun of. But aside from these, the contestants who pass have good voices. In the next stage, they appear in front of a panel of star judges, like Steven Tyler and J. Lopez this year, who will choose the ones they approve. Only in the next stage - stage 3 - the public kicks in to pick their favorites.

A Jewish Star's format is very different - the "public", that is, registered voters, solely decide who will pass to stage 2. Some commenters have raised valid questions:

anonymous says:
January 21, 2011 at 12:17 AM
Just because these guys have lots of friends to vote for them, doesn’t make them a good singer! They should be judged by their voice and talent (by the 3 judges), not by the amount of votes they got because they are popular. This is not supposed to be a popularity contest! There are others who should to be on this list and some on this list that shouldn’t!!! I hope others agree with me!
Reply
lets be real says:
January 21, 2011 at 3:55 PM
I agree, the judges should choose the top ten.

I partly agree with Anon. I would put it differently - why do you need the panel of judges of the public will be choosing who will pass? However, the public should be involved as this is the secret of American Idol's success. So who should decide - public or judges?

I think that it should be more like American Idol - the top ten should be chosen be the panel of experts and only in the next stage the public would pick their favorites. The current voting system leaves an open door to weak contestants who can find a way to arrange backing from the voting "public".

I would like to stress that I was from the early enthusiasts of this show and I still think it's a great idea. But there's room for improvement and I believe my criticism is constructive. A few golden contestants were left out and with this other system I think they would have very good chances of going to stage 2.

Eli Gerstner and Aidelkeit

2011-01-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

From ajewishstar.com:

"When asked what qualities he looks for when he auditions choir members, Gerstner said: “Good voice, stage presence and the most important factor – aidelkeit.”
“A child who performs must be a Baal Midos. It won’t work any other way. People don’t want to see a boy with an ego. The ego comes through in the voice.”
So a good voice is not all?
“Exactly. We turn down so many kids who try out for YBC who have amazing voices but lack in Aidelkeit. Take Avrohom Fried, for example, he has an amazing stage presence without the ego. And look where he is…”"

I am an early Gerstner fan who jumped off the boat when he started his child choir career path. Until then I bought every single CD he produced, the good ones and the weaker ones. Overall, I liked his music and contribution to Jewish Music. With that said, I was a little confused by the interview above. He signaled the importance of Aidelkeit for the audiences when speaking about boys choir but brought an example from Avraham Fried's way of being.

But if Eli subscribes to the importance of Aidelkeit as seen in Avraham Fried, why doesn't the same standard applies to adult performers (Chevra is not exactly in the Aidelkeit field)? Should they all be "aidel" as well or the argument only goes as far as child choirs are concerned?

Well I believe ego is most often good for music. It's hard to define what kind of ego Eli is talking about, but in adult soloists, I like when they have personality as it adds flavor to their compositions and public performances. Take Lipa, Dedi, Yishai Lapidot, Adi Ran - all them have positive "egos" which make them extremely entertaining. After all, that's what singers are - entertainers. Avraham Fried is also an entertainer but with a whole different, most subdued, no-ego, style. And that's also appealing to many.

Now take child soloist. Eli says he will refuse the very best soloist just because he has ego; or if I understand him correctly, just because he has a strong personality. Why? Because there's a code which was created in the Children's Choir world - they should look all the same, sing all the same and smile at all times. And be aidel.

Doesn't that sound funny to you? Boys Choir are not entertaining; the are just cute (to some). That explains why Eli refuses egos - they stand out from the cute standard. Even if they have the best voice ever.

That goes out to prove that when it comes to Boys Choir, music comes in second place. First is about fitting in the stereotype. With this kind of backstage, it's no surprise that no good music comes from there. It's an institutionally flawed system. Kids are not meant to entertainers. Adults are. Lipas are. Dedis are. Children are not; they are just cute.

A Jewish Star: The Fourth Judge's Impressions - Part 2

2010-12-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

We clearly have many more contestants this year and this has impacted the show a lot. The biggest challenge now is not only sing a song well but to find a way to stand out from the others. This requires a good voice, obviously, but it's as important to choose the right song. And even when you choose the right song you should make it special and different. In light of this contestants like Baruch Naftel, Elie Norovitz and even Gershon Shapiro did a pretty good job but this year I don't think it will be enough - there's too many people. And it's all about standing out. Avrami Cohen is a great example of a smart audition. I'm happy we are going this way as this will make the competition more.. err.. competitive.

But the best so far is Mendel the Shoichet - I can't forget that one. Here are the latest:

Avrami Cohen - Very original audition, with a jazzed up version of YG's Beshoo. He is Kol Zimra-ish and I think will go through. *

Benny Gammerman - Another innovative audition that stood up from the rest. Like Mendy Sheichet, Benny is back and stronger and both seem ahead of Gershon from last year's contestants. The song is pretty much from the Israeli JM camp and it's fresh and groovy, not to mention the interesting lyrics. I think eventually JM will have more and more of these kind of lyrics (Shuli Rand is one of the pioneers) and I hope this audition gets the green light.*

Elie Norovitz - I think it wasn't a good song choice for him - the first part was way too low and it eclipsed the rest of the tune, which did have good moments and good notes.

Motti Hershkovitz - good voice, this audition was quite good. I like him but, again, I don't know if he managed to stand out enough. Reminds me of Yeedle a bit.

Daniel Joshua Gerlich - this guy will polarize opinions around him. This kind of auditions will raise eyebrows for virtually all US listeners but will surely have a following in Israel. The dragged singing is perhaps a little exaggerated but overall this song has character. Does he look a bit crazy? Yes. But the crazy singers can be the best. Think Lipa, Adi Ran - the crazier the less they care about the standards and the more original they are. I don't think he will pass because he doesn't fits in the Avraham Fried/Gerstner music world but I'm very happy to see him compete.

Tzvi Russel - it's a good example of the danger of being too much into your own song. Took a big risk by singing his own song and considering that this song is bad, he had no chance from the very start.

Ilan Eckhart - sings a beautiful song from Six13, a band I follow closely. Good voice, lots of potential, but is this the kind of guy Fried/Gerstner will appreciate and pass? Don't think so.

Edan Hanouka - slightly better than Flusberg. Couldn't watch till the end.

Motty Reizes - what caught my attention was the composition. The song is far from perfect but it has some interesting shticks and I think Motty has potential to be a composer.

Mordechai Levovitz - seems to be a pro singer - can these compete?

Marcos Askenazi - he is on ajewishstar's channel on youtube but is not on the site. Is he in or not? Confusing. One of the better auditions - great interpretation, vocals and musicality. If he is competing, I would place him as a favorite. *

A Jewish Star: The Fourth Judge's Impressions

2010-12-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

Last year I was afraid none of the judges would dare to give honest opinions - bad or good - about the contestants so I wrote a long post with blunt assessments of each and every A Jewish Star contestant. I turned out to be wrong as Avraham Fried took the post of the Simon in the show and was even more confrontational then me - kudos to him and I hope he keeps the same mindset this year. Anyways, in case you liked what I had to say lasy year, here are my comments about this year's contestants. I marked my favorites with a *.

Just a note - I just bought Binyamin Moshe's song in a Jewish Star's site and it simply rocks - the song, the vocals, the choir and the arrangement. Just for that A Jewish Star was a success, as it really produced a great star.

Another note - I will not comment on the Jr contestants. I'm against the Jr competition because it can expose the kids to embarrassing situations that will be forever public on the web. Adults are free to do whatever they want, and if some decide to make a fool of themselves online, hey, that's their life. But kids? This is a result of the Children Boys Choir craze that is so poignant in Jewish Music, unfortunately.

Ratzon Gholian - he does reach very high but I always say: it's not about reaching high, it's about how you reach the notes. And his high notes are too thin, shaky and strident. Shwekeyism, and that's a very annoying ism.

David Ackney - I love this video. The Simple setting allows David's tune and voice to stand from the crowd. The interplay of "Na" is smart (although already explored by Yossi Green in his composition to Kol Achai) and it fits well in this Breslov atmosphere - it was just missing the Na Na Nachman! *

Natie Grossnass - the Brits are so verbose! What I like about this one is that this is exactly what an audition should be - just sing a little of what you like and let the judges decide if you are good. This year pretty much everyone decided to follow the steps of last year's winner and come up with an original song in the audition. They should do like Natie, who did it simple but perhaps just enough to go through. Go cousin! *

Baruch Naftel - Nice "open door" into idea, and professional recording. He was on tune throughout the song, and clearly had a good time making this video. Also some funny moments thanks to the scarf throw and the "dorm mess" snap at 4:40. He needs voice coaching - his singing is still too raw but I do see potential in him, with the condition that he stops trying to copy Shwekey's shticks!

Aron Holder - right from the start you hear that he has a very distinctive low voice. I think a voice like his will do good to the finals. *

Yaakov Flusberg - DOA

Hillel Kapnik - he recorded this video in the same place as Boruch Naftel, which leads me to speculate that he was the guy in shorts in Naftel's vid, but going to the point - great composition! It has great potential for harmonies and with a professional producer this song could actually fly. His voice didn't stand out much but he didn't compromise the song and came out good. Weird wink at the end ... whatever. *

Menachem Weinstein - Menachemyahu? Matisyahu is clearly his inspiration and rap is his genre - nothing wrong with that. I like the song a lot, and he really did well with nice vocals, harmonies and arrangement. He will go through, although I'm curious to see if A. Fried will nod to a rapper in this show!

Mendel Markel - back from season1, Mendel gives another shot for his Jewish Star bid. Hands down, the best audition this year; both the vocals and tune were exceptional. And to achieve that with a simple setting - couch, guitar and no auto-tune - wow! *

Yehuda Tenenbaum - No singing technique, weird diction and very many off tune moments. Will not pass.

Ezra Lejbik - very over-the-top, kvetchy and terribly off tempo. I do like his voice, but he needs a lot of framing.

Shmuel Plotke - I liked the originality of the video - it was a cool setting. That's what's good about it.

Zalman Levy - this was interesting. I see a good potential in him, specially as a lyricist. Good English lyrics are a rarity in JM and from the start he is better than most lyricist out there. The question is if this will be enough to captivate the judges.

Aron Behamou - ok the video wasn't mixed properly but I like the song - it's different, original and complex. His vocals are a bit sloppy but I think it's part of the charm of this song. I really wish he will pass. But it will be a long flight to the show! * (the dark horse)

David Hershkovitz - clearly very into the song, but still an amateur. Maybe next year he will be more ripe.

Shmuel Morgenstern - related to Shalom Morgenstern? Wow, it has been years since I heard from him - I was actually one of the few who bought this under-the-radar Yossi Green CD. It would interesting to have a Chassidich guy in the show but I don't think he stood out.

Gershon Shapiro - this video was very well done, specially the video mixing. Gershon put a lot of effort in this video, however I still don't see his vocals standing out. But the song was original, the video was top-quality, so he might very well go ahead this time.

Abraham Cooper - very heimish atmosphere with the fireplace and banjo, but the composition is below par... sorry.

Nachas Baldinger - he seems to be a pro singer, so I don't know how this falls with A Jewish Star's rules. But his vocals are good and even if he doesn't go through this is smart advertisement. Is that Newmark in the keyboard?

Dan Dabbah - the video was so bad that it almost neutralizes what's good about him. Good voice but no stage presence; I don't think that is the profile for a show like this but, hey, his vocals are good.

Shimon Atlas - Great Avrumie Flam song and good vocals. But it's weird to submit a wedding video.

A Jewish Star Season 2 is here!

2010-12-19T06:25:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned for my post on the best and worst auditions next week. This will be a very cool season, that much I can say!

Miller and Lemmer

2010-10-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

Really solid harmony by Miller! I think he was flat in 2:24 but besides that, it's a really great duet:

Shimon Craimer's Nashir Beyachad Review

2010-10-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Nashir Beyachad was on my buying list for quite some time, and with no further due, here’s the review.

I was among those (few?) who bought Shimon first album, and although I didn’t review it, it was a great one. Yossi Green managed to bring the best from Shimon and the album was commercial, even if it wasn’t a blockbuster. Now, Shimon comes solo, doing music in his own way.

The album tittle is very weak, since it’s the same as Yossi Rose’s.

Sameach is a conventional song with great energy, so it’s was the best choice for the first song. The arrangement is great, specially the bridge in 1:42 - soft, subtle, perfect. The 3 minutes mark is golden for a fast song like this and Shimon is at his best, with great improvisation skills and vocals. *****

Nashir Beyachad has very weak lyrics - “can’t describe the devastation” is not good, however, the chorus is cute and catchy, saving this song from havoc. The arrangement is again very good, and after 4:23 the song does get momentum, but the weak lyrics are a heavy liability. ***

Jewish Gospel music - that is the definition of Open Up. A genre very rarely explored in JM, Gospel music is kind of a taboo in JM but by using Rabbi Chait’s Pitchu Li as the structure this song doesn’t sounds all that out of place. Choir arrangements and lyrics were very well done, nearly perfect, and I appreciate the risk taking. *****

The automatic initial reaction to Mi Von Siach is “Another one?”, the same reaction I had with Gertner’s (childhood friend of Craimer) Mi Von Siach. Like Gertner’s, the tune is beautiful but the lyrics... I can’t hear Mi Vons anymore. **

Kel is probably my favorite song, as it showcases Shimon’s energy and vocals. He knows how to keep the song interesting with great interpretation and shticks. The song is rather simple, but Shimon brings it to a very high level and I think no one else would do it as well. It’s a song only he can sing. *****

Brogez is the most innovative slow song in this album and possibly in the past year. We got used to hear Yossi Green-styled slow songs in each and every album, and Berogez is a rare example of how it’s possible to explore different styles in a JM slow song without losing the Jewish taste. It’s a very demanding song vocally, and Shimon does a superb job. The choir is flawless, the kind of choir I wish we would hear more often -subtle but powerful. *****

Shalom is another innovative song - it’s pure fun. Shimon has great voice control and knows how to sing it softly when he has to and when to hit hard, like in 2:23. Kel, Berogez and Shalom are a great sequence of songs, and in my opinion, it’s where Shimon’s real vibe is. *****

Ani Maamim shares the same problem of Mi Von Siach - beaten down lyrics. Again the song is actually beautiful but without the lyrics you cannot go very far today - this will not be a blockbuster and will be easily forgotten. **

Tzur has a different problem with the lyrics - I don’t see any connection between the lyrics and the tune. That’s a big negative, and altough the arrangement is excellent, I’m afraid this song is the album filler.

Achat Shaalti, and here I am again complaining about the lyrics. Mi Von Siach, Ani Maamim and Achat Shaalti - a disastrous combination of lyrics, and a big let down for me.

Vaani is interesting because of how the lyrics fit in the song, rather in a strange but successful way. And 3:45 is not too long, so kudos to the arranger. ****

The child soloist in Hamalach is the best child solo I’ve heard in a long time - not screechy (yes, it’s possible), perfect technique and good song choice. This is the optimal way to use a child in JM and I hope other singers finally come to their senses after hearing this. And I have to mention the choir - fabulous. This is a really solid last song, and although the lyrics are not exactly original, the child soloist makes this song fly.

Already in his first album Shimon showed great vocals and technique, so I’m not surprised to hear it again here in this album. The Kel Hahodaos/Brogez/Shalom showcase what’s best in this album, while the Mi Von Siach/Ani Maamin and Achat show an unfortunate constant problem - the lyrics. Aside from that, this album has fabulous production value and a touch of freshness to it. I do fear it’s not a commercial album, that is, it’s not what people want to hear these days. But strictly in terms of music, this album is something Shimon should be proud of.

Avraham Fried, Yishai Lapidot and Amiran

2010-06-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Now I got a video of that Brazil wedding, and you can see how cool A. Fried, Amiran and Lapidot sound together. Power play! And a great remix of Ohad's Veerastich.

Matisyahu + Children's Choir

2010-06-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's quite amazing what Matisyahu is doing, and whether you agree with his mainstream approach or not, he is a real talent and is bringing a very meaningful message to the world. Great video and a prime example of how children's choir can be harmonious, pleasant and interesting. Jewish Music has a lot of catching up to do in this issue, but "one day", our choirs will be like that too.

Just in time for the World Cup..

2010-06-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

Avraham "Avremel" Fried and Amiran Dvir show their true colors in a wedding last week.
Go Brazil!

Shloimie Gertner's Say Asay

2010-05-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

I got a hold of Shlomie Gertner's new album and I think it deserves a review. True, my blog was omitted from the list of Jewish Music blogs featured in the album's jacket and I didn't get a courtesy copy from the distributor, so be prepared for some fiery negative remarks throughout this review. Now seriously:

Say Asay is the album's main song and it has a creative shtick from Yossi Green, yet, the song is plain. It doesn't builds up, and the English lyrics are very weak, even for JM standards. Kudos for the risk-taking but this bet didn't pay off. ***

Hashomain is a big song and it brings Shloimie to the next level, forcing him to improvise and use his voice smartly - something we didn't see in his first album. This is one of Waldner's best compositions and in my opinion, the album's real deal. *****

Ashrei is an average fast song with a cool arrangement. ***

Nishmas is an "outlier", not a regular slow song like we are used to hear in JM. Shlomo Simcha once showed me a database of Yossi Green's songs, categorized by style, and many of them had a special term to describe them - something like "Yitzur" or "Yetzira", I can't remember exactly, but it means "novelty". Nishmas fits in this description and it's a strange song. Honestly, it doesn't makes sense to me musically but... it's different, and that's a compliment. ***

Besimcha uses a lot of repetition and it's probably a song YG composed having Lipa in mind - Gertner couldn't make this one work. The third part of this song - the niggun - is not bad and along with the Shloimie's middle-western improvisation in 3:26 saves this song from being a total flop. **

Shabbos Hayom, by the great Boruch Levine, is a really good song. The lyrics are original, the tune is catchy yet different than what we hear in JM, and Gertner was the perfect guy to sing this song - superb vocals. In the second part there's a great harmony (using the fourth notes) that wasn't explored by the vocal arranger and that's my only let down here. *****

Finally, a very good fast song - Boruch She'amar. This is Gertner's kind of tune - simple, catchy and modern, as seen in his first album. Gertner's improvisations and vocal arrangements were excellent and this song should have been featured earlier in this album.
Re'eh is a typical Pinky Weber song but it isn't his best. Too predictable and surely not the album's best slow song. ***

Ein Kelokeinu is another solid fast song, with a great arrangement and like Boruch Sheamar, this is Gertner's kind of song. Simple, fresh and different, this song is "vanguard" and it's just a pleasure to listen. I see that Waldner's fast songs are ahead of Yossi Green's in this album, surprisingly. This is the way JM is going recently (think Benny Friedman) and I'm happy to see Gertner doing a song like this.

