Baal Haturim on Music

Not being allowed to listen to music until Tisha B'av makes us realize how much "addicted" to music we are and how much we enjoy it.

The Baal Haturim on Parshas Matot comments that the word "LeAnot" appears twice in the Tanach; once in this passage (that speaks of cases in which the wife has vowed and the husband has the power to cancel the vow) and once more in Tehilim "(Lamnatzeach) al Machalat LeAnot", where it refers to a musical instrument. This indicates that if a woman vowed not to listen to musical instruments, her husband can defer her vow, for her vow is considered to be a vow that causes personal affliction to her (The husband may only cancel vows that affect their relationship or a vow that inflicts personal affliction to his wife).

May the days of Eternal Joy come fast and we will all rejoice with Mashiach, dancing with the most beautiful music of all times.

My Deal With Joel

In the YG post thread yesterday:

Joel: "(...) Perhaps you should have a top ten list of your favorite 90's songs. It would encourage dialogue of differing opinions."

YK: "(...) I like your sugestion and I have an idea. Write a list of your all-time top ten favorites and briefly explain why you like each song. I will do the same and I'll post both lists so we can compare. Deal?"

So a deal is a deal, so here it is my list and Joel's list, in the next two posts.

I realize that they are long posts and I apologize for that, but I couldn't figure out a better way of doing this.

Feel free to disagree and criticize the selections - the intent was to expose two (totally different :) points of view.

YK's All-Time Favorite Jewish Music songs

1. Vezakeinu Lekabel Shabatot– Composer: Yossi Green. The older this song gets, the more I enjoy it. I’m not choosing this song particularly because of the arrangement or the singer; I just think this is a song that symbolizes the spirit of Shabbes. Oif Simchas released a new version of this song in their third album.

2. Hu Yigal – Singer: Dedi. Composer: Yishai Lapidot. In the mid-90’s Dedi skyrocketed in the industry and injected new life to JM. Hu Yigal is an energetic song, with a great background choir and it symbolizes the impact Dedi had in JM.

3. Hisnaari – Singer: Avrumi Flam. Composer: Yoel Kalek. This three-part song is a masterpiece composed by Yoel Kalek, the son of Yigal Kalek of the London Boys Choir. The arrangement by Lamm is simple but appropriate for this song and the Belgium-based choir, directed by Yoel, is awesome – I love their sound. This is surely Avrumie’s best song ever and he should have repeated this joint-venture with Yoel in all his albums.

4. Haleluka – Singer: Yehuda. Composer: Boruch Levine. Yehuda is a multi-talented musician who sings, produces, arranges and even composes most of his songs. His arrangements are original and refreshing and he has worked his way to become an extraordinary vocalist. This song is perfect from all sides – the song, the vocalist, the arrangement (Yehuda introduced in this song the Scottish pipe) and the choir.

5. Meheiro – Singer: Shwekey. Composer: Yitzy Waldner. Shwekey’s is not very smooth and I usually get tired of listening his songs after a while, even though they are good. But Meheiro is an exception. I think any other singer wouldn’t make this song sound as special as Shwekey did. It’s the right song for the right man.

6. Ekrah – Singer: Shalsheles. Composer: Y. Rosenthal. As you all know, I’m a big fan of Yitzhak Rosenthal’s music. I think this is his best song so far and I love to hear and sing this song. I once posted a sample of Kol Halayla’s Acapella version of this song that is simply marvelous and it convinced me this song is a classic (way better than AKAPella’s version).

7. Dido Bei – Singer: Avraham Fried. Composer: YG. The great lyrics, gathered by YG from a Gemara I believe, and the great choir complement Fried’s great vocals in this song. Another great classic composition of YG that cannot stay out of this list.

8. Ato Bonim – Singer: Yeedle. Composer: Hillel Palai. This was Palai’s debut in JM and he managed to create a new style of song – the “Ato Bonim”-type-of-songs. This song was an instant hit and most singers today include one song like that in their albums. Great lyrics and very skilled arrangement by Moshe Laufer.

9. Moshiach – Singer: MBD. Composer: Rosemblum?. No need for explanations. This song has been the symbol of JM for decades and, needless to say, it was of the biggest hit songs of the past decades. MBD sang this song again in his Kumzits album and it still sounds great.

10. Uvnei Otah. Singer: Carlebach. I couldn’t leave without including a Carlebach song. He deserves to have a separate list of all-time best songs but I have to choose one and I selected this one because it was one of his last and greatest compositions. Towards the end of his career, Reb Shlomo started to compose more intricate songs like this one, a three-part song that is not so easy to sing, unlike his other songs. Even so, everyone loves to sing this song anyways because it is a special piece and very energetic.

Disclaimer: My list is not in order of importance. It's just my top-ten favorites. I know I left many out and that not all of them are necessarily hits, but I made my selection based in the overall quality of the songs, taking to account the vocals, the song, the choir, the arrangement and my personal feeling for the song.

Joel's All Time Favorite Jewish Music songs

10. Oh Yerushalayim - Yehuda!
My favorite song from a very diverse artist. "Oh Yerushalayim your city is my destiny". Very meaningful lyrics and a very catchy tune.

9. Hinei Anochi- Tzlil V'zemer
A mid tempo beautiful classic from the choir always in MBC's shadow.

8. Hafachta- Diaspora
A great rock song from the first jewish rock band. Great guitar riffs. A true anthem about Jerusalem. Blue Fringe did a great cover, but not as good as the original.

7. Torah Hakdosha- Shloimy Daskal from the Siyum Hashas
Shloimy redid an MBD tune for the Siyum Hashas. With arguably the best voice in JM today he changed the lyrics for the event commerating