Yossi Gurvitz, a family relative of mine, was the man behind Gertner's best songs in his first album and this song does resemble Rachel and Shma Beni a little - Gurvitz likes to use a lot of repetition in his slow songs and Min Hameitzar is composed with this same concept, and it's quite good, something different. ****

Mesameach is interesting, another solid composition of Waldner. This is the future of JM and even though this might not be a crowd-pleaser this song is very well done and groovy. ****
Mi Von Siach - the most beaten down lyrics of JM. Yes, the song is beautiful but there's gotta be a limit of how many Mi Von Siach YG can compose. Or not? ****

Dedi comes to my mind when I hear Happy Birthday, a very creative song - credits to Yossi Green. This is the 13th song and yet very solid - unusual. ****

Yevarechecha - closes this album in the right note. Complex and interesting. ****

What I like about this album is the risk-taking, something I mentioned in Benny Friedman's album. Okay, the bets will not always work but this album had many clear successful songs that are hard to find elsewhere in JM. Until this week, all I heard about this album was that it wasn't as good as the first. A big mistake - it's actually better. Everyone asked to Shlomie to take more risks after his first album and here he is, making big bets and really going for originality. The only thing I missed was a more contemporary choir and vocal arrangements, and a guy like Mike Boxer would add a lot to the songs. But all in all, it's a really great accomplishment and credit should be given not only to Shloimie but to all the production team, who managed to produce a great, groovy album.

Binyan Adei Ad Shtick

2010-03-14T03:01:00.000-07:00

A Jewish Star - Final Review

2010-03-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

COLlive's A Jewish Star concert took place a few days ago and the three finalists had a chance to sing one more time to the public. The concert was clearly small, and Benny Friedman had the tough job of carrying the flame over this not-so-enthusiastic crowd. But he is a cool and confident guy and he managed just fine, even with the language issue.

By the way, one thing stood out very clearly - all three contestants were "aliens", or if you prefer, non Americans. COLlive could've pushed for a local finalist but everyone sticked with what really matters - the performance and Ohayon, Sadon and Moshe were clearly ahead of the rest. That's great.

Let's get to the facts. The first was Ohayon and he did a fine job singing Ale Katan, but fell short in making a statement and didn't manage to make this song special. Interestingly, Mendy Peilin raised fears that Ohayon's Boi Kallah didn't give us a feel of how well he would do outside of the recording room. And he was spot on - Ohayon is a great vocalist, has a very smooth falsetto but is one of those singers who do well in records but less well in live concerts. That's not a critique; I still think he would do great in a debut album but the contest's format put him against the wall. And the judges were too complascent, and I was expecting a slight critique from A. Fried but it seems like he played the nice guy this time... where is Jewish Music's Simon?!

Next came Sadon and you all know I'm not a huge fan of him. But his high note in Ani Maamim awarded him a spot in the top-3 and the question was if he could take more risks in the concert. He took a classic - Machnisei - but he did take risks and did his best to make this song exciting, with great success. Special mention to the falsetto in the end of the song, it was really outstanding and a great shtick. Somehow, Sadon managed to put up a better performance than Sadon - unexpected.

Last came Binyamim Moshe and when the guy comes with his guitar on his back facing down you know he means business. Mendy Peilin thought it was an Uzi! Moshe quickly took over the stage and was really comfortable with the spotlight on him. And he was lucky to be the last, this caused his performance to have an even bigger impact. Moshe has what the other two lack: he is authentic. And that's a quality we rarely see in JM, where originality isn't the rule of the land. Moshe sang his own song, played the guitar along and did a fantastic stage work. I don't see a singer like him coming from the US these days, unfortunatedly. Binyamin Moshe is a product of Israeli JM, which is often more authentic and groovy than American JM. My only complaint is that his guitar was perhaps too loud, I think the sound system guy should've muted it just a bit.

COLlive's A Jewish Star has been a truly vanguard project and one of the most exciting things in JM in the past years. This will be huge next year and I can't wait for it!

Boys Choir: The Last Stand

2010-03-06T18:02:00.000-08:00

In my Awards picks, I didn't choose any boys choirs. I noted that "my ears retired from listening to this kind of things long ago", and I wanted to write a little more on that.

Boys Choir have become one of JM's main niches, thanks to London Boys Choir and Tzil Vezemer's incredible breakthrough many decades ago. More specifically, Yigal Kalek managed to create a new craze around boys choir, creating a new niche of Jewish Music and that gave new life to the industry at the time - it was new, different and cute.

Miami Boys Choir stormed in and infused even more energy, with a new wave of high-profile concerts and CD's. MBC traveled around the world and provided us many timeless hits like Meheiro and Beseiata Dishmaya.

With time, the buzz around MBC started to fade away, specially in the last decade, and although they are still around, MBC became outdated. That's when the new Boys Choirs started mushrooming everywhere, hoping to bring new life to this niche. I guess people figured that with a more modern groove and look, the choir niche would be back in the spotlight and break new ground. They were partly successful - Boys Choirs are back in the spotlight but they don't break new ground. Let me explain.

As I mentioned before, the London Boys Choir was a shtick, a cool new idea that catched everyone's attention. And Yerachmiel Begun succeeded in making this shtick even more cool with amazing concerts and musical indulgence. But as of today the shtick is just way too overdone. You can't let children sing just for letting children sing; it was a cool shtick but without the "newness" of London Boys Choir and without the glitz of Miami Experience this niche has become soulless. You have choirs and more choirs, but all essentially doing the same thing and the same shticks.

Why can't we come up with other new shticks? For instance, why not have a really solid Men's Choir album, with top production, compositions and real music (not Acapella) supporting them? That's just one example, but there's a lot of room for innovation and I just don't understand why so many artists decide to venture in the the Boys Choirs genre creating yet another boys choir. Enough Boys Choirs!

A Jewish Star: The Top 3

2010-02-25T11:59:00.001-08:00

Just came across COLlive's video where the three judges debate each of the top 10 contestants. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that the judges were very straightforward and didn't play safe, specially Avraham Fried, JM's new Simon. Who would expect that? I was expecting some bias towards the Chabad niggunim but the judges were consistent, transparent and on the ball. Ohayon and Binyamim Moshe (quoting Peilin, "Adir Ran with a good voice"!) were sure winners, while the third post was open and Sadon took it.

March 7th is fast approaching and this competition has been great for JM. But between Ohayon and Moshe who will win? I'm all in for Ohayon, surely the next Jewish Star!

And the Top 3 Finalists Are... from COLlive.com on Vimeo.

A Jewish Star: Yehuda Menashe?

2010-02-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

While the Jewish Star contest is going to the next stage, another star popped up in the Jewish Music scene recently.

In the first video I thought he was very off tune but I actually like the second very much - he sings Vezakeini with a lot of intensity and his notes are nice, so a little more experience and voice coaching might turn him into something very special. I can only begin to imagine what would happen if Yossi Green would produce an album with him. Perhaps COLlive should invite him as a guest star in Soul to Soul?

Matisyahu's Infected Mushrooms

2010-01-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Jim sent me this brand new remix of Matis' hit song One Day by Infected Mushroom. I love this song and prefer Matisyahu's original version, but it's nice to see that this song is becoming more and more popular. But my favorite song of Matis' new album is this one. And yours?

Inside Scoop: A Jewish Star's Email Update

2010-01-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

A reader sent me this update email from COLlive, sent to the Jewish Star contestants today. Although we were told that the judges would choose 3 singers, now they announced a semi-final stage with 10 participants! I think that's really cool and I look forward to see how this will play out. This whole Jewish Star project is clearly being changed and adapted to the public's feedback, and I think we should give credit to COLlive for being flexible and not afraid of improving this competition. Here's the full update:

From: A Jewish Star
Date: January 25, 2010 1:31:00 AM EST
To: "Editor COLlive.com"
Subject: Before Calculating the semi-finalists

Dear contestant,

As the voting stage of A Jewish Star comes to a close, we would like take this opportunity to thank you for joining our competition and wish you luck on the next round (and with your musical career).

Before the votes are calculated to determine the 10 semi-finalists, please reply to this email, verifying that you will be available to attend the Soul II Soul concert, to take place in Brooklyn, NY, on Sunday, March 7, 2010 in the event that you are chosen as a finalist.

Please reply to this email by Wednesday, January 27, 2010 confirming you will be able to attend, perform on stage and be interviewed. If we do not receive email verification you may be eliminated.

If you have any questions you may email to this address as well.

Thanks again and Good Luck!

COLlive - A Jewish Star

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
COLlive.com | Community News Service
1650 Eastern Parkway #208, Brooklyn, NY 11233
t. 718-679-9450 |
w. www.COLlive.com | www.AJewishStar.com

Ohad, Haiti and Leonard Cohen

2010-01-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Call me ignorant, naive or just plain stupid but I didn't know Ohad's Boi Kallah was an adaptation of Leonard Cohen's Halelluja. But shortly after hearing Ohayon's video in A Jewish Star, Nathalia and Gabriel - two famous goyish artists - made a tribute to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti with a adaptation of Halleluja of Leonard Cohen. I was then able to compare it to Ohad's version, and it turns out that Ohad didn't change much in the arrangement nor singing - he sings it pretty much in the same way, and I happen to prefer the goyish version.

I'm posting three videos - of Ohad, Leonard Cohen's original and Nathalie and Gabriel. Judge for yourself. Warning: In the vid of Nathalia there Kol Isha towards the middle of the song but Gabriel is the first singer and you can get an idea of it. (actually, he sounds like a lady so maybe you should skip it anyway!)

A Jewish Star: The Fourth Judge

2010-01-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

There has been a great amount of buzz about COL's Jewish Star and without any doubt, this initiative is revolutionary in JM. This proves again that Chabad dominates Jewish Music big time - it's no surprise that they had the courage to create this event and that most of the contestants are Chabadniks.

A Jewish Star comes after American Idol's success and this is pretty much a copycat, in a JM version. I have no problem with that, since American Idol's formula has been copied in almost everywhere and it seems like this is what people want to see today. But the only thing we are missing is Simon's fearless comments and I'm afraid A. Fried, Peilin and the Neshoma guy will not say the truth as it is. So here I am, the fourth judge!

Moishe Savoy - Good potential but he needs more time - he's too young - and coaching. The chair holding the door closed was funny!

Binyomin Schapiro - Bad song choice. If you are recording professionally like he did, you should choose a more challenging song. It's a very easy song - no words and very small range.

Itzchak Bondarev-Dobruskin - From Azerbaijan! Wow! But this is another bad song choice - Keili Ato is far to easy and doesn't allow him to show off his voice. Also, a funny clip - Walking around Azerbaijan's beaches with a Tallis!

Yisroel Koch - Reminds me of Chaim David a little. It's nice to see a simple, heimish guitar solo and it's a nice niggun.

Moshe Lehr - Although the intro was a little over-the-top, Moshe has a very strong presence and this will work in his favor. He has a nice voice timber and could make into the top three.

Gershon Shapiro - Nothing wrong with this clip but is forgettable, and this clip doesn't stands out. But it does stands in the roof-top - an hilarious play with the words of this song "Omed al Gag Beit Hamikdash". Intentional?

Mendel Markel - I disagree with the song choice again. Mendel has a great voice but a more mainstream song would surely work better for him, but it's possible that this Fabrengen-style song will please the Chabad judges.

Shuky Sadon - A solid professional recording, although he could use some voice coaching. Well done and we will see what the judges think.

Benny Gammerman - Probably the most Heimish video of all, this is not an easy song to sing and Benny carries it with confidence and with a well-coached voice, reminding me of one of Lev Tahor's soloists. I think he will do very well with a better production, so Benny has good chances of going to the next stage.

Choni Teitelbaum - Choni has a very sweet and pleasant voice, and he does a fantastic job in the piano. He might be the dark-horse.

Avraham Ohayon - A sure winner, this Frenchmen is the best video in this competition. Professional recording, superb song choice from Ohad's latest album and a distinctive voice, this video propelled this anonymous talent into the JM scene. Exciting!

Aryeh Greenberg - Very simple setting, this video has nothing bad but it doesn't stands out. And he is often off tune, so I don't know if he was successful in "bringing Nachas to the Rebbe".

Sam Omari - The oldest contestant, this very professional video is reminiscent from JM old days. But a lot has changed and this video seems out of place.

Motti Flikshtein - The low point of this competition, I don't consider this to be a song; Mor To Life should've written a letter instead. And "MorToLife" actually has better recordings in his site, so it remains a mystery why he decided to send this thing in.

Boruch Sholom Blesofsky - The most innovative video, it starts with a cute piano intro that steers to a whole other direction. Boruch tried to do something cool, and he was actually successful in that, but I don't like the song and he is off tune.

Nissen Brenenson - Too much hand-gesturing, but Nissen's voice is very promising. But I don't think this was enough to make him pass.

Yermi Udkoff - It was a mistake to sing two songs - it made this video forgettable and long. But Yermi has a very good voice and if the judges take only this into account, he might have a chance.

Shmuli Stiefel - Shmuli is evidently trying to imitate Helfgot and that's a big bill. I wonder if a Chazzan will pass, but Shmuli could be a decent Chazan with a good voice coach.

Yisroel Dovid Shmueli - The bad song choice made this video forgettable.

Noach Reshef - Long live Topol!

Tzvi Russell - Very spirited performance, but another bad song choice.

Avremel Blesofsky - Waaaay to much digital manipulation half-way. Over-the-top.

Shmuly Rimler - Simple setting. I think Aderaba was too hard.

Dorai Natanel - I like this "back-to-Yeshiva" video. Recorded in the boys' room in France, this is a duet, so the question is if duos can win or not. Nice, and I like very much the guy in the piano.

Binyamin Moshe - This is a very Israeli-styled video. I believe the American judges will not appreciate this original composition, but this is one of my favs. It reminds me of Adi Ran's uber-famous Ata Kadosh and I am a fan of Israeli JM as well, so kudos to this youngster from Lod.

Choni Grunblatt - In the boring side but not a bad video.

Jewish Music Bloggers Awards 2009

2009-12-26T15:56:00.000-08:00

This year's awards will be hosted by JMR and they are taking it to the next level. They are now accepting suggestions for best songs, arrangements and so on, and the actual awards will start soon. More bloggers joined and we will be having a more broad vote this time, so please spread the word and email any specific suggestions to awards@jewishmusicreport.com . I register here my thanks to JMR's staff with a special mention to Kol Isha for taking the time to organize everything.

Repost from JMR (click here for the original post):

"Last year, YK of jmusicforum.blogspot.com organized a Jewish Music Bloggers Awards where he gave both his readers and several Jewish music bloggers an opportunity to vote for their favorites in a number of categories. It was an exciting process to be able to vote for your favorites, read the opinions of some of Jewish music’s best known bloggers and finally see the winners when they were announced. YK was hoping that the Jewish Music Bloggers Awards would become an annual event and has asked us to host this year’s awards. We are so honored to be a part of this exciting event!
We have come up with a list of categories and are giving you, the readers, until Sunday night to nominated your favorites in each category.
Once we have firmed up the list, we will post it on our website and you will have ten days to vote for your favorites. During this period, we will be posting picks from a number of Jewish music bloggers who have graciously volunteered to share their opinions. After that, we will narrow the poll down to three finalists in each category, before we finally tally up the votes and proclaim the winners.
Below are the categories for this year’s awards. Who would you like to see nominated in each category? Let us know at awards@jewishmusicreport.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Best Album
Best Song
Best Debut Album
Boys Choir Album
Best Arrangement
Best English Song
Best Yiddish Song
Best Concert DVD
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the blogs that are joining together for this award contest.
TheJewishInsights Life Of Rubin Gruntig The Cool Jew JM Derech Jewish Blogmeister YK’s Jewish Music Blog JM Maven Jacob Da Jew The Real Shaliach
If you have a Jewish Music website and want to be included in this please email us at awards@jewishmusicreport.com"

Benny Friedman's Interview

2009-12-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

Live With Benny Friedman from COLlive.com on Vimeo.

JM Trivia #1!

2009-12-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

I love JM trivia and from now on I will be posting trivia questions every so often. This is one I got in my mailbox recently:

"Hi,

I was wondering if you know what the do do doritos ein kelokeinu song is called and who sings it? If you dont know can you post the question on your blog.

THanks"

It took me a little time to understand what he was referring to but I do know the answer. Do you?

UPDATE: Yehuda instantly got the answer right so I will throw another trivia and hopefully this will keep going for a day or two. If you have have other good trivia you may email me and I will try to eventually post it .
Here we go: A song with only one word. Singer and the name of the song?
Answer: Ruach, from the one and only Shlomo Carlebach. I couldn't find a link to a preview of this song.. anyone has it?

Benny Friedman's - Taamu

2009-11-11T03:12:00.000-08:00

Benny Friedman debuts in the JM scene in a very interesting time. MBD and Fried continue to be extremely popular but the following generation of singers - Mendy Wald, Dachs, Flam and even Dedi are completely out of the spotlight. Shwekey had his time in the #1 spot but was eventually surpassed by a much cooler and talented singer - Lipa. You have other names with significant buzz around them like Gabay and Gertner but we didn't have a "shock" debut for quite some time. Benny Friedman is shooting for that and he has everything going for him - great buzz, production and timing.

Misod stands out from the usual opening songs I've heard lately. Is not revolutionary but it has a somewhat different pattern to it - it's not always the same notes being repeated again and again - and the song builds up nicely, complemented by the rather symplistic arrangement and niggun. ****

Now if Benny really wanted to be more edgy, he would open the album with the next song - this one, yes, revolutionary. It reminds me of Oif Simches' edgy niggun songs featured in their first two albums, but this one goes further albeit without losing the JM taste. And, hey, the song is not overly long - it's within the "goyish" range of under 3:50. This kind of songs - original, edgy and cool - is what my ears have been waiting to hear since YG's 8th Note and we must give a lot of credit to the great arrangement by Freitor. *****

I'm a big fan of Spinner's songs and the result of the mix of Spinner's musical skills and Benny's gifted vocals is very promising. Spinner's compositions are, in my opinion, more original than Blumstein and Waldner, which are from the mainstream JM camp, and I'm happy to see that Spinner is not keeping all his songs for himself. *****

Taamu is more wacky and not exactly my cup of tea, but it's understandable to have something wacky after three home runs. But there's something interesting in this song - the "bridge" in 2:40, where Benny resembles a lot his uncle Avraham Fried and does a very cool fabrengen-style improvisation. I really want to know if this was Benny's or the arranger's idea... it added coolness and soul to this strange song. ***

Leib Yaakov's arrangement stands out right from the beginning and it reminds me of his arrangement of Dovid Gabay's Omar Dovid. This "retro" song takes me back to the olden days of JM - traditional, warm and Avraham Fried-styled. ****

Moshiach - Ian Freitor uses the acoustic guitar for the coming arrangement, something rare in JM that comes and goes every so often (Mendy Wald's Kol Mevaser in his second to last album is a good example). And here is the interesting part - this is a Waldner song and Shwekey had a few in his album but they were not cool. This one is cool, mainly because the arrangement by (again) Freitor is perfect - not overly busy yet modern - and Benny's voice and energy shine. I suspect Shwekey couldn't make anything out of this song and Benny seized it and made it fly. ****

I can see from the opening of Kad Yasvun that Benny has very good singing technique for the low notes and although this song is too boring for me I do like to hear nice notes. The choir is too typical and it throws me back to the trauma of mainstream JM, where the choirs seem to all sound the same. And this song is looong - 8:36 - and for me that's way over the acceptable range. This one is competing with Gabay's all-time record of 9:14 (Havi'i, first album). **

Amar has much in common with Moshiach - composed by Waldner, a lot of lyric repetition, fast but not too fast and quite original. Again, this is a Waldner song that is not for Shwekey - too smooth and edgy, and Benny was lucky to get a hold of this song. ****

Yaavducho is a risk-taking song. Heavily focused in the guitar arrangement, this is a song that puts the singer's voice, energy and improvisation skills in evidence. And Benny is somehow comfortable singing what no one else in JM would. And the Hawaian la-la-la at the end added to the coolness of this song. ****

At this point I'm already realizing we are looking at one of the best albums out there now. Letova has a very tasty dissonant note in 3:11, I love this kind of things and in general this song just "has it", even with lyrics that are not the most original. ****

Batuach is another risk-taking song, and Benny goes out of his way to make this song fly, using his very soft falsetto and harmonies. And it paid off. This is another song that is hard to see in JM and yet Benny has no problem doing it. ****

Emes ***

I love risk takers and Benny is one. That's the only way to constantly bring in new music, because if you accommodate - like Shwekey did - you will eventually find yourself singing more of the same. Benny Friedman has come out with an album that is surprisingly fresh, original and cool. Just for argument sake, take Gabay's album, which was very successful and had very good reactions. To me, Benny Friedman has more star-quality and I like his album more than Gabay's, because it's more eclectic. Finally there's something in JM worth talking about!

Helfgot sings Sole Mio

2009-11-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

Someone sent me this video, featuring Helfgot, Adler and Shachat singing Sole Mio. I prefer Helfgot singing Puccini, but this one is also good.

Helfgot sings Puccini

2009-11-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I saw this video and I was very surprised to see Helfgot doing such move. He is revered as one of the most inspiring singers in JM today and to see him performing a classical opera piece is amusing and to some, maybe a bit offensive. Shwekey, Fried and MBD would never go for it - they stick to the rigid JM behavior standards, but it seems that Helfgot is rather comfortable singing a song that is not in his usual repertoire. That's great, in my humble opinion.

This Puccini song is a classic opera piece and many Chazzanim have singing lessons using these classical opera works since they demand maximum concentration and voice control. That explains why Helfgot has no problem singing it and I'm sure he knows many more opera songs by heart. Maybe Gladitore next time?

Shwekey's New Album, Ad Bli Dai

2009-10-27T15:39:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since my last post and I was hoping to listen to some fresh new music, so I picked up Shwekey's latest album, Ad Bli Dai.

As I noted in my review of Shwekey's previous album, a change in course was the only thing he could possibly do to stay relevant and cool. It hasn't happened and, by inertia, this album is not really a new album, it's just more of the old.

Let me get more specific. The opening song Areivim is a complicated choice for a first song - little energy, not catchy and not a innovative arrangement. This is at best the traditional "filler" song but right at the start of the album of JM's most popular singer.

Teshuva is arguably Yossi Green's least original song in a long time. It's hasn't the usual YG taste to it.

Veshochanti and Naase Venatzliach are already better and I cannot criticize as much. It's a little different and it's acceptable. But then it comes Mimkomcha I wonder what Shwekey liked about this song. I can easily spot Waldner's hand in most his songs, but in this one I was surprised to see his name in the credits. To compose a slow, mellow Mimkomcha is the same as composing a new slow, mellow Hamalach Hagoel - nobody can hear it anymore. Just a few Mimkomcha's that come to my mind - Mendy Wald's, Shlomo Simcha, Avrumie Flam, Carlebach (lehavdil). And here again, Shwekey goes for such a song. And the same goes for Ad Bli Dai - Dedi, Shnitzler and others have similar songs.

I always do my best to write even-handed reviews but I'm afraid I cannot go ahead and start saying wonders about this one and it's a case point of what going on today in mainstream JM - little originality, courage or musical beaktroughs. Yes, Shwekey can still sing beautiful songs like the uber-popular Vehi Sheamda but this is not Shwekey's signature kind of song. Vehi Sheamda is Razel's shtick and Shwekey was only the best way to make this song popular. When it comes to put a project together, Shwekey failed to bring us his usual hit songs. I miss Yedid!

PS: I did modify this post a little in response to the harsh comments I received and I did my best to soften the tone.

Jerusalem Great Synagogue New Chazzan

2009-05-26T03:01:00.000-07:00

Chazzan Chaim Adler, who was the chief Chazzan of Tel Aviv's Great Synagogue became the new Chief Chazzan of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue. Although I previously wrote that his chances of getting the post were high or very high, this comes as a surprise since I know they tried to get Chazzan Motzen. Adler had a stable position in a prestigious Shul and I never thought he would actually make the switch, but I'm happy he did - the kahal likes him very much and he is one of the best Chazzanim out there now.

I just wonder how much he will change the Synagogue's Nusach, specially the High Holidays nusach. Remains to be seen!

Dudu Fisher Sings Shalom for the Pope

2009-05-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is a great and controversial video featuring Dudi, David Dror and a well-tuned girls choir.

The song starts with a real "elvish" feel thanks to the Jewish/Arab choir but it gets boring when the choir steps away in favor to Dror's mellow singing. It would be better with the choir the whole time.

The song sounds simple and complex at the same time with many long and suspended notes and lots of room for improvisation, and the choir filled in the gaps. Dudu, as always, did a superb job and brought a "broadway" feel to this concert. This is the first time I hear Dror and although he has great technique his singing gets boring rather quickly. But he had some impressive falsettos.

Enjoy!

Vehi Sheamda - Shwekey and Razel

2009-03-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

I intended to post this video for a while already and now that we approach Pessach I think it's the right time.

This is one of the best songs of the past months, by a mile. Although Shwekey sings this in a duo, this song has Razel's blueprint all over it. It's a complex and touchy song, with a great arrangement and harmonies, and to me Shwekey is a little out of his "Yeshivish Song Zone" but I guess Razel knew this was the best way to make this song a hit. And he was succesful. I loved how he asks Shwekey to be silent when he sings the Niggum smoothly - that's something Shwekey just can't do and Razel knew it. That's a real musician, a real pro and I hope Razel continues to venture in the more mainstream JM.

Again, this proves to me that the non-Yeshivish artists are the ones producing some of the best music out there today. And the Yeshivish singers probably aknowldge it - Shwekey sang this one and Avraham Fried has a great hit song with an "outsider". I hope it keeps going like that!

Santur Video

2009-03-24T05:45:00.000-07:00

The musician, Uri Revach, is actually an artist who happens to like unusual musical instruments. But he plays like a pro.

I'm not really sure what's the name of this instrument but he told me that it's a Biblical instrument. I think the right name is santur.

Although we've seen bag pipes, darbukas and other unusual instruments in recent Jewish Music albums, I just wish someone will use this instrument or an harp soon. It's so cool!

Six13's Yesh Chadash Review

2009-02-26T03:10:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite musicians in JM, Mike Boxer, is back with Six13's latest album. Although I'm pretty much done with reviews I made an exception simply because they are more original than everyone else - you can't be in Acapella otherwise. And I love original stuff and most of all Acapella, so I'm excited about this one.

The album's title Yesh Hadash is most certainly a play with the Kohelet verse: "There's nothing new (Ein Hadash) under the sun" like saying "Six13 is back, and with some new and refreshing music". Let's hope that holds true!

Ki Leolam Hasdo is very catchy and pop-ish. I like the way the lyrics and the song blend - it's not easy to sing these lyrics but I think this worked well. The song builds up well, with a nice bridge in 1:52 (it sounds like another of Six13's song but I can't remember which) and some improvisation in 2:46, where they keep changing the lyrics and that's great - everyone else in JM would just keep singing the same basic lyrics. ****

Mah Tovu is another tune that goes very well with the lyrics, despite the fact that the lyrics are not very original. But although it's true that every JM singer already has a Ma Tovu in their repertoire, this one is different than the rest, so you will not pass it. The arrangement is really amazing, just makes the song flow seamlessly. I also loved the closing of the song. This was definitely the right choice for the second song. ****

Mi Kamocha is in the serious side, and although the first part seems to be just average the high part is amazing and groovy. So far in this album all the bridges are perfect - great job in 2:37, again singing on the lyrics ("Tzur Yisrael") instead of repeating the same lyrics all the time. And before I forget - wacky closing. *****

The next song is very upbeat and puts you in the right mood for the lyrics - Modeh Ani, which we say every morning. I didn't like the second part of the song simply because it uses to much repetition, but overall this song is the best so far - the vocals are superb (check 2:04 and 3:23 and 3:30) and the harmonies are just what I love in Acapella. To put all this together is a great feat. ****

After the cool intermission idea ("ladies and gentleman, once again, Six13") we get to the crazy part of this album - Neilah. The Shwekey-lovers will not be able to appreciate this but I love to see a group just having fun and singing what comes their heart. You can see here Six13's array of shticks and tricks and although all the songs are non-Jewish hits this is woth listening to. Yes, "Too late to circumcise" is a stretch and I hope you will not walk around singing this, but man, so much fun! ****

Like in Ma Tovu, Im Eshocheich is a complicated choice of lyrics but despite that I appreciated the moody style of this song. It's not singable, but it's a nice experiment. And the bass guy in the end is unreal - in Six13 Encore I thought this guy's voice was digitally altered but it's real. The best bass voice in JM, easily. If you didn't notice it, do me a favor, go to 4:04 and hear it again. Don't pass it like that. ****

Shiru Lamelech is perhaps some 5 years too late so from the start I wonder if it was smart to try to Six13-ize it. Everything is amazing but this song already got all the attention it could've gotten, even tough this gotta be the funnest rendition so far. It puts Lev Tahor's version (1st album) to shame, but again, it's too late. ***

I didn't "clicked" with Bni and Ata Echad, which in my opinion are less good than what we had until know. *

Ledor Vador is a song originally featured in Josh Nelson's debut album, an album I didn't review but full of good music (special mention to his first song there, amazing). If you are interested, check Teruah's glowing review. I heard this song before, so I didn't get blown away. ***

Final Thoughts: Although this is not an album intended to the Yeshivish crowd, it seems to me that this album got less buzz than it deserves. While JM as a whole is getting me bored Six13 is ever-interesting and original. All the songs have a purpose and a concept, that is, they are not just another song, it's a new story every time, so anyone who just loves good music will automatically love this album. I hope Mr. Boxer continues to venture into the more Yeshivish JM since he has a lot to teach. As I said once, a professional in a sea of amateurs and Spinner will go far if he sticks with Boxer.

The Return of The Phoenix - Michoel Streicher's New Album

2009-02-25T08:47:00.000-08:00

For those of you who never heard about Streicher, he was very popular in the early 90's and has a few classics that are still heard here and there in more Chassidish gatherings.

His most famous song is Koach Hatorah (now you understand the email featured in the poster) and Streicher was famous for his good range and powerful voice. However, he was never one of the show-biz guys, probably didn't even have an agent - he was just one of the typical JM's-early-90's success stories.

But from day to night he vanished and it was years since I last heard of him. Gruntig actually uncovered a recent vid of him ("Long Lost Streicher is Finally Found"), but his voice seems to have passed its prime there. So it was with great surprise that I saw this poster just today. This is Streicher second album with a son - the first was with his older son Dovid.

Chazzan Schulhof

2009-02-15T07:42:00.000-08:00

We had Chazzan Schulhof this past Shabbos in the Great Synagogue. A former student of the revered Koussovitzki, Schulhof was great and you can hear him a bit in this youtube clip. You can also see more about him in his website.

New Blog

2009-02-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

I started a new blog about Safrut and I will be spending much less time in this JM blog from now on. As I said in the new blog, much has changed in this past years of blogging. I started blogging a few years ago about Jewish Music, in a time where Jewish Music was a major interest for me. There weren't many blogs about it and I knew I had interesting things to share, so I started YK's Jewish Music Forum.

After these years, my interest has shifted towards different things, although I still like JM. Most importantly, I decided to fulfill a childhood dream and started a Sofer Stam program with a well-known sofer in Jerusalem, just few months ago. Suddenly, Safrut became a major field of interest and I'm spending a large part of my time doing extensive research about it. And I want to keep a database of all the amazing things I'm finding, so I want to do it in a blog-style.

I know the switch from Jewish Music to Safrut is unusual, but at the end of the day I only posted about JM for fun and now I suddenly find myself in a situation where I have more fun posting about non-JM things. It was a wild ride to post about JM for so long and the industry has changed a lot, for the good. Better albums, productions and singers, and today you have many quality JM blogs in the web. So you are well served and I will still be here, albeit more in the side lines.

YK

Rachem - Blues Version

2009-02-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Shuli Rand's Concert Vid

2009-01-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

Shuli Rand started a tour in Israel last night, with a packed concert in Betzalel Theater, just a corner from my house. He will be performing another 4 or so shows in the coming days, and I was lucky to attend the very first one.
I went to the Carlebach Yartzeit concert last month, and I can safely say that Rand's was waaay better. Firstly the production was simple but perfect, not the usual cheesy JM sound. Here we had 5 excellent players - the piano was a great idea, and the violin + guitar combination rocks. And Shuli Rand was in perfect sync and performed really well.
Granted, he doesn't have a Lipa-like presence - he doesn't moves much, no jumping, white bekechers, but the man has charisma and most importantly, talent.
He played all the songs from his album, Nekuda Tova, and the crowd was singing along the whole time.
And he also showcased three of the songs of his upcoming album; one of them you can hear in the video, a very solid and unusual rock song.
Rand's songs will only interest listeners who have a good Hebrew, since his lyrics are very complex. So the US will be out of his reach. But for those of you who like good music, Shuli Rand created a new genre - "story-telling mellow music" (or something like that) - and you shouldn't pass this one.
I recorded with my N95 (great phone!) camcorder, so the video quality is poor. But the sound is decent. Enjoy

Who's the New Chazzan?

2009-01-14T01:43:00.000-08:00

Naftali Hershtik left his post post as the Chief Chazzan of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue two weeks ago and the rumor season has begun regarding who will be taking his place. Hershitk was there for 30+ years, with striking success, and I will for sure miss him (the BEST falsetto) but now is the time for a new face and no one knows who will be the chosen one. The Gabbaim have announced that in the next two months there will be numerous guest Chazzanim - maybe some sort of trials, I don't know. This blog is not really focused in Chazzanut, but Chazzanut is becoming a genre of interest for so many JM fans, including me, and I decided to put together a list of possibilties.

Chazzan Adler
Chances: [Very High] UPDATE: High
Why: Adler, the Chief Chazzan of the Tel Aviv Great Synagogue, comes very often to daven in the Jerusalem Great Synagogue and the public loves him. He is an easy-going guy, charismatic and different - he's a Ger Chassid, although he davens in Baruch. He has a great voice, power and range. You can hear one of his many youtube videos here.

Chazzan Motzen
Chances: [High] UPDATE: Very High
Why: Motzen is considered the best Chazzan today and although he currently lives in Bal Harbor, FL, he is Israeli and I guess he wouldn't mind to come back for such a chashuv post. He comes to the Great Synagogue at least twice a year as a guest Chazzan and the house is always absolutely packed - he was the guest Chazzan just last Shabbos. Motzen composed many Chazzanut pieces, like his famous Av Harachamim, and he is simply the most complete Chazzan out there. It would be amazing to have him as the Chief Chazzan!

Chazzan Schwartz
Chances: Medium
Why: Azi Schwartz is a former member of the Great Synagogue choir and he is an insider. Despite his relatively young age he has been around and held the post of second Chazzan of the Park East Synagogue, NY, for quite some time. The first Chazzan of Park East, as you probably know, is none other than Helfgott, so Azi is well-rated. Azi moved back to Israel just a few months ago and is "available", so if the board decides to bet in a rising star, Azi will be the guy. He has lots of potential, charisma and already is a great Chazzan. Additionally, he would probably maintain the Shul's nusach, which is always a plus.

Chazzan Helfgott
Chances: Very Low
Why: Helfgott never actually davened in front of the Great Synagogue's amud so I think is quite impossible for him to be the chosen one.

YK's Picks

2008-12-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

Blogger: YK
Blog: YK's Jewish Music Forum

Best Album: 8th Note (Yossi Green)
Best Song: Anovim (8th Note)
Best Debut Singer: Yitzy Spinner
Best Arrangement: Sefor (8th Note)
Worst Song: Hesech Hadas (Avraham Fried)

Full Disclosure:

"I will be really concise, I don't want to take too much of your time.

Best Album - Yossi Green was a living legend but there was something missing in his career - an album like the 8th Note. True, he had put out Shades of Green but we needed to hear something novel, cool and modern from him and he delivered. Gabay is also up there but the 8th Note is more significant, if you look at the big picture.

Best Song - Anovim is the natural choice, since this year was the first time this song came out with a proper arrangement and recording. Singable, great lyrics, great vocals and great arrangement. What else can we ask for?

Best Debut Singer - In my opinion 2008 has provided us with one of the best harvests of new singers of the past 5, 6 years. Not in terms of quantity but in regards to quality. Spinner stands out because he is a pro and boy, we need more real pros in JM. Great composer, arranger and singer, but above all, just a great musician.
However I would like to make a special mention to a singer of a completely different segment of JM - Shuli Rand. He has one skill that is very very scarce in Jewish Music today - lyrics. He is a brilliant lyricist and that's something Spinner doesn't have at all - Spinner gets songs from Chazal and the only English song of his album is running for this year's worst song. True, the trend is still to dig in Chazal for new lyrics and that's what sells but I strongly believe we will eventually shift to more original lyrics, not Chazal verbatim but novel lyrics based on the words of Chazal. In that regard Shuli Rand is ahead of everyone, by far.

Best Arrangement - Sefor, because it's fresh, original and just really cool.

Worst Song - Of course, Avraham Fried had to sing the Mashiach song in the 8th Note. Boring and pointless song, and I would expect much more from one of the alleged top singers in JM - a top singer would steal the show in the 8th Note. Again, a great singer cannot hit the same key every time. Explore new worlds, sing about different things and most importantly, be original.

Dreidel - Rap Version

2008-12-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

This is a video from Erran Baron Cohen, the brother of Borat, who just released a new album of Hanukka songs.
There are previews of the songs in his website. I specially liked Maoz Tzur, which sounds like America's National Anthem in Cohen's version (Kol Isha). I never heard of him, so I found this NYMagazine interview very interesting.
(Hat tip to BlogInDm)

Boruch Levine and Ami Eller

2008-12-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

Queens College concert last week.
Ami Eller is a young talent from Mo Kiss's Kol Noar Boys Choir. He was also the soloist in Shea Rubenstein's debut album, which I hope to review in the near future. (tks JoeFlix)

Introducing...Kol Ish!

2008-12-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

Kol Ish is a “college acapella” group from University of Maryland and they’ve just released their debut album. I love acapella and since nonw of the acapella groups out there have a true “college acapella” style, I was looking forward for this album and decided to review it.

The group's name, Kol Ish is apparently a play with Kol Isha, and they probably mean that this is as good as Kol Isha. Or something like that. That would be similar to AKAPella's marketing campaign - "so good it should be ossur".
Overall the production is really simple, and the cover art reflects that too. But I actually liked the retro design of the actual CD. Let's go to the real stuff:

Mi Adir is apparently an “adaptation” from a Coldplay song (can’t pinpoint) and right from the start you will see how well Kol Ish’s voices mesh together. Very smooth and pleasant, I prefer this kind of opening song for an Acapella album rather than a computer-generated song (AKAPella did that in their albums). The song however doesn’t builds up and remains in the same gear throughout the 4 mins – I would expect a little more improvisation. Also, the lyrics were not spelled so well in 0:30 and 0:42 – instead of Mi Adir AL Hakol, it sounds like they only said Mi Adir Hakol (no AL). ***

From the very first time I heard this CD, Haazinu stood up from all other songs. It’s exactly what I like in an Acapella setting – originality, good vocal arrangements and great vocals. The tune is very catchy and unique – you don’t have the traditional high part and low part scheme but three parts that are very different from each other. The middle part is a “niggun” that is used as a bridge – a nice idea that is also used in a later song in this album (Va’alu). The lyrics are also original, from Parshas Haazinu and this song does builds up quite well. *****

Kah Ribon is a song I love, originally featured in Ari Goldwag’s debut album. It’s a fun song to sing for acapella – great tune and easy harmonies – so this was a clever choice of song. I would've used auto-tune in the beginning of the song, but overall the vocals are good in this song. The dissonant chord in the end is cool, I’m guessing they took this idea from Mike Boxer who did the same in Bilvovi, featured in his last album. ****

Who has the patience for Meheira? It’s an old hit, it was oversung everywhere and therefore this song was a poor choice. Kol Ish didn’t do anything new or original here, so this song has no appeal for me. **

Adon Olam is a new song and it’s not bad, but not good either - something in between. Not much to be said here, this is an old-style Acapella. ***

Vehoair is one of my all-time favorites from Yehuda! and another great song for Acapella. The harmonies in 1:54 are fantastic and although this is very much like the original version, there’s a lot to like here. ***

Great piece of typical Acapella harmonies in the opening of Hodo – Kol Ish is clearly aiming for that traditional “College Acapella” style we all know. But this song is much better than the other fast song, Adon Olam, and there’s a lot of cool shticks in this one. The song is kind of weird, but it’s a perfect song to cheer this album a bit. ***

Va’alu is quite boring and not really exciting. **

The vocal in Gam Ki Elech are spotless and Kol Ish’s vibe is certainly in these mellow songs. ****

Yehi – great closing song but the digital effects are a disaster- waaaay to much distortion and too unprofessional, and it basically ruined this great song. If done right, this song could’ve been the best of the album. **

Conclusion: Kol Ish has a lot of potential, that’s very clear. The production is the simplest possible and with a better musical team Kol Ish could’ve have produced a masterpiece – their original songs are very good and they form a very solid acapella group. It’s a very decent debut album but they have a lot of home-work to do – better production next time.

Joel's Picks

2008-12-19T04:53:00.000-08:00

Briefing: I don't know much about Joel, aside from his signature fiery comments in this and other blogs. He has a guest post about Yishai Lapidot's latest album here and we once had a fun top-ten challenge against each other, but Joel is not a blogger; he is a JM fan who asked to share his picks, and to those of you who think the bloggers are not choosing well, Joel will surely go in another direction.

Best Album: Omar Dovid (Dovid Gabay)
Best Song: Don Don (Gabay)
Best Debut Singer: Yitzy Spinner
Best Arrangement: Birchos Avicha (Razel)
Worst Song: Return Again (Yeedle)
Best Producer (?): Avi Newmark

Full Disclosure:

"For the record my name is Joel. If you want to know my last name I'll tell you i just dont want it coming up on google. I am an out of towner, and I don't know anyone in the business other than Dov from Blue Fringe. I'm not really sure what makes me qualified to rate any album, but I could say that about every other expert here as well.

Best Album:
The choices are Green's 8th Note, Yeedle's Lev Echad, Gabay's Omar Dovid and Lipa's A Poshiter Yid. A standout album has premier vocals, compositions, and arrangements. Green's album features his vocals too much bringing down the quality of the performance. He is like the old man in shul who loves to daven....but can't. Yeedle's album is solid in all three areas, but doesn't stand out. Lipa's album is awesome, and he is clearly the number one performer in Jewish music. The only slight problem I had with it was his slow slongs were really filler and he doesn't really do english songs well. That leaves Omar Dovid which in my humble opinion is the gold standard for all albums in Jewish music. It has expanded the scope of mainstream Jewish Music production. Gabay's vocals are at the top of the heap along with Avraham Fried. The compositions of Elimelech Blumstein and others, were original and breathtaking. The arrangements of Yonatan Razel, Yisroel Lamm ( who knew he could pull this off ), Leib Yaakov Rigler and others were really off the charts. The production under Avi Newmark created the opus that all other albums should be compared.

Best Song:
The options are: Omar Dovid (Gabay), Anovim (Yossi Green) , Mekimi (Yeedle), Yener (Lipa Schmeltzer), Birchos Avicha (Gabay), Hameshorer (Shuli Rand)
The Choices are all solid, Omar Dovid and Birchos Avicha are two of the best slow songs I have heard in a while. Anovim is an overrated reused song from MBD's Priority One Show. Green, like I said before, does a duet with MBD killing the vocals. He should have given himself a stanza here and there like Shmuel Brazil did on his recent albums, not taken 60% of the vocals for himself. I am going to choose my favorite song from Omar Dovid which is Don Don. A piercing rock tune, Don Don hits the mark. The arrangement is top notch subtly adding the organ and solo violin. Its a rock song, but not overdone Gerstner style.

Best arrangement:
The options are Sefor (Tyberg - 8th Note), Birchos Avicha (Razel- Omar Dovid), Mi Sheshiken (Spinner - Remix), Poshiter Yid (Hershkowitz - P. Yid), Hevei Shakud (Amar - Am Echad), Return Again (Razel - Lev Echad), Lecho Dodi (S. Fird - Bayis Nemon), Yofyafisa (Tichon - Shalsheles IV), Don Don (Newmark - Omar Dovid)
These again are all solid again, but I am going to choose Birchos Avicha (Gabay) arranged by Yonatan Razel. All the praise I gave Gabay's album pertains to this song. The composition is original and the arragement is wide ranged and deep. I cant think of many songs that uses sixteen violinists, four violaists and four celloists. Razel proves bigger is better. This song takes it up a notch.

Best Producer:
I made this category up but the only two I think deserve recognition are Yossi Tyberg and Avi Newmark. With these two people forget quickly about Sheya Mendlowitz and Suki and Ding. Yossi T and Newmark and taking JM to new heights. I guess you can call them the Rick Rubin and Brain Eno of JM.

Worst Song:
I didn't like any of YK's choices, and I thought Neeroh by Stein was a solid song. Why all the Dovid Stein haters? Yes, his arrangements are below average, and sound exactly like Chevra 3, but I think he is only guilty of hiring a bad producer. His album, I found to be a decent listen. My choice for worst song is Return Again by Yeedle but really by Reb Shlomo. The reason I chose the song is not because it was bad, but because of overkill. I checked my Itunes library and It seems that The Moshav Band, Omek Hadavar and Yehuda Green just recently covered the song. Im sure others have as well. The song is even the title track on The Moshav Band and Yehuda Green's album. As we know from Niggun Neshama and every Nickelback song overplay can ruin a song. If you are going to cover a song dont do one that everyone else has done as well.

Best Debut:
It seems like Amar has many fans on this site, but I was not impressed. I think his songs were average, and the Axel Foley ripoff was in poor taste. His voice is also mediocre. The other guys don't merit a mention. The man among boys in this category is Yitzy Spinner. He's almost a veteran in the JM scene from his Miami Boys Choir days. How can you not be impressed by a chap who not just sings, but also composes all his songs, plays many of the instruments, and arranges his own tracks. His Avi Newmark produced effort is outstanding.
Thanks YK for the opportunity, and thank you for reading.
Joel"

Chaim Rubin's Picks

2008-12-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Blogger: Chaim Rubin
Blog: Lifeofrubin.com
Briefing: One of the pioneers of the Jewish blogosphere, Chaim runs the most respected Jewish Music blog in the web. There you will find balanced reviews, interesting interviews, news about concerts, samplers and occasionally some politics as well. No serious JM bloggers initiative could go forward without him and I'm glad he is on-board with us in this one.
Best Album: 8th Note (Yossi Green)
Best Song: Anovim (8th Note)
Best Debut Singer: Yisroel Werdyger
Best Arrangement: Mi Sheshiken (Remix)
Worst Song: Neero (Dovid Stein)

Full Disclosure (original post is to be found here):

"YK of YK’s Jewish Music Forum started an impromptu unofficial Jewish Music Awards. A bunch of us Music bloggers are working on this so that next year it’s much more official and many more categories are added. For this year, it is what it is, and it’s also important to remember it’s all in good fun.

Here are my picks based on the choices YK has in his listings. Again, there were no nominations and this was done on the fly, I would have added others, and I’ll try to reflect that in my comments here.

BEST DEBUT SINGER OF THE YEAR:

The choices are: Benny Amar, Shuli Rand, Yitzy Spinner, Yossi Gurvitz & Yossi Mayer.

I did not listen to Shuli Rand’s CD, and I only listened to Yossi Mayer a little bit. I heard Yossi Gurvitz’s album but didn’t find any of the things really memorable (except one.)

My choice for best new singer of 2008 of everything, not including what is on this list, is Yisroel Werdyger. My second choice, and first choice from this list is Yitzy Spinner. I really enjoyed what he did vocally and the refreshing nature of his album. He has years of experience so it’s hard to really call him a “new” singer, but he did have a debut album so that works fine for me.

BEST SONG OF THE YEAR:

The choices are: Omar Dovid (Gabay), Anovim (Yossi Green) , Mekimi (Yeedle), Yener (Lipa Schmeltzer), Birchos Avicha (Gabay), Hameshorer (Shuli Rand)

I didn’t hear Shuli Rand’s CD but YK obviously did and really liked it, I’ll have to pick it up.

Let’s start with Gabay. If there was an award for best breakout singer of the year I’d give that award to Dovid Gabay. It’s hard for artists to have a solid second cd, and almost impossible for them to top the first one. He did that in spades, Gabay 2 makes Gabay 1 seem like a distant memory.That being said, while I loved Omar Dovid, I actually liked Birchos Avicha better and I actually like Nagilah as one of the best on that CD. (Which YK puts in the worst song category, more on that later.)

There are so many great songs on Yeedles CD, Mikimi is one, but there are many amazing songs. I think the title track is the best song on that album, so again, I can’t vote for Mikimi for best song.

Lipa’s Yener is a fantastic song, maybe I would have given it runner up except for The 8th Note’s Anovim.

I guess that makes it obvious, Anovim is not a song that comes around once a year. Anovim will go down in history as a song like Tanya or Aderaba. It’s a beautiful song, and if we were doing an award for best songs of the decade I’d even give it that award. Anovim all the way, not even a choice.

BEST ARRANGEMENT OF THE YEAR:

Sefor (Tyberg - 8th Note), Birchos Avicha (Razel- Omar Dovid), Mi Sheshiken (Spinner - Remix), Poshiter Yid (Hershkowitz - P. Yid), Hevei Shakud (Amar - Am Echad), Return Again (Razel - Lev Echad), Lecho Dodi (S. Fird - Bayis Nemon), Yofyafisa (Tichon - Shalsheles IV), Don Don (Newmark - Omar Dovid)

This is a really hard category because there have been some great arrangements this past year. I think Sefor and Mi Sheshiken are both very freshly arranged songs, but in very different ways. sefor loses points for being based on an existing song and style (Idan Raichel.) Don Don is a good arrangement, but in the same style we are sued to in Jewish Music. Call it, the best of what we know, while Sefor is the best of what we don’t know. That’s why I am giving it to Yitzy Spinner, because his is the best as far as fresh and original goes.

WORST SONG OF THE YEAR:
Hesech Hadas (Fried - 8th Note), You and I (Spinner), Vezakeni (Yossi Mayer),
Torah Shebiksav (Lipa), Neero (Dovid Stein), Ani Oheiv (Daskal), Sholom (Levine), Naguila (Gabay), Horiyu (Yeedle)

I’m not going to go into detail here, because the whole category is kinda harsh, but if you want to hear the praise, sometimes you gotta hear the bad stuff too.

I don’t know what you and i is doing on this list, I didnt think it was the best song of the year, but I don’t think it’s the worst either. Same goes for Nagila, in fact Nagila I actually love, so I’m even more clueless. Horiyu, Hesach Hadaas and Torah Shebiksav are not bad songs, they are just very boring unoriginal songs. These are the songs we would expect ten years ago. Not now, not in the age of Anovim, Amhalel, Birchos Avicha, V’Zakeini, Yener etc …

My choice for worst song is also my choice for most disappointing of the year. Dovid’s Stein’s Neero. I’m really sorry, but in a year where we had stunning new styles, new arrangements, new collaborations and comebacks from legends like Yossi Green (Anovim.) We all expected a much better CD that what we got from Dovid Stein (and Shloime Daskal for that matter.)

The bar has been raised and people can’t get away with phoning it in, or going with the easy commercial wedding norm."

JoeFlix's Picks

2008-12-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Blogger: JoeFlix
Blog: JoeFlix Daily
Briefing: Realizing that the JM blogosphere was missing a good Jewish photoblog, Joe started blogging just last march, with striking success. He also wrote several solid JM reviews and quickly became a respected blogger.

Best Album: Omar Dovid (Gabay)
Best Song: "Tie between Yener (Lipa) and Birchos Avicha (Gabay)"
Best Debut Singer: Yitzy Spinner
Best Arrangement: Don Don (Gabay)
Worst Song: "They are all winners"

Full Disclosure:

"Hello all. My name is Joe of the Joeflix photo blog.

First a quick disclaimer thingy: we are trying to select a winner, so in a competiton a lot of the best against the best, some will lose and look bad, even though by themselves they can be great! (For example Yeedle Vs Yeedle/Lipa/Yossi Green and Gabay) This is the olympics, and nobody would blame Phelps had he lost.

Now, before going to the 2008 nominees, let us not forget that 2006/7 was a great season for jewish music: MBD Efsher Letaken, Lipa's Hallel, Shwekey MaMaMa, Fried Bein Kach, Lapidot- Mangina Shelachem, Gertner (!), and Yehuda Green.

Now to 2008 - and I'll stick with the nominess in my vote

Best album:

Lev echad falls out for obviusoly falling very far behind Yeedle 4. The neatness might have worked against itself here, going from neat, to plain.

8th note: some in the blogesphere are bananas over the album, but let me just paraphrase what I emailed to somone last friday

[Loved (!!) Leyhudim, Kanei, and Sfor. Anovim is okay. Beshivtecho, Hesech, Siman tov, Lama, Naasse, 8th note (both), Veoz, and Yossel are average songs at best

As I said, the excitement was on level 15 (out of 10) and the album as a whole was 'only' a 10 in terms of sound and arrangements -n other words, perfect) but from a Yossi Green album you expect great SONGS - he's a composer, duh

Now again, most albums (even contemporary) have only a few hits but from Yossi we expected better. Lipa last album (PY) - for example- has 10 (out of 13) very good songs, and the big YG (and I don't mean that with sarcasm) has 4 or 5 out of 13. Gimme a break! Also, Lipa explored different styles of composition on Keneinehora so he's not that far behind in terms of being king of Jewish song! ]

For the next album, Yossi would be advised to take a few songs from Elimeliech Blumestien, Lipa and Pinky Webber

Now, Lipa vs Gabay: Both have a whole bunch of amazing songs (while Lipa wins there) and exquisite arrangements, so its almost a tie but I think it goes to Gabay, Becuase -

While I don't know too much about music, somehow I found myself enjoying Gabay's album too much, its was just so delicious and digestibale. It took me a while to realize that besides the songs, the most amazing part about it is the sound and the mix and the engineering. (And this is EXACTLY what's wrong with Lipa's album)

Then I found out how many extra miles the Newmark/ Ian Freitor team went to make this sound good, including some, ahem, unprecedented things. They did a lot of expensive, extra-credit stuff and they were not cheap

And I should add that the album is one of the top sellers on JM to date, so their work also paid off nicely - so good for you guys!

And BTW, I think that Gabay is the best voice in JM nowadays. Anybody disagrees?

[PS: Yitzy Spinner's Y&i wouldve taken 3rd place, and Sruly Werdyger came out late in 5768, but should be a nominee next year]

Best Song:

Again, 6 amazing songs but were forced to choose

Anovim falls out for emptiness, Kanei from the same album, beats it many times over.

Mekimi, again, sounds very empty after a few listens.

Omar Dovid is a great song, but the fast "tov li" part isn't all that great and feels loose on top of the emotinal first part.

The winner is a tie between Yener and Birchos Ovicho, although Yener is more original both as a song and a concept.

[Didn't buy Shuli Rands album - yet]

Best New Singer:

Didn't listen to Rand or Gurvitz

Amar is not up there with Mayer and Spinner, and the fact that he got so many votes is, ahem, funny. Very funny.

Mayer and Spinner?

Mayer has a very good album, which I still enjoy listening to. He sings very well and I can't wait for his next project, maybe with even better sound (Great great choirs on the album BTW, Moishy Kraus!)

Spinner is in a different League alltogether.

Spinner got himself a good part of the next wave of JM. Besides his amazing sweet/steely singing, the guy is a serious music powerhouse. He writes his own music, arranges beautifully with chords that make youir ears come off and plays a couple of instruments, and he just knows the whole mumbo-jumbo of music like nobody else. He's a breath of fresh air to the scene.

(He's also working on a couple of upcoming projects as a composer and arranger and choir arranger. Stay tuned)

The only drawback to his so-original style is that he doesn't have one "normal" song that you can hum while walking down a hallway. Its just great listening music. As Yitzy told me, and I quote " Let's face it, Vanilla is great - but how many people choose vanilla when they have other options??"

I was totally surprised that his album sold as well as it did and I'm happy about it.

Best arranged song:

Now Hevey Shakud its NOT

(although I have to give Shmuli Rosenberg credit for Very Good rythm and drums on the whole album)

[BTW I hear that amar's fans organized a mass-voting thing here on YK. Otherwise how do you explain the siproportion in the votes here, both in best singer and best arranged song?? This is very cheap, and frankly I hate it]

While all these songs are very very good (I nominated them, duh) Gabay's DonDon stands out - maybe cause it 'sounds' the best, but anyway.

Yisroel Lamm delivered an arrangement that makes you woner where he was the last 20 years. He should be very proud of this great, diverse arrangement (where did you learn to put violin (3.30) on a rock song? Wow!) , as well as Blumestein of the song - its so rich, and what original lyrics!!

Gabay sounds soooo good on this song and Moshe Roth should get a medal for the choirs

PS - some very big name in JM told me he favors Gabay's Zaroh (arranged by Rigler) over DonDon. I disagree strongly. Very strongly

The runner-up is a tie between YG's Sefor and Sruly Werdygers Lecho Dodi

Worst song:

They're all winners. They are all songs that didn't fit on an album. One might argue that its relative, that Yossi Mayer wouldve killed to get Gabay's fillers - but it doesn't matter.

The worst offender here is Yossi Green on 8th note - which everyone I spoke to points out a different set of 3 or 4 songs they think are just stupid, followed closely by Eli Gerstner who made avery bad album for somone who does not deserve to be shamed here, which is basically one big messed up package.

That's all folks

2009 should be a good year for JM with about 20 projects in the works, and I'm looking ofrward to review the top few

YK - thank you again for hosting this. I wish you all the best"

2008 JM Awards: Gruntig's Picks

2008-12-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Blogger: Lucky Wolf
Blog: Gruntig
Briefing: Lucky Wolf runs the most complete JM video blog on the web, with over 2500 posts followed closely by hundreds of JM fans.

Best Album: Lev Echad (Yeedle)
Best Song: Vani Ashir (Yeedle)
Best Debut Singer: Yisroel Werdyger
Best Arrangement: Poshiter Yid (Lipa)
Worst Song: Hesech Hadaas (Avraham Fried)

Full Disclosure:

"Best Album of 2008

At first I thought perhaps Yossi Green’s 8th note would be the best of 08. But then we got to listen to Lipa and then after much anticipation Yeedle V was released. The 8th note, although many seem to appreciate it, for me besides for a few good songs; it just doesn’t do it. A Poshiter Yid was a huge hit, but after a while I got a little bored of it. Don’t get me wrong, i still think it’s a great album but I lost some of the hype I originally had for it when it was still fresh. There is one album however that I still have the same excitement today as I did when it was first released; I enjoy, over the rest by far, Yeedle V. It was never the rock n role style album like A Poshiter Yid was meant to be and is, but it’s just simply a pleasure to listen to. If I hade to take a cross country road trip, Yeedle 5 would be my first on my list.

Best Song of 2008

Yeedle’s Vani Ashir is a song I could hear over and over again and each time it puts me right into that rhythm. Tremendous song! If you happen to disagree and think nothing much of it, then do me a favor, listen to it a few times over and over and see where it take you.

Best Debut Singer of 2008

This award I would have to give to Yisroel Werdyger. For his voice, his songs and especially for his style.

What is even more important then a good voice is good singing, the way one sings, the way one carries a tune. Or another way to look at it, what would you rather not be forced to listen to, a bad voice or someone who is way off tune?! What made MBD king of Jewish music was not just his voice (which happened to be awesome) but the way he sang. Yisroel has shown that in this album, he can sing.

For his songs, I find this album having some beautiful songs. Emor, Yisroel Beyachad, (although those two seem to be somewhat similar), Shuvu Bonim and Besimcha Raba to name a few, are my favorite. And besides for the beautiful songs, they all have a certain pleasantness and sweetness to them.

And for his voice, Yisroel’s voice is beautiful but even more importantly his voice is unique, almost seems to be a mixture of his father Mendy and his uncle MBD.

Best Arrangement of 2008

Lipa’s Poshiter Yid (the track that is). Mainly because I feel that if you take away the great arrangements of this song or if this song would have been given over to a different singer with different arrangements, the song would be a disaster. So although it may not be my favorite song I still feel it’s the arrangement that make it what it is.

Worst Song of 2008

This is a tough one. You see, there are so many albums where I could easily find the worst song but then feel that I cannot award them this because I never though they would be any good in the first place. Heck I could make up a song right now and then vote it for worst song. I’m sure you would too if you heard it! So I figures this “Award” should go to an album which is great and to a singer who is great but where the song just didn’t make it. Perhaps naming this category from “Worst Song of 08 ” to “Biggest Disappointment of 2008”. Thus allowing me to give the award to The 8th Note’s Hesech Hadaas. Being that is was composed by Yossi Green and sung by Avraham Fried in an album with various singers; in my opinion there was no bigger disappointment this year."

JM Awards: Bloggers Picks

2008-12-10T18:48:00.001-08:00

I will be posting the bloggers' picks in the coming weeks, coinciding with the closing of the polls in Dec 31st.
In order to do it in an organized way, I will breakdown the info and I will post each bloggers' picks every five days - this way everyone will be at the spotlight and it will be easier to discuss it properly.

Comments on the New Music Videos

2008-12-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

Three singers have released songs dedicated to the Holtzberg's - Yossi Green, Shea Rubenstein and Yaakov Young. These are very nice gestures and I'm sure others will dedicate even more songs.

Just my impressions:

Yossi Green's song is very moving, but clearly not a hit. It reminds me very much classic Ani Maamin, composed in the concentration camps of WW2 - it's long, "tense" and has appropriate words. And what's even nicer, YG did all this in the past week and already released the video, which is unusual. He basically just got there, composed it, got Ohad and did it, so it's unfair to criticize.

It's the first time I hear Shea and I love his sweet voice. He is always in tune and it seems to me that auto-tune was used, but very slightly and appropriately. It's almost impossible to make an interesting music video that lasts for 6+ minutes so it does gets too long - a common JM issue. But it's a great song and I look forward to getting his album.

Yaakov Young's Nachem is a song I like - see my review of Young's album.

I will be out for the next two weeks, so I wish you all a Happy Hanuka.

Round Up

2008-12-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

- Chaim Rubin posted his Jewish Music Awards picks, you can see it and discuss here.

- Sameach released the cover and sample of Six13's new album, Yesh Chadash (might be a play with the saying "Ein Kol Chadash Tachat Hashamesh").

- Amiran Dvir, who played at my wedding, released one of the songs of his upcoming album, Shvil Hachupa. It's composed by Yossi Green, lyrics by Amiran himself. I'm a little disappointed with this song, I feel like Amiran wasn't in his best shape when he recorded it and the song itself is a bit "flat". Click below and have your say.

- BBC produced a nice photocast about Yiddish music with some great antique pictures and interesting insights. See it here.

Aftermath

2008-11-29T09:26:00.000-08:00

Our hearts are with the victims of the brutal attacks in Mumbai and it's trivial to talk about anything else in the aftermath of this tragedy. Although I had a lot to write about, I will not be posting any JM stuff in the few days - we can't leave this event pass unnoticed. We must look deep inside ourselves and find ways to save this world from ruin.

We all know the great work the Chabad shluchim do across the world and the attack in the Chabad House is unprecendented.
I hope they continue their mission and as the Rebbe once said: "By your continued building you will be recomforted".

I followed Shmais and LifeofRubin and changed the header of this blog, it's the least I can do.

EXCLUSIVE #4: Carlebach Yartzeit Concert 2008 - Part 2

2008-11-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

EXCLUSIVE #4: Carlebach Yartzeit Concert 2008 - Part 1

2008-11-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

In addition to my three other exclusive videos(1, 2, 3), I put together this recording of the best moments of the Carlebach Concert which took place three days ago, Motze Shabbos, in Binyanei Hauma.

All in all, this concert was good. Not amazing, but it was good.
As many as 10 musicians played through the night and one thing became very clear - there were two groups.
The first is comprised by the Carlebach wannabes, who dress, speak, sing and wink like Carlebach. These guys were boring and even a bit pathetic since the last thing a musician should do is copy another one. By definition, if you copy someone you will be judged and eventually fall short of the original. And since the original person here is Reb Shlomo, it's even harder. Reb Shlomo had a very distinctive and dynamic personality, so the standard is really up there. The first few singers were from this group and I even felt like leaving the place.

The second group is comprised by singers who are inspired by Carlebach but still have their own vibe. Notable members are Shlomo Katz (amazing!), Chaim David and Aron Razel. Those guys rocked and gave me my money's worth.

The best moments of the concert were:
- The Havdala opening, sung by the Tzfat Carlebach Guy which I mentioned in an earlier post.
- Yehi Shalom, sung by the whole crowd in unison
- Shlomo Katz. This guy is really talented and although this is the first time I hear him live, he is will be huge. Already popular here in Israel, Katz (not to be confused with Eitan Katz, Yehuda Katz - so many Katzs..) is a great composer and performer. A pity he wasn't invited for the 8th Note :)
- And of course, the already famous Crazy Chassid Dancer.

Introducing.... Yood

2008-11-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

Over the past years I've seen all sorts of new bands mushrooming in the US and Israel and each one tries to create a catchy name. So I wasn't expecting much when I heard about Yood, a rock band led by Eliezer (formerly Lloyd) Blumen but after reading about them in jpost, I must say he has a cool story.

This Chabad (I knew it!) baal tshuva used to be part of a successful 70's-style rock band before being invited to play with Reb Shlomo (btw, his Yartzeit was this past thursday). Unsurprisingly, this event changed his life and he eventually moved to Ramat Beit Shemesh. But now he is back in the rockers scene and is going mainstream. His band, Yood (named after the "smallest but most powerful letter of the Hebrew alphabet"), already went out on tours in a few colleges in the US and they are hoping to be Rock And Roll's new Matisyahu (sounds familiar, no?). They do have something in common with matis - a spin-off version of Tzomo Lecho Nafshi (see video below).

Here's the link to the great article to found in this weekend's Jerusalem Post.

And here's the link for their very cool website. Don't forget to "BY THE NEW CD" - funny typo in their site. Listen to a few songs in their myspace page.

JM Awards - Another Update

2008-11-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

It has been just one week of voting and we have a few good "battles". 8th Note and Poshiter Yid are head-to-head for the Best Album and the same can be said about the "Amar Vs. Mayer" battle in the Best Debut.

I've contacted the other JM bloggers, in an effort to make this awards not only my awards but everyone's. So far, JoeFlix, Chaim Rubin, Teruah and Sruly from Sameach have agreed to share their picks at the end of the vote so we can compare them to the public's choices.

Since these awards are not only mine - they are everyone's - I'm renaming them to "2008 Jewish Music Bloggers Awards", and this will hopefully be a positive step towards creating a yearly vote to be organized by all the JM bloggers.

Spread the word and stay tuned!

2008 JM Awards - Update

2008-11-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

All the categories have been posted, finally. Throughout the past two days I added two categories and it looks like it needs no change; all we have to do is sit and wait. We have two months, and that's plenty time. For the two new polls I used more input from the threads, so there are more options.

Meanwhile, I'm not really planning to post so much. So keep spreading the word and we will see what happens in two months. Most people don't check this blog more than once a month anyways, so it's pointless to jump to any conclusions just a day after the voting started.

As I said previously, I will be revealing my own picks and explanation after the close. I've invited Joeflix to reveal and explain his picks as well. I will soon go after the other JM bloggers to see if they are interested in taking part too, but I can't guarantee anyone else will agree to participate.

The categories are:
- Best Song of 2008
- Best Album of 2008
- Best Debut Singer of 2008
- Best Arrangement of 2008
- Worst Song of 2008

This last category was added because so many of us are sick of the traditional "fillers" that come by so often. 2008 should be the year of their extinction.

Spread the word!

2008 Jewish Music Awards - Blogger Version

2008-10-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

A few readers emailed me about Kol Chai's 2008 awards, most of them voicing disappointment over the restricted nature of this award.

You will probably not believe in me, but I was planning to introduce something I dubbed "YK's Awards" before the Rosh Hashana but I felt it was the right thing at the wrong time - music awards in Elul didn't sound good.

My plan was to hold a vote of the Best Album, Best Song, Best Debut Singer, Best Composer, Best Producer and Best Arranger. Now that Kol Chai preceded me in this idea, I feel like just starting it anyways before is too late - vote in the boxes located at the top-right of this blog. Additionally, this can be the blog version of Kol Chai's vote - more interactive and more flexible. I now realize that the vote for composer/producer/arranger might be too much, so I didn't include it this time.

The vote is open until 12/31/08 11:00 PM. That gives you two months to vote, and I think that's the optimal time for a poll like this. If a new meaningful album comes out, I will add to the list.

Alongside with the reader's choice I will choose my own favorites and explain my choices, after the voting process ends. Right from the start I can say that I will disagree with many of you, but that's the beauty of polls, specially when the polls are about such a subjective topic - music.

I'm open to suggestions and I can add other songs or singers. Please only vote once. Spread the word!

UPDATE: Blogger wont let me add more options once the vote has started. Since I my list is short, I propose the following solution: email me or post a comment if your choice is not in the list and I will do the math when the poll closes. This way no one is left out.

UPDATE2: I'm putting together a poll for the "Best Arrangement of 2008", that is, not necessarily the best song of the year but the most amazing arrangement. So many songs have special arrangements but are not fit to be the best song of a year. Please send to me or post your picks and I will start the award next week.

The Shofar

2008-10-03T02:20:00.000-07:00

Few articles I've read are so clear, organized and insightful as "Exotic Shofars", written by Rabbi Natan Slifkin, who's also a blogger.
Through his great articles and books, the ZooRabbi has the unique talent of introducing us to the marvels of nature and the animal kingdom and once again, he delivers with this article about a musical instrument we grew up listening to - the Shofar.

Speaking about the Shofar, my Shul's Baal Tokea had a great deal of trouble with the sequence of Tekiot on Rosh Hashana and he eventually was forced to call another guy to get the job done. And he got stuck in the second-to-last blow, just before the Tekiah Gedolah. Tough luck.

This wasn't the first time I witnessed this situation. Years back the same happened with a very good Baal Tokeah back in my homeland. In fact, virtually every Baal Tokea has more than a few mistakes here and there and often times he will start the Tekios in one tone and suddenly jump to another in a desperate quest for a decent sound. Does the Shofar has musical tones? Is it possible to play real music with it, with different tones and everything? I thought not, after all the Shofar is just one of these wild things no one can control. All the Baal Tokea can do is blow and hope for the best.

Well, I was wrong. Turns out to be that one man has mastered this wild instrument and found a way to play real music with it. Introducing Shlomo Gronich, an Israeli songwriter and singer who uses the Shofar in many of his songs, with amazing results. I don't think he is his Shuls' Baal Tokea, but it would surely be cool to hear the Tekios from a guy who actually knows the instrument inside out.

For the Chabad fans, you will surely enjoy Gronich's rendition of Keili Ato, with the Shofar:

In this other clip, skip to 1:33 to hear some other Shofar tricks of Gronich:

Ksiva Vechatima Tova

Shana Tova

2008-09-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

I wish a great new year to all of you and may we have only simchas and good fortune this coming year.

I had the privilege of spending this past shabbos in Tzfat - last time I was there I was 10 or so years old. One of the highlights of the city is the famous Carlebach Shul, Beirav. I couldn't make my own recording of the Havadala, but I found this one in youtube.

Shema Yisrael - Church Version

2008-09-25T05:31:00.000-07:00

I know I'm posting too many videos, but I couldn't let this one out.

In Portugal, children singing Shema Yisrael in a Baptist Church. If you're afraid this is a conspiracy against Jews since you can't understand the words of the Priest, it is not. He's actually saying a beautiful speech, praising the Jewish People and how the two religions must be tolerant with each other - that's why he taught them Shema Yisrael. Remarkable.

And even though I've lashed against boys choirs recently, this is actually the correct way of using child choirs - no out-of-range notes, just their pure voices without any screechiness. Perhaps we can learn a bit from them.

Selichos videos - Parts 2 and 3

2008-09-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

"Kadish" and "Lechu Neranena":

"Haneshomo Loch":

EXCLUSIVE #3: Selichos with Naftali Hershtik and Eli Yaffe's Choir

2008-09-21T12:05:00.001-07:00

This past Motze Shabbos The Jerusalem Great Synagogue held a special Selichos service that took over 2 hours, and the Shul was absolutely packed. Although I really hope this is not true, the rumor goes that Hershtik will be retiring after the High Holidays so this was no ordinary event. Hershtik is undisputedly one of the greatest Chazzanim the world has seen in the past three decades and although he hasn't become as popular as Helfgot, there's a lot to like about his voice. Experience, good nusach and pleasant voice timber are his biggest assets, not to mention his amazing falsettos.

In addition, Eli Yaffe did an amazing job directing the choir. He is second to none when it comes to vocal arrangements. Forget about the choirs you hear in Jewish Music albums - this is the real deal. The choir is pleasant, in tune and always surprising.

I will be posting more videos soon; in this one you can hear the opening song "Ashrei". There isn't anything out of this world in this clip, so those of you who think Chazzanus is boring will not be able to enjoy too much of it. But keep in mind that this is a Selichos service and as such it must be solemn and traditional, leaving little room for geshmack moves.

AKAPella's New Video

2008-09-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Gad Elbaz, a Star on the Rise

2008-09-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

The Jerusalem Post has a very long article on Gad Elbaz, highlighting his major concert that took place recently in Ceasarea, one of the most posh theater's in Israel.

It's a good article and it gives you an inside look in Elbaz's music and career. I only heard a handful songs from him, but Elbaz is a Mizrachi singer who is trying to go more mainstream, with very modern clips and songs with a broad appeal. Here is one of his clips:

Elbaz was in the last Chabad Telethon, and after reading this article I understand why. The man behind his career is a Shlomo Fellig, a Chabad businessman from Florida, who finances and manages everything Elbaz does, and I guess he used his connections to bring Elbaz to the Telethon. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Chabadniks just rule JM, second to none, and Mendy Peilin, also Chabad has a clip of the song featured in the Telethon, Children's World.

Gad Elbaz has an excellent voice and range, somewhat similar to Ricky Martin in the way he sings and dances, and although he has a very distinctive Mizrachi singing style at times he sounds truly like a pop-star. Just if you are wondering, he is not Yeshivish at all (not even dressing in the JM's traditional black and white uniform) and doesn't consider himself to be a "Haredi" singer - he caters a completely different crowd (for this reason the thoughts of the "Guardians of Sanctity and Education", or the Jewish Taliban-like watchdogs, are not relevant).

In the other hand, this article exaggerates the role of Elbaz and idolizes him too much, portraying Elbaz like the savior of our fractured generation or something like that - I really suspect this article was "by request", if you know what I mean. It remains to be seen if he will really become a star - he is not yet. But I agree he is on the rise, that's for sure.

The Cesarea concert was a turning point in Elbaz's career. For the first time, one of Israel's coolest concert floors had a mehitza and the guest singers were top-seeded: my man Yishai Lapidot, Amiran Dvir, Ovadia Chamama, Shlomi Shabat and more. Don't miss this great video report below, featuring scenes of the concert and backstage action. I wish I had to gone to this concert, as I really want to know Elbaz's music a little better, and although the concert wasn't sold out - I guess Cesarea is a "bit out-of-town" - this concert was unique, proving that some JM singers can go more mainstream and put together modern and cool concerts.

Rudy Perez, who composed songs for Beyonce, Christina Aguilera and Julio and Enrico Inglesias, is now producing Elbaz's album, so we are talking about serious stuff here. And I'm really glad to see a JM singer doing cool clips, great concerts and of course, original and new music.

Quotes on the Music Ban

2008-09-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

About the recent outrage over the Bnei brak-based Jewish Music "Police", two quotes:

"We might be able to adopt Bach or Beethoven, music with class, but not goyishe African music and beats. We haredim want to protect ourselves from what we see as negative foreign influences", Mordechai Bloi

"I implore the rabbinical leaders to ban Pizza and Sushi and all other similarly foreign foods from our menus. We are a holy people and we should therefore only digest Cholent and Gefilte fish. One minute. These foods also have foreign origins. Ok. Lets only permit water. No, water may have bugs. Uhm....any ideas?", Jason

This seems to be the old Jews-struggling-to-live-outside-of-the-guetto story. Bnei-brak is one of the last standing guettos of the world, and they will fight as hard as they can, but they will eventually be forced to find other ways to deal with the flat world. Thank G-d we have guys like Yossi Green, Lipa, Shuli Rand and Chaim Israel out there. Hang on guys!

In the Name of G-d

2008-09-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

One of the Ten Commandments is the prohibition of saying G-d's name in vain, and after watching this video (see 1:48, whe they say E-L) I realized there are two approaches to this prohibition when it comes to music. All Yeshivish singers I know refrain from mentioning the Shem Hash-m, using the permissible "Hash-m" instead. That includes Shwekey, Lipa, MBD and so on.

On the other hand, many Israeli singers - Chaim Israel and Gad Elbaz for example - sing the Shem Hash-m frequently in their hit songs and I'm wondering what is the Halachic approach to this.

The same thing happens when people sing Shabbos Zemiros. Some are very careful not to mention the Shem when singing Tzur Mishelo or Kol Mekadesh for example, while others say the Shem Hash-m without any hesitation. Is there a difference between singing Zemiros with Shem Hash-m or singing modern-day songs with the Shem?

In my mind, there's no difference since Zemiros are no different than songs we sing today. Many of the composers of common zemiros were just good poets and not necessarily Rabbis. According to this, there's no difference between the songs of Donash Ibn Lavrat, composer of Dror Yikra, and Chaim Israel when it comes to saying the Shem Hashm.

If you look in the Zemiros it's often clear that the poets had in mind the actual Shem Hash-m, and not the substitute "Hashem". Let me bring a famous example:

צור משלו אכלנו ברכו אמוני
שבענו והותרנו כדבר יי

The rhyme אמוני/ יי only works if one mention's the actual Shem Hashm in this song. If you just read יי as being "Hash-m" the rhyme falls apart. So it's clear this song was always sung with the actual Shem Hashm.

But this is not a good Halachic point because maybe the poet was just wrong. I don't even know if he was a Rabbi. Whoever has an answer, please speak up!

Announcements

2008-08-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

* I will be posting less frequently until after Elul, as we get closer to the Yamim Noraim and all else.

* I originally planned to write a review on Yeedle's latest album and I even went to the music store in Geula to get it, but after a quick look in the album I lost my interest. Yeedle's album sounded too typical to me, but I can't judge just from a few minutes here and there. I will probably eventually change my mind and buy it anyways, since I did like his last album, so stay tuned. My good friend JoeFlix has posted a review on it, alongside with a piece on Yossi Mayer.

* Pruzanski, one of my favorite soloists, released a video version of his hit You're Watching Me. Credit goes to Gruntig, the best Jewish video blog.

Shuli Rand's Nekuda Tova - Good Point

2008-08-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Good Point is one of those albums that only come out once in a blue moon, unexpectedly. In Israel, Rand became an instant top seller and has become a music celebrity overnight, acclaimed by the public – haredi and secular alike – and by the critics. The Ushpizin guy is now a undisputed music celeb. But in the US, it seems that his album is passing unnoticed like I noted in my earlier post.

I do understand why – Rand’s album is in Hebrew, that is, modern Hebrew, and it takes some brains to understand them. But not much, since most of the songs are based in Chazal and Rabbi Nachman’s teachings, so with a little effort almost everyone will get into the songs.

But the fact remains that this blog is directed to my fellow American readers and consequently this post will be skipped by most of you. I almost gave up in writing this review, but I stubbornly decided to go on and make justice to Rand.

Rand is a maverick lyricist, and this is clear from the very start of this album. His rhymes are natural and interesting. His music style is very dynamic, with influences from jazz, folk music and even western music. All the songs in this have a beginning, middle and end – it’s a story, just like his lyrics. We don’t see this everyday in Jewish Music. The arrangements – unobtrusive, groovy and modern – added a lot to this album, an album where everything falls in place: the lyrics, the tunes and the arrangements. You may not be used to this style of music but technically speaking this album is flawless and those who enjoy REAL good music will eventually fall for it. I will not go to deeply into the songs, this is a more condensed review.

Ma Hatachlit is actually not great and it wasn’t a great choice for the first song, simply because Rand has much more to show than this average western-style song. I would easily choose Arafel instead. **

Ayeka is song of a troubled man looking for his Creator, and the song’s motto is indeed Ayeka – or “Where are You?”. This slow song is smooth and pleasant, (Shuli actually released it some time ago as a single), and the shtick of this song is Shuli’s falsetto when he sings Ayeka. His falsetto is far from perfect, it’s actually very raw, but I loved the idea nevertheless. And the song is short – 4 mins – so you will not get bored. ****

If you want to hear an original, unique, energetic song that sums up what Rand is in just 3 minutes, look no further – just tune to Arafel. This song is just perfect, from the dynamic lyrics, great catchy song and modern arrangement. I spent some time trying to figure out if the lyrics are just a personal account of Rand’s struggle to become religious or if it’s actually a recount of Lot fleeing Sedom. Whatever is his inspiration, Arafel is my favorite in this album and it has found its way to become my current cell phone ringtone. *****

Rand juggles well with the lyrics in the next song, calling the Jews by the “nickname” of Segula (this is based in Chazal) and describing its greatness like one describes a young girl (also based in Chazal). “Many kings had eyes for you”, “Such a pretty girl doesn’t has to change” or “You can’t be just like any other girl” are just a few examples of Rand’s creative lyrics. The lyrics are more solid than the actual tune, so this song lost a star. ***

Hameshorer is the craziest song of this album. It’s about two friends who suddenly find themselves in a fight about larger than life issues, as one of them did Teshuva. The structure of this tune is very similar to Anglo-Saxon folk songs (I bought one of such albums in Britain years back, featuring the most famous folk songs – that’s how I know), but the last bars – when the lyrics speak about the two friends fighting – are different, with many semitones and a very weird sequence of notes specially in very end of the bar. Most people will dislike that, because Rand didn’t use the natural scale here and being that few composers do that in JM, many will certainly feel something sounds weird there. But I loved it because this complication (not using the natural scale) conveys to the listeners the bitterness of the fight between the two friends, if you know what I mean. This song is sad, eventually leading to the death of one of the friends. *****

Ben Melech is a song about a man fighting his nemesis, the Yetzer Harah. In the beginning of the song the man is proud of his successful battles against the Yetzer Hara, claiming “I’m the son of a king, made of strong stones”. Shortly after, in 1:35, Shuli does a vocal shtick, sounding like he is falling from a cliff – that’s the prelude for the next part of the song, when the proud man is suddenly trapped by the Yetzer Hara, and confesses he was to naïve to think the battle was over. The lyrics and concept of this song are just amazing and the song interpretation of Rand is above average, one of his best in this album. The tune is rather more simple than usual for Rand, but there’s so much going in this song and a complicated tune would most probably ruin this song. I wouldn’t change anything in this song. *****

The next song, Nekuda Tova, is the album’s main song and Rand’s shortest song – just 2:40! (I think this is the shortest JM song I can remember.) With fewer lyrics and a very tasteful duet with Ehud Banai, Rand speaks about Galut and how each good deed (that’s the real meaning of Nekuda Tova in this context) we do causes this suffering to come to a close. At first this song seems too simple, but after a few times you will not stop singing its catchy chorus. Ehud Banai’s duet added so much to this song – without him this song would fall short. Once again Rand shows he has a key skill for a musician – common sense and evenhandedness. I guess he realized this song wasn’t good enough just with him so he got someone to help him. Worked. *****

Mochin is a Breslov manifesto-song from beginning to end, with lyrics about Atzvut, praying in the fields and happiness. I didn’t connect to this song, it’s not in the same level of Rand’s previous songs. **

Refael is a very cool song about a man’s trip to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s burial place. This poor guy has no car and he’s waiting for a “tremp” or ride in Hebrew in the side of the highway. Since I also wwas in Meiron, just a few months agofor Lag Baomer, I can relate a lot to this song. ****

Achoti is a song about a man and his Neshama, how he regrets the bad he has done and how he plans to repent. He says he will be as brave as a lion (taken from Chazal), he will be the first to do a mitzvah and so on. The tune and arrangement are very interesting a novel for Jewish Music. It’s an old fashioned ballad, with nice natural percussion and traditional strings. This song brings you back twenty years in time and it is a sure hit for the older listeners. Shuli does a very fine job in the vocals, with a special mention for the closing – great! ****

Since the review is already long I will only rate the last one Mitoch, a decent last song with many "suspended" notes and a groovy sound. ***

Last Words: This album is not for everyone, and if you are not one of those wow-Shwekey-AvrumFried-are-just-the-best-singers-and-no-one-can-do-music-as-well-as-they-do kind of guy, you will not enjoy Nekuda Tova. But if you are broader minded, open to something a bit different, or if you are just the kind of guy who likes good music, do yourself a favor and buy this one.

Gone Fishing

2008-07-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm heading to Europe and will be away from blogging until the end of August. I registered for Nefesh BeNefesh's bloggers conference here in Jerusalem but I'm still unsure if I will be able to make it. If I make it, I will post videos and pics about it.

Also, I will be posting a review of Shuli Rand's Good Point when I come back. And Yeedle's album should be out by then and I will be reviewing it as well. See you then!

For the Lipa Lovers

2008-07-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

Jewish Music, Poetry and the Three Weeks

2008-07-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Blogging about Jewish Music during the two times of the year we are not allowed to hear music is very challenging. Even more so than Sefiras Haomer, this is specially true now that we are coming close to Tisha Beav, the saddest day of our calendar, and bloggers deal with this in their own way. Some go out for vacations, some write about older acapella albums (no new albums came out this time, as far as I know) and I decided to go for something more exotic - I got into Ben Bresky's poetry initiative in his radio show. You can hear my piece here (click in "Listen Now" and skip to 35:34).

You must be asking yourself who in the world would be interested in poetry these days and that's kind of understandable. Last time I wrote poems was in school, years back, and this poem is actually old - I originally wrote it a few years ago because I wanted to understand Poetry.com's business concept after meeting its founder. So, it's not like I write poems everyday. Okay. But how is this connected to Tisha Beav?

In case you didn't realize, Tisha Beav is all about poems - that's what the Kinos are, poems. In fact, we all spend two or three hours reciting the (numerous) poems and most people don't even understand what's going on, aside from the implicit connection to the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. Poetry was one of the tenets of Judaism in the Spanish Golden Age and poets would be sponsored on a yearly basis to write poetry about Judaism, history and also love stories. That's why most of our Zemiros come from that time - Zemiros are also poems, written by real poets who were very knowledgeable about Judaism or even famous Rabbis like Elazar Hakalir, the most prolific of them all, and Ibn Ezra (you read some of his poems here).

Now, Jewish Music and poetry are also intrinsically connected. Although the vast majority of JM lyrics today are taken from the Tanach and Chazal, Jewish musicians of the past would focus in composing music for their own original lyrics. Adon Olam, Lecha Dodi and Yedid Nefesh are good examples of popular "liturgical poems" that are commonly used as song lyrics. Taking lyrics from the Torah and Chazal is halachically problematic and many religious musicians refrained from doing it until the past century. Only recently JM has become flooded with Torah and Chazal lyrics, most probably because of Reb Shlomo Carlebach's influence - JM of today is a brainchild of Reb Shlomo, who would always find touching lyrics in the Torah and Chazal.

But even today most of the Sephardic songs, called "Pizmonim", are solely based in poems. Back in Syria and Lebanon, the poets were celebrated and well-respected as a noble and noteworthy class, and if you look into their songs is possible to learn a lot about their "Avoda" and life back in the Arab countries.

It's getting harder and harder for JM composers to find meaningful and "new" lyrics from the Torah and Chazal. The times were every singer would come up with a new Hamalach Hagoel or Acheinu are over - most recent CD's have very original lyrics. As I see it is a matter of time until JM turns back to poems as its prime source of lyrics. Many singers are already in this stage - Chaim Israel is a good example (no wonder he is Sephardi) and my man Shuli Rand (review coming soon!) - it's really cool to hear songs that actually tell a whole story (of course, I also like songs from Chazal and Torah, but original lyrics are more dynamic and leave more room for creativity, if you know what I mean). But in order to come up with great new lyrics we need great poets. And poetry today is often times seen as outdated or one of those things no one does anymore (come on, admit you thought I was weird when I said I was writing poems).

My poem is stam something I wrote long ago that is not really connected to Torah or Tisha Beav. But maybe that's the birth of a new poet, who will down the road compose lyrics for an actual JM star. Who knows?

But one thing is clear - we need more poets/lyricists! Rav Shwab (maybe I'm confusing with the Bobov Rebbe - see Artscroll's comentary on the Piyutim) wrote his heartbreaking Piyut about the Holocaust, which many congregations recite in Tisha Beav, after he saw in a Sefer that whoever is capable of writing Piyutim should not refrain from writing about the destruction of the Beis Hamikdah. So what are you waiting for?

Nirvana and Shuli Rand

2008-07-18T07:51:00.001-07:00

I'm reposting this interview with Shuli Rand as a follow up on what I wrote about his album, a Good Point.

The credit for the video goes to Dixie Yid, a great blogger who also wrote about the album, and although I usually refrain from re-posts, I made an exception this time because I was stunned to see that Mordka's theory, which last week seemed to be nothing more than a late night fabrication, was absolutely on the ball and that the cover of Shuli Rand's Good Point is indeed a response to Nirvana. Here's his comment:

"Album cover reminds me of Nirvana's Nevermind (1991)- though obviously its a far more uplifting message. While Nirvana's seemed to imply the inevitability of being born into consumerism in America, Rand's message, to me at least, is that one can be consumed by the outside world and still maintain their focus (their dress, music, etc.), hence his chasing nothing, wearing clothing, and bringing his possessions with him.
Just my two cents.
Mordka"

Well done Mordka, and I take this opportunity to wish you a big mazal tov on your recent engagement. It seems everything is going right for you!

Screechiness and Jewish Music

2008-07-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

Jewish Music, like any other musical genre, has its own particularities.

One good example is the traditional horn-filled arrangement, a shtick that somehow made its way into Jewish Music decades ago and was perpetuated by Yisroel Lamm and Moshe Laufer's signature arrangements, which made up to 70% of all arrangements in JM until some 7 years ago. Horn lines are not popular anymore in the goyish (or to the more sensitive readers, gentile) music industry - guitars, acoustic guitars, synths and techno took over a long time ago. But for some reason, the JM public thinks that horn-filled arrangements have more "Yiddishe Ta'am" than the contemporary and "innapropriate" arrangements we hear in the goyish world.

That explains why some even try to ban singers - Lipa, Rap in Yiddish(I love their first song), Oif Simchas and so on - that make music that don't seem to fit the usual "pure" JM. These people think that the definition of Jewish Music is music that fits in their usual standards, and songs that have a "different" Ta'am must be stopped at all costs. The irony is that good music IS music that sounds different, original and fresh; the usual sound we got so used to hear until a few years ago was primitive. Music isn't perpetual, music evolves with time and whoever negates this will join the ban club eventually. Why? Because we are already witnessing an irreversible shift in Jewish Music towards better and more modern arrangements (and compositions), and today there are many great arrangers out there who know how to put together a decent arrangement. Personally, I like Ilya Lishinsky and Leib Yaakov Rigler, but there are many out there today.

Before you start wondering about the link between this and the post title, let me get to my point.

Another pillar of JM is the love for screechiness. Yes, the love for screechiness. For some reason, just like the crowds are (or were) into horn-lines they are into screechiness. I don't know how this started but that's the only explanation why people liked Shloime Dachs and Yisroel Williger in the 90's, two singers who are not really good but have enjoyed great success until very recently.

That's why people are so into Boys Choirs, from Tzil Vezemer and Miami Boys Choir until the "iconic" Yeshiva Boys Choir, the most screechy group I've ever heard. Please don't take this as a criticism, I'm just giving you factual info here - however way you slice it, the Jewish Boys choirs are screechy. And even if you don't agree with this last point, you will surely agree YBC is. That's black on white. But don't get me wrong, I own all MBC albums and YBC's two albums - I was also into it, like many of you are today. But I evolved. I probably heard YBC's albums 5 times before getting tired of the child vocals.

Let me clarify my point a bit - not all boys choirs must be screechy. In fact, I attended a secular wedding last week were I had the honor to hear a magnificent secular boys choir that was smooth and just very well balanced (they sang Karduner's Shir Hamaalot). I didn't have a camera with me but I managed to get a snap with my phone, although the quality of the sound and image is poor (I will try to post the video soon). All Jewish Boys Choirs I know are seemingly intentionally screechy - I guess the people in the industry unconsciously know that screechiness sells. But how can you expect a kid to sing like a seasoned singer like Lipa or Helfgot? Song interpretation requires brains, experience and common-sense and it's unfair to put so much attention in child soloists that can scream a note out of their lung. Benny Amar's great debut album was hardly hit by the exaggerated use of child soloists and I think in today's day and age that's just unacceptable.

I can bring more examples. Yaakov Shwekey is extremely screechy and people adore him. When Shomati came out, people couldn't stop saying "Did you see how high he goes in Rachem???" or "Wow, he goes even higher than Avraham Fried. Wooow!". Well, a distinction must be made between kvetching a note and reaching a note properly. As my voice coach used to say, it's more enjoyable to hear a good low note than a screechy high note. It's possible that your mind is so used to hearing screechiness that you think I just landed from Mars, but musically speaking screechiness is horrible. Not bad, horrible. (Disclaimer: there are many things I like about Shwekey, I'm just pointing out his Aquiles Heel).

I'm quite certain that just like the horns are definitely behind us, screechiness is following the same path. Yossi Green's The 8th Note is a roadmap (or in Chaim's words, a bible) for JM in the coming years and one thing that album doesn't have is screechiness - the pillar of the album is smooth vocals and no kids are to be found there. And of course, there are virtually no horn arrangements. Well done YG.

Yitzy Spinner is one of the most promising talents out there and he also didn't have kids singing nor screeching vocals. Just the opposite, pure smoothness. So is Lev Tahor - just smoothness.

AKAPella, which came out with a decent album with superb vocals, is another good example of how non-screechy vocals can bring an album to new heights. Ok, the songs were not original but AKAPella's vocals are spotless.

Dovid Gabay is a non-screechy Shwekey and he is great; it's a pleasure to hear him. He did use kids in Zaroh but it fitted well in the song's theme, that is, he used common-sense. The problem starts when grown-ups use child soloists without any commom-sense.

Lipa is also not screechy and I happen to like his voice just because of that.

Another sign that screechiness is on the way out is the rebirth of Chazzanut that we've seen in the past decade. Let me explain: all Chazzanus concerts are packed lately and so many youngsters, this blogger among them, are starting to get into the genre - think of Hasc, where Helfgot is today the major player with Avraham Fried (they were there in the past 3 years). Whoever likes Chazzanut hates screechiness, because Chazzanut is the anathema of it. The Chazzanim sing the notes the way they are supposed to come out of a singer's mouth - without ANY screechiness. Listen to Yaakov Motzen once and you will throw away your YBC's cds.

Finally JM is walking out of the woods, and the days of the horn arrangements and screechy boys choirs are counted.
My ears are cheering.

Great Clip

2008-07-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

Someone mailed me this clip of Ki Ata Kadosh from Adi Ran. We all know this song, but it's the first time I see the clip.

Adi Ran rocks!! Such a wacky guy, he's has style. I'm planning to get his last album, Unplugged (see previous post) - I'm suddenly craving for Israeli albums.

Round Up

2008-07-06T23:39:00.000-07:00

From the "mailbag" (yes, I'm quoting BlogInDM):

Mordka, in his signature witty style, reacts to my comments on Adi Ran in my previous post:

Adi Ran's unplugged album sounds as if, during a period of drug withdrawal, he was handed an acoustic guitar and locked into a studio for 4 days. And nights. Adi modulates between playful/cute and raw/angry, but is consistently personal. Its like the time you were on your marpeset and your neighbor was practicing his guitar with the window open, and didn't know you were listening. Its a welcome reprieve from over-produced albums that modify everything into a sugary-sweet gloss (read: Shwekey, Lev Tahor). I once met a Chabad Rav with a long black beard who moved from New Jersey to Ofakim. Ofakim is like a 19th century western town. Poor, dusty, and ugly, but real. In the car, he blasted Adi Ran. "Can't listen to any other Jewish music," he said. For a real town like Ofakim, you need real music, like Adi Ran's.

Anonymous on JM today:

While some strictly jewish music is trully good and good for you (YG,
Carlebach, Yishai Lapidot - Lipa is not exactly in that category), it
is just like jewish recepies for cakes and kugals. Meaning, while
Judaism probably doesn't have room for filthy lyrics, its doesn't have
anything against 90% of (U2, Coldplay, Elton John, Bocelli, Pavarotti,
Julio Iglessias) goyish songs! (That is even before we tackle the debate on recorded Kol Isha and if
this was said about durning Krias Shma only or not). So listening to JM is just as part as being jewish as eating kugal -
and yes, kugal sells.

Chaim started the Take 1 Miztva Campaign and this blog fully supports his initiative. On a personal note, I will try daven Aleinu from the siddur, and that's my contribution. What about you?

For the beer lovers, you can't miss this JPost article on He'brew (the Chosen Beer), the new sensation in the boutique brewery market, featuring a variety of beer that include Genesis, Rejewvenator, Jewbilation and more! Yum!!!

Introducing Shuli Rand, the Singer

2008-07-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

Most of you know Shuli Rand or at least find his face somewhat familiar - you have surely seen him staring as Moshe Ballanga in the award-winning Israeli movie Ushpizin. Until now he was just an actor, actually a great one (he won Israel’s Theater Actor of the Year several times), and he has been out of the spotlight since the buzz around Ushpizin faded out (he used to live in Ramot until recently, and was very frequently called "Ballanga" because many people actually thought that was his real name). But Rand is back, this time releasing his first album, "Good Point".

Of course, this news didn't reach and probably will never reach US soil. As I noted several times, most Israeli albums never reach the US simply because the US and Israeli JM buyers like different things - in the US, Jewish Music albums are more standardized, mainly comprised of mainstream or more yeshivish-styled albums. In the other hand, the Israeli JM market is much more eclectic and there is a ton of "alternative" Jewish Music choices, like Adi Ran and Chaim David. In my period here in Israel I've come to learn that we never get to hear many Israeli hits that enjoy incredible popularity here in Israel. For instance, Shai Barak's Ana Bekoach is so popular that many Shul's have permanently introduced it in their Kabbalat Shabbos services. It's very likely that you have never heard this exquisite song, a kind of song you will probably never hear from an American JM singer (I actually bought this album in Eilat's boardwalk after hearing it in a kiosk). Another example is Adir Ran's Ata Kadosh, which only crossed the Atlantic because it was featured in Ushpizin. If not for that, we would never hear it. Those who say Levine's Vezakeini is the best hit in the last couple years are terribly mistaken - Vezakeini doesn't comes to the heels of Ata Kadosh, Ana Bekoach, two songs that should be in everyone's top list. Although Vezakeini is a nice song, it's "more of the same", while the these two songs are new, creative and original. But let me come back to my original point.

In that context, you have Shuli Rand's debut album, which sounds different than anything you've heard until now. Rand composed all the music and lyrics of this album, and his work was acclaimed by the secular critics in Israel. I didn't hear the whole album yet, but I can already say one thing: it's weird and original. Rand's voice is very very raw, that is, he never took a singing lesson in his life. But that doesn't means he's unable to do great music. Take Adi Ran, as an example, his voice is BAD (after you see the link you'll agree), but somehow it's really enjoyable to hear him singing Ata Kadosh, a world-class song. Like Adi Ran, Shuli Rand is a Breslov Chassid and his lyrics are pretty much stories linked to the Breslov movement - he wisely didn't go for the usual yeshivish lyrics (Hamalach, Achienu, Mi Von Siach and all). And what's most important, everyone can understand his Hebrew lyrics (laafukei Lipa).

Aside from the musical side of this album, I must note Rand has a special PR talent. Somethings I see out there make me think "I could've done that too", but to jump in a pool, with your whole beketshe, shabbos hat and guitar in order to come up with a cool album jacket, that's just brilliant. How did he come up with that? That's how an album cover is supposed to be - COOL. A cover with a violin, or a clock, or just with the singer name in font size #64 it's just not cool.

I'll come up with a review soon, even though I know none of this blog's readers will ever buy Rand's album. But just because Rand's album will never reach the US, that doesn't mean he is worth nothing; actually, the opposite is true.

____________________
Where the Hell is YK? Here! (Don't forget to zoom out first)

Sad News: Terror Attack in Yafo Road Kills at Least Three People

2008-07-02T03:22:00.000-07:00

For those of you just waking up in th US, today was a sad day in Jerusalem. An Israeli-arab, resident of east Jerusalem, was apparently working in the light-rail construction near Geula (where I learn everyday) and started his terror plan by driving a bulldozer deliberatly at buses and cars in Jaffa road. One car was flattened by the terrorist and at least other two buses full of passengers overturned causing injuries in at least 45 and setting the area in panic. In Israeli TV they showed a video of how the terrorist was stopped, with some very shocking images of two policeman climbimg in the bulldozer and shoting the monster.

The worst about this is that this idiot was an Israeli citizen, living in Israel, getting money from Israeli tax money and he still has the guts to go against Israel. And there's little Israel can do in response to this attack, since it didn't come from the "occupied" territories.

In short, we are living besides potential terrorists everyday here in Jerusalem and there's very little that can be done against it. The Merkaz Harav attack was also done by an Israeli-arab and I now hear today's terrorist is a cousin of the one of Merkaz Harav attack. It's a trend.

My conspiracy theory is that Hamas orchestrated the cease-fire expecting something like this would happen - a terrorist living in Israel - thus showing that Israel too can't hold terrorists back inside Israel. We need urgent measures and I think we are living now in the tipping point of this whole terrorism wave.

The same it's happening in England, Spain where Islamic native citizens turn against their home country killing innocents. We must stop them, first by taking away the citizenship from the family members of this terrorist - it's a family that grows terrorists. Why should they be allowed in Israel.

For a longer video click HERE.

Where the Hell is YK?

2008-07-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of the video I posted earlier this week (Where the Hell is Matt), I found a way to show my current location to my readers through Navizon, an add-on for the iPhone. I'm always looking for ways to improve the interaction between me and the readers and since I'm in Israel, the most exciting country in the world, you will be able to follow me in my tours around the country or just in my daily schedule.

I'm probably one of the first bloggers to do that (most people never heard of Navizon and those who did are apparently afraid of stalking..) and although I'm a little afraid about exposing myself this much in the web, I think it's worth a try.

Navizon locates me in Google Maps but the annoying thing is that Google doesn't have detailed maps of Israel (which is very odd since they have offices here in Haifa and Sergei Brin is actually Jewish..), not even city names, so you will need to use your brains to understand where I am. But if you click in Satellite View, in Google Maps, there's a chance you will recognize the area around me. Right now I'm in Rechavia for example, and it's not difficult to recognize it if you have been here before.

For some reason you must zoom out as much as you can in Google Maps (press the - button many times) in order to spot me.

See you in Google Maps!

Rabbi Slifkin becomes a blogger!

2008-06-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

In Hirhurim I saw some great news - Rabbi Nosson Slifkin, who has been at the center of one of the greatest (and unfair) controversies of the past years, is back in the spotlight this time as a blogger.

Rabbi Slifkin is a very cool guy and I am a fan of his work. He is unique in what he does - exploring the marvels of the animal world and exposing to us readers how amazing and surprising the world we live in is. For a guy like him, the blogosphere is the perfect channel for his unusual passion and I am certain he will get attention very quickly, from the good and from the bad guys.

This blog is a strong supporter of Slifkin's work and I will do all I can to help him grow. You shouldn't miss this blog.

"Thoughts on Music" Copying

2008-06-26T14:48:00.001-07:00

Someone emailed me this article from Wolfish Musings on music copying. Although the post is based on a discussion from Yeshiva World News, which can never be of any use, Wolfish raised an important subject and I would like to add my two-cents.

Music copying is of course a problem not only in Jewish Music but in the music industry in general, and every since the internet emerged the record labels suddenly saw themselves in a very dangerous position (think Napster).

There were many attempts to curb music downloading, first with the Napster lawsuit and then with DRM. But the problem was still there and one new idea changed the game for the music industry - iTunes. Since Steve Jobs came up with the easy-to-use online music store, people proved that if given a good channel, they would pay the fair buck for their beloved songs. In Jobs' keynotes, he always stresses how consumer behavior has changed since iTunes came to being and I think is hard to disagree with this premise. Now, Jobs is pushing for the end of DRM, and he is slowly getting through with the major record labels.

We already had a lengthy discussion about the feasibility of selling JM in iTunes and although there is some JM for sale there, by large JM is still the same industry it was 10 years ago. And I fully understand the arguments that were made about the relatively small size of JM and why financially it doesn't makes sense to sell Jewish Music in iTunes. But with CD's costing 17 dollars in the US (in Israel even more) these days, I don't believe JM is at this moment an efficient industry.

I used to say that it's a matter of time until Jewish Music gets its way into iTunes. Somewhere along the road I stopped being a dreamer and I concede it's hard to see JM in iTunes anytime soon. But just like the goyish music industry was saved by iTunes and other efficient ideas, JM has to somehow address its current inefficiencies. I don't know how that can be done, but again, the best way to stop music copying is not through Mussar schmuessin in the back of the album jackets (or leasing agreements) but through creative and practical ideas. The more the industry is efficient the more consumers will be funneled to do things the easy way, that is, buying all their music.

Some good ideas that popped up lately include free songs (Spinner and AKAPella and now the 8th Day), creative marketing apparatus (Lipa's bumper-sticker) and podcasts (Sameach). I'm quite sure Spinner, AKAPella and Lipa were all rewarded in return and I think that's the way to go in JM at the present time. Of course, iTunes would be great, but that's still a dream. So singers, keep being creative!

Where the Hell is Matt Video

2008-06-25T03:53:00.000-07:00

This video is amazing (the first version has been around the web for a while but this final version was released just this week). I share with Matt the love for knowing new places but what really puzzled me here is his ability to unite people with just one premise - dance (in his own weird way). The idea is so similar, actually, identical to the Breslav movement you see so often in Israel (the dancing vans etc..), and man that really unites people. It has been said that Breslov was never as popular as they're now - you see their influence everywhere. From Adi Ran (wait for my next post about him) to the Jewish Tolkien, the excitement the Breslovers bring to Jewish life as a whole is remarkable. So what are you waiting for? DANCE!

[Here you can see footage that didn't make it to the final cut]

Lipa and Yiddish Music

2008-06-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

I got many inquiries about my Lipa review and I feel like exposing what's in my mind now and I warn you that this post is very personal and straightforward - you will not necessarily agree with it and that's just ok.

Here's the deal - I do not speak Yiddish (I did try) and I consequently have a major problem digesting Lipa's music, as I can't really listen to an album with an Yiddish dictionary in my desk. That's just not an option. True, not all Lipa's songs are in Yiddish and many of them just have a bit of Yiddish here and there but from what I heard it's mainly Yiddish (at least 6 songs are 100% Yiddish).

This leads me to another point that is not necessarily linked to Lipa. A simple question: if you take all JM listeners, what is the percentage of Yiddish speakers? I'm not Gallup so don't expect a precise answer, but my estimation is MAYBE 40% - again, that's my personal estimation and I might be a bit off. But my point is that Yiddish music has a quite limited appeal, if compared to regular Hebrew and English songs, and I wonder if this hurts Lipa's sales. Of course, Lipa is able to charge a fortune for weddings and all else, however I attribute this to his vibrant and charismatic personality and not necessarily because of his Yiddish songs. Yeah, Gelt was huge but still non-Yiddish speakers have trouble with this kind of songs.

This post could lead many of you to think that I'm opposed to Lipa and conspiracy-theorists might even think "that's why YK was not mentioned in Lipa's supporters list" or even "YK is just upset he didn't make it to the list" . Let me be clear: that's not true. Although I don't fully "get" Lipa's songs, his music sounds fresh and cool, with above average arrangements and production, added to his great skills as a lyricist. Not to mention Yossi Green, who is working with him for a while. I just don't speak Yiddish, period.

You might think that it doesn't matter if you don't understand all the words, as long as we understand here and there what the song is all about. I don't like that idea - I want to be able to hear music that I actually fully understand. And don't think I'm a single-minded when it comes to languages - I'm fluent in four. I just somehow never felt the urge or need to learn Yiddish.

In today's day and age, Hebrew and English have a much wider appeal and I think Yiddish-centered songs have shorter shelf life since the younger generation is less interested in knowing it (that's something you see very clearly in Israel - even many Chassidim got over their reluctance to speak "modern" Hebrew). For instance, if you take two modern day Hebrew and English hits from Yossi Green - Vezakeinu or Someday - they seem to be much more "eternal" than Lipa's Gelt.

I don't mind when you have a Yiddish word here and there in songs, like in Shloime Gertner's Hu Yisborach, but to buy a ganz album mit alles Yiddish nigunim is more complicated for a poshiter yid like me. So, in short, I'm not planning to buy Lipa's latest album. Nisht far mir.

Yossi Green's Real Inspiration

2008-06-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

I was on my way to Europe last week and I snapped this pic in Ben Gurion Airport Food Court. I did write in my review of The 8th Note that Hatav Hashmini is Israel's leading record label, but an image is worth a million words. Anyone who was in Ben Gurion has seen this (it's close to the Chabad Tefillin outpost, that you for sure remember), and I guess the same can be said about Yossi Green. Hence, I believe we have uncovered YG's real inspiration for the best album we have seen in the past years or even decade.

Thank you Hatav Hashmini Music.

Benny Amar's Am Echad Review

2008-06-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

"Walahi, Walaha!". After some ten years, I hear Benny Amar singing this once again, this time in his debut album rather than live in concert alongside with Miami Boys Choir. I've been following Benny Amar for sometime already - he has been performing since an early age, and was part of Miami Boys Choir, but his musical career took off when he started Kol Zimra, an upbeat acapella group with two good albums in their record and perhaps the only JM group to have performed for His Excellency Mr Bush, during the White House Hannukka ceremony three or something years ago.

I specially liked Kol Zimra's second album, which has much less "yeshivish" feel if you compare it to Lev Tahor or Chevra acapella, and until now Benny Amar was just that. But with Am Echad, he goes solo and tries to take off as a lead singer, which frankly came to me as a surprise - in Kol Zimra's albums his voice was still too "raw". But the Benny we hear in this album is a new singer, with improved vocals and singing technique, surely because of his great coach Chazzan Moshe Schulhof from Aventura FL. Chaim raised questions over Amar's voice, but as I see it he has an Yeedle-styled voice - slightly nasal and screatchy - but these could turn to be assets with good voice coaching and if you have landed in Schulhof's hands you don't need go anywhere else. Amar did the first step and is way better than before, but he can still improve and I'm sure Moshe will keep him moving.

Before I get to the review let me give you a little briefing on Amar's Bio. Originally from Brazil, Benny moved to the US in his teens and became part of Miami Boys Choir. His father, back in Brazil, is a violinist and his influence can be felt throughout this album with the numerous violin lines and breathtaking violin solos. Here we go:

With great technique, Benny carries Am Echod very well and keeps the energy flowing. The violin solo in 2:49 is one of the best I've heard in JM and it's also interesting that he changes a bit the tune using a minor note in 4:18 (when pronouncing "Shebashomaim") opposed to the natural note used in the beginning of the song (i.e. 1:23). Amar's pronunciation of "echod" in 4:08 is very weird, and I think JMusic Insider, a.k.a. JBlogmeister, also felt this, but that's a minor issue. On a side note, I don't see why there's was a need for a child soloist in this song - I'm very critical of overusing child singers and Benny used this shtick in four songs. Not that the boy is a bad singer, not at all, I just believe this shtick should be used in songs that have something to do with children i.e. in Gabay's Zaroh or in AKAPella's Children. But here, I think it's odd and unnecessary (I will posting about this topic soon). ****

Gadol Hashalom has creative lyrics and a good arrangement but the song itself is somewhat forgetable. And once again there's the kid singing, taking the spotlight away from Amar and forcing the kid to scream his lungs out to reach the final note. Once again, I'm not criticizing the boy, who has a good voice; I just don't think Amar played his cards well in this one, I think it would be better to just have him singing alone, highlighting his voice and his interpretation. The backup vocals didn't help much and in a slow song like this one, good backup are a must. Mike Boxer would've delivered; pity he's not part of this project. ***

Hevei starts off with the same feel of Yossi Green's reggae song Al Todin, but this song is not real reggae, it's a mesh - the arrangement uses the middle-eastern musical scale alongside with reggae-sounding guitars. Quite wacky but it just worked and this song by Boruch Levine (his second Middle-eastern hit - the first was Shwekey's Halo Yadata) is one of this album's best pieces. Amar did a great job in the vocals - his best vocals in the album - and the funky Kol Zimra-styled backup vocals fitted like a glove in this song. *****

Tzur is a contemporary-sounding song that has great potential - the first part is amazing, world-class, and the song is overall good. The background vocals are very weak and "empty", so this song falls short and doesn't gets momentum. There's no modulation, that is, the song always stays in the same key set and that was mistake. But it's not a bad song, it's just disappointing because it could've been perfect. ***

I love the way Amar sings the first part of Koli, great interpretation and technique. The arrangement is excellent, specially the piano and violin, and the song is beautifull. However, having in mind the lyrics of the second part - Hoitzio Mimasger Nafshi - it's inevitable to compare it to the second part of Hakshivo from Shalsheles, which has the same lyrics. There's something in common in the two songs, and Shalsheles' song is unbeatable, but this one also has a charm of its own. Once again the violin guy does a smashing job in 5:00, he is really good, and the song goes over 7 minutes, a record. Benny did a great job in the closing of the song, he has a good range, and the backup vocals were not bad this time. ****

Mikdash Melech is an old composition by Amar, with his signature "Walahi Walaha" shtick I mentioned in the opening of this review. It's another wacky song, with a salsa arrangement, and it's Amar's cup-of-tea music style, like Hevei. In these wacky songs his glaring personality shines out, with great energy and at the bottom of the song he again does a great job. ****

Eliahu's arrangement is interesting and the backup vocals are actually good - it's obviously mo kiss - but I personally don't like how the composer worked out the part "bimheuro iovo eleinu" as it didnt fit to well with the rest of the song, but as I said this is very personal, others might not mind.
I don't have much else to say about this one, it didnt click very much with me. ***

Sova is a great techno three-part, with creative lyrics and an AKAPella-styled intro (Axel F). This is not a typical song - its another wacky one - and once again benny is in his comfort zone, keeping the energy and pace of this cool song. I love his improvisation towards the end, the backup harmonies (specially in 2:25) and, wow, the guitar solo - excellent. On the negative side, using the very young child soloist in this edgy song is inexusable and impossible to understand. What were they thinking?

Vehoshivo is the best slow song of this album and I would swap it with gadol, as this song deserves to be in the spotlight. The tune, words and feel of this song resemble Shalsheles, which I love, but there's something more here - the guest chazzan Moshe Schulhof at the end is the best moment of this album. Chaim mentioned that Schulhof seems to be out of place, and he does have a point, but I would put it differently - Kaufman and the kid are out of place in this song. There are too many guest soloists and I believe Schulhof deserved a prime guest appearance i.e. just him and Amar in a duet. Moshe is one of the world's greatest Chazzanim alongside with Helfgot and Yaakov Motzen and this song highlights his spotless vocals and amazing music dynamics. Few people do this so well. With such great talent at hand, Amar should've let Moshe sing the first part as well or even have him sing in other songs. Or you think the kids do a better job? Come on. ****

Omdos was originally featured in kol zimra's second album as a mellow ballad and it was a rather forgetable song of a great composer, abie rotenberg. Amar tries once again to make this song fly, this time in a rock version. If there's one style abie doesn't gets along with that style is surely rock - in journeys, dveykus and aish there's no rock - and despite benny's efforts to make this song sound decent, at the end of the day one thing remains true: this is a very weak rotenberg song. Period. **

This album has a few constants: creative songs, good lyrics, topclass arrangements and overused kid singers (Amar's Miami boys choir background might explain). Except for a few songs, the backup vocals fell short and i keep thinking how cool it would be if Mike Boxer was part of this project. But no album is perfect and its important to keep in mind that this is Benny's debut, and as such its with no doubt a great success.

After Fried, gabay and yossi green's albums the bar has been raised and cheesy "more of the same" kind of albums don't fool people anymore. Amar's album is a great surprise and probably the best debut album of the past few years, alongside with Spinner. And before I forget, "Walahi Walaha!".

Comments on Spinner's Mi Sheshiken Remix

2008-06-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yitzy Spinner came out with a free single a week or two ago (you may download from his website) and I now got the time to sit down and write about it.

This remix of Mi Sheshiken came as a surprise to me, first because few JM artists venture to produce freebies, and second because Mi Sheshiken, a good song but not Spinner's greatest hit, was seemingly an odd song for a remix - I thought Spinner would rather choose another of his many unrecorded compositions.

But this song is very, very well put together. It's a million times better than the original Mi Sheshiken and Spinner turned this average song into a very cool and edgy piece. The arrangement is more groovy (there's even a latin digression in 3:47), with smooth beats and strings, and Mike Boxer's vocal arrangements are, again, spotless. The Spinner-Boxer partnership is one of the brightest examples of how two musicians can complement each other. Boxer has the a great "musical balance" - he is able to come up with the best vocals harmonies without taking the spotlight away from the lead singer, Spinner. That's the secret of a good vocal arranger and Boxer just has it (I specially like his work between 1:18 and 1:35). Spinner also excelled and proved again how great he is at improvising, keeping the song interesting throughout the 4 minutes (his shtick in 3:37 was excellent).

So at the end, choosing Mi Sheshiken for a free single just somehow worked, highlighting Spinner's biggest assets - creativity and a great team of musicians behind him. As I mentioned in my You and I review I think Spinner is the next Yehuda! and I really look forward to hear his next albums.

Ben Yehuda Drummers and Sefira Music

2008-06-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

This is a picture I took yesterday night in Ben Yehuda. These drummers keep playing for over 4 hours every Motze Shabbes and they've become part of this street's peculiar array of musicians. At some point a woman stormed in and started doing belly dancing, and although not all the drummers were religious, they immediately stopped playing. One of the things you can only see in Israel - hippies playing music not for stam partying but for Hash-m. Nice.

Incidentally, these drummers reminded me of another post I was planning to write about music in the Sefira. I gave up on that, because I got dragged to another issue, namely, listening to music during the WHOLE year. According to the foremost poskim, only drumming (hence the connection) is allowed and that is by the way the source of the old Jerusalemite minhag of not using full bands for weddings in the city - people only hire drummers. I was told that the Jews in Yemen used to be makpid and wouldn't listen to music throughout the year.

Anyways, one thing is clear - the music from the Ben Yehuda drummers is Kosher Lemehadrin.

(I refer you to this antique discussion in Hirhurim, which deals with this topic and has great comments)

JoeFlix Daily

2008-05-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

I have been following closely Mr Joeflix's blog for the last weeks and I was left asking myself why wasn't I able to come up with the same idea. Of course, there are millions of photo blogs but this one is more or less directed to the same public I target in my blog and considering that, like music, photography is a very wide field, JoeFlix Daily is right on.

But aside from that, the concept behind it is cool. There are two types of blogs. Some are "dictatorial", where only one person controls all the content - the posts and sometimes comments (moderation) - and is solely responsible for the direction of the blog. But there are also the "collaborative" blogs, which have gotten a lot of attention lately, where the readers have more interaction and are often times even more in the spotlight than the blog owners. That's the kind of blog Mr JoeFlix runs; even I became one of the members of the crew.

Besides JM I'm a photography enthusiast and I wish long life to JoeFlix Daily. If you are not aware of my works as a photographer check these shots. More will be coming in the next weeks ii"H.

Although my blog is not a collaborative blog, I would like to reiterate how much I like the collaborative concept and welcome again guest posts and differing opinions, even if they clash with mine. I don't moderate and I will try to keep it that way so everyone can have a space here.

Exclusive #2: Meron in Lag Baomer

2008-05-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

After the Israel Independence day celebrations, Meron was next in line in my Israel Experience year. I was in Meron last thursday for the Lag Baomer festivities and although I had heard a lot about it, I frankly didn't know exactly what to expect.

It turns out to be that Meron is one of those things in life no one can pass - it should be in the top of everyone's destination list.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis, Americans, Europeans and even some gentile tourists head there with only backpacks and a lot of patience, only to fulfill Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's request that his Yartzeit day should be a day of celebrations and not sadness. Meron is exactly that - it's a happiness fair. The Na Nachman guys are one of the most prevalent groups there and they have kiosks everywhere in the mountain, powered with blasting techno songs. The Chabadnikim are also there, with their iconic Mitzva Tank and there's food for everyone - Rashbi's Pizza, Rashbi's Shnitzel and some free meals served by Chessed organizations from here.

But the Toldos Aharon bonfire is what surprised me the most. Thousands of "Zebra" Chassidim, alongside with random visitors dancing around the fire singing Bar Yochai, made this day truly memorable to me - amazing energy, human warmth and inspiration.

As I said, I didn't know what to expect from Meron and I'm sure many of you haven't been there, so I tried to capture a little bit of that happened in that night, in a sequential order, so you can know what to expect before you get there. Enjoy!

A.K.A.Pella 3 Adaptation Review

2008-05-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

I got to be honest, this review has been really challenging for me. I not only had to listen to the songs in this album, I had to go to the original tunes to find out what's novel and what is just copied. Since I didn’t know all the originals my wife joined in and this review quickly became a family song quiz. Anyways, it took me double the time to write this review and I admit it’s still a bit clumsy. But I decided to post it anyways, as I originally wanted to be done with it before Lag Baomer.

A.K.APella’s album cover is the nicest I’ve seen in many years, even cooler than Yossi Green’s in my opinion. The blue-colored Chameleon with the three-shaped tail is brilliant and I’m happy they dubbed this album Adaptations – it’s an accurate one-word description of what this album is all about. And the font – a detail usually ignored by most artists - used by the graphical team is also unusual and very cool.

The vocals in this album are exceptional. Each vocalist has a different style and they all mesh together very well, not to mention the harmonies, which are almost always smooth and cool. CD Eichler uses his falsetto very often, tastefully, and he is great at song interpretation – he doesn’t just say the words, he ads intensity to every note. The other soloists are also good at it and that alone made this album fun to listen.

I hoped to see one or two Jewish songs, like in their first two CD’s (Hashem Elokei and Hiney were great), but this time AKAPella focused in non-Jewish sources.

Etz Chaim, composed by Bon Jovi, is a very energetic rock song with lots of computerized effects and it is a great choice for the opening song. The arrangement and harmonies are identical to Bon Jovi’s original version but doing all that in an acapella setting really is a great accomplishment. I personally don’t enjoy the “guitar voice” in 2:25 as I think it takes away the acapella feel. Btw, the choice of words - Etz Chaim (i.e. Tree of Life) is a play with the original title of this song, It's My Life. ****

Although musically Halelu is very interesting I didn’t find any connection between the tune and the lyrics, so the song is somewhat “empty” as it has no message behind it. George Harrison had a message and he sang it with more heart than the soloists in this song. Despite this, I absolutely love the vocal improvisation in 4:18 – the vocals towards the end of the song are amazing, it saved this song from falling short. **

The Mi Bon Siach lyrics are probably the least original lyrics for a song these days and considering that song #7 is Mi Adir, which has the same lyrics in the second part, I think the lyrics choice here was bad. Their Mi Adir is great and I wouldn’t change that one, but this one deserved better lyrics. Despite this grudge, the song gets momentum after 3:15 when Avi Stewart storms in with a very good modulation, in addition to the fantastic light choir harmonies in the background (if you don’t know what I’m saying check 3:37, where the choir sound is more perceptible). Well done. ***

Adon Olam is comes from a goyish song I love, Hey There Delilah, and this is a perfect song for acapella - the arrangement is simple and the focus is in the vocals and harmonies. The vocals are smooth, which is what this song needed, and if you see the original tune you will see that AKAPella did a great job in this one. ****

After the success of Dror Yikra, a great adaptation from Simon & Garfunkel featured in their first album (I sing it in my Shabbos table), AKAPella revisits this group with Gam Ki Elech. The legendary Simon & Garfunkel were able to do a much better job than AKAPella - they sing it with more “heart” and they are (obviously) more authentic. The lyrics were not bad, but they did have to run them a bit in order to fit in the tune. ***

I don’t have much to say about Ma Tovu. The guitar in the very end (3:05) sounds way too much like a real guitar, unlike in Etz Chaim. That’s something I don’t like at all in an acapella setting, it’s a “Setirah”. Either you do acapella or you just throw in a real guitar. ***

Mi Adir is one of my favorites in this album – Celine Dion’s songs are just unbeatable. And this is a great slow song adaptation that does have a Chuppa feel, so the lyrics do make sense. Itsi did a great job and interpreted the song just like Dion does, employing the same shticks. Avi Stewart, who has a more Yeshivish voice, sings half-way in the song and keeps this song Chuppa-like. The falsetto in 3:10 worked well (I’m not sure if Dion also does this) and overall this song was very well put together. ****

I am again critical of the lyrics choice for Hiney since AKAPella already has a song with the same lyrics in their debut album. In addition to this, there’s not much coolness in this one.**

Ani Maamin is a very risky choice for lyrics, but for some reason it really fits well in this Moody Blue’s tune. It’s a great adaptation and it almost sounds like this song was composed for these lyrics. And the trumpet-like vocals (you can hear it in 1:15) worked perfectly, sounding very much like the original’s arrangement. ****

Chaveirim starts exactly like Lev Tahor’s Baruch Hagever and it is a home-run. The message – Friends – was untouched because of the lyrics choice and as a result this is one of the few songs that have a meaning. That alone pushes this song further that any other one featured in this album. CD Eichler went beyond and introduced the Always Coca-Cola theme in 1:30 as a bridge - pretty cool. *****

Oseh, like Chaveirm, has Hebrew lyrics with the same message of the original tune. Even the children cheering in the background was taken from the original, but this song it much too long and is not as cool as Chaveirim. ***

When the Children’s intro resembles Lev Tahor’s intro in Rachem (1st album). The vocals are not as good as the other songs, but the Kol Noar Boys choir was used smartly, first singing softly, just the “niggun” and then singing the words. I love that, especially in this song where the Boys Choir idea fit in the tune’s lyrics. ****

Ki Malochov has more original lyrics and I was happy to see that. Like Gam Ki Elech and Halelu the song loses a lot of its meaning with the lyrics switch and this adaptation didn’t work seamlessly. But the closing of the song is pretty cool – CD Eichler throws in the tune from The Sound of Music (“So Long Farewell”) and it has a double meaning: first, it fits in the original song, which is a song about a man leaving on a jet plane saying goodbye to his girlfriend. Secondly, it’s the last song of this album and AKAPella is saying goodbye to its listeners. **

So at this point you are wondering if this review is “positive or otherwise” (quoted from C.D. Eichler’s thank you note), and I want to stress a very important point about this album.

I came to the conclusion that AKApella is the sefirah version of Shlock Rock or Gershon Veroba’s Variations – their idea is to take famous non-Jewish hits and transform them in Jewish Music songs. I love many Shlock Rock songs – Abarbanel and Into the Sea are classics – and Veroba’s, but they cannot be placed in the same bag with Gabay and Yossi Green’s albums, which focus in new music.

AKApella is a different concept, completely. It’s a CD for the light-hearted, who don’t care much about who composed the songs, if the songs are authentic Jewish songs, or if the computerized shticks are improper for Sefirah – it’s an album for those who can simply sit back, relax and listen to interesting music. In that sense, I’m light-hearted and I was able to enjoy this album. At the same time, I believe Six13, another acapella group, is ahead of A.K.A.Pella specifically because they are more focused in originality. That’s the reason why I didn’t give five stars to any of the songs in this album - any way you slice it originality is missing here.

AKAPella was outstanding at what they set themselves to do – adaptations - but I still think they can dare to shoot higher and try to brake new ground in Jewish Music. In terms of vocals, they have an edge over other JM groups and if they take some risks I think they will be rewarded.

Positive or otherwise then? Positive/otherwise review I guess.

Announcements

2008-05-14T05:09:00.001-07:00

I bought AKAPella's album and the review should be coming soon. I'm having a tough time reviewing this one.

Here's a very accurate article of what happened with Chazzan Hershtik, who was victim of vicious extortion by a fellow Chazzan in Israel. Unbelievable.

The Washington Jewish Musical Festival will be taking place between May 31 and June 8. Check out The Afro-Semitic Experience, seemed the coolest one.

EXCLUSIVE: Yishai Lapidot's Concert on Ben Yehuda celebrating Israel's 60th Independence Day

2008-05-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

Last night I was on Ben Yehuda to check out the Independence Day celebrations as I was told a big concert would take place there.

Well, Ben Yehuda was absolutely packed and there was barely any room to move, but I managed to get a good view of the stage. Not more than half of the public was religious, so I was thinking who would be singing to such diverse crowd - Avraham Fried, MBD, Shwekey or Lipa would surely be booed. I was thinking Eyal Golan or Gad Elbaz. Wrong, wrong. My man Yishai Lapidot stormed in the stage and the crowd was instantly carried by his energy and charisma – you can see what I’m talking about in the video above. Everyone went wild and the result was the best concert I’ve ever been to.

Separate entrance? Separate seating? Nochum Segal as the MC? No, no and no. What the Gedolim have to say about this concert, which by the way took place on Yom Hatzmaut? I have no clue. All I know is that this concert was Jewish Music at its best, with songs that inspired people from the most diverse backgrounds to come together and sing songs like Ma’aminim, Moshiach and Am Israel Chai. Who else is able to do that? No one. Yishai Lapidot is the only artist in JM today who’s able to cross the partisan lines and sing for everyone. He is the John Mccain of Jewish Music (not an official endorsement).

A few Yishai Lapidot facts:
1) Reb Shlomo once said that Lapidot is a very talented composer and arranger.
2) He is a star – “There is no 'ctrl' button on Lapidot's computer. He is always in control.”
3) He doesn’t care about what you think – Yishai does what he thinks is right. Period.

Exagerations aside, Lapidot is a great composer, a star and he really doesn't care about what people think. And specifically #3 is what I admire most in him. I just hate the idea of all singers having to be same, being afraid to Chas Veshalom stick out from what’s "accepted".

Lapidot is an exception to the rule and that’s why he has the guts to sing on Israel’s 60th birthday, even if he is the only Chassidic JM singer to do that. Well done.

Click here to read a guest post on Lapidot’s latest album.

Israel's 60th Anniversary

2008-05-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

For the first time I'm in Israel for Yom Hatzmaut and it has been a very unique experience.

Yesterday the country commemorated Yom Hazikaron, in memory of the fallen soldiers of the IDF. It's a really sad day since everyone here had friends in the army who are no longer with them. The TV and cable stations suspended all channels for the day and only documentaries of soldiers are allowed to be aired throughout the day.

Right after this sad day Israel celebrates its independence and I've linked this amazing video from the Jewish Agency because it really shows what this day is all about.

I will also post an exclusive video of Lapidot's concert of BenYehuda today.

The Jerusalem Great Synagogue

2008-05-01T04:13:00.000-07:00

I was asked to write a bit about my experience here in Israel and the Jerusalem Great Synagogue topic immediatly came to my mind. As a young kollel guy who's in Israel just for a year, I faced a common dilemma – living in a city that has a shul in every corner, what's the best place to daven in Jerusalem? Very good question. When I thought about the Jerusalem Great Synagogue I was repeatedly told that it's impossible to go there every week, "no one can stand a three hour davening every week" or "it's a concert, not a place to daven".

I grew up attending a middle-sized shul, davening alongside with 20 or so people and I therefore had very little contact with the Chazzanus world. As I wrote before, I started to like Helfgot but I still had no patience for Chazzanut per say. So going to the Great Synagogue in a regular basis was quite a change for me - it's a huge place, with a very diverse crowd and the davening is long indeed. But there's something unique there and I now get to my point.

There is a culture clash between the big shuls like the Great Synagogue and the overall shtiblachs. The big shuls were the community centers in old Europe and Chazzanus became a central part in the communal life of that generation. However as the Jewish World became more "frum", people started branch out of the big shuls, and the shtiblachs mushroomed. Big temples and Chazzanus were linked to the secular world and deemed too liberal.

Today, we want shuls that suit our personal davening style and davening speed. Two months ago I was in the Ramada to hear Rabbi Frand's speech on Tefillah and one Rosh Yeshiva introduced the topic by saying that the Shtiblachs represent how we view Tefillah – we don't want to be pressured to be on time, we want a shul that fits in our daily schedule. If I need an extra hour of sleep I just wait for the 10:30 minyan in the Shtiblach.

But coming back to the Chazzanus topic, I must say that many of the great Chazzanim were and are indeed liberal. One of the greatest Chazzanim of all time, Moshe Koussovitzky, reportedly used to drink before Neila of Yom Kippur to keep his voice sharp. The religious crowd saw a contradiction in attending services led by a non-pious Chazzan, regardless of how good he was.

I do agree with this premise. I would feel very unconfortable to know that the person leading my prayers to Hashm is not even religious. But the big shuls and Chazzanus are not limited to liberal Chazzanim - there are many great religious Chazzanim who really add a special taste to a Tefillah.

In the Jerusalem Great Synagogue, no one talks when the Chazzan sings. The Chazzan is the main player and is in charge of inspiring the Kahal to pray to Hashm. There's also a large choir led by Eli Jaffe, who's extremely talented. A few months ago I heard Yaakov Motzen's Av Harachamim in the Great Synagogue, a piece he composed for his brother who perished in the first Lebanon War. Motzen simply brings the Kahal to a different world and really teaches us what this Tefillah is all about. Motzen is fantastic and probably better than Helfgot at the present day. Chazzan Chaim Adler, a Ger Chassid from Tel Aviv, was a guest Chazzan a few times and he is also very good.

So I can now say to you that yes, it is possible to hear Chazzanus every Shabbos but more than that, it's so much better than going to your late Shtiblach minyan. You just can't compare and more and more people are realizing this in the past few years. The Great Synagogue is full every Shabbos, with Baalei Batim, Chassidim, American Bochrim who walk all the way from the Mir, Mizrachim and even large groups of curious tourists wearing paper kippas. This is what a Shul is really meant to be - a place for everyone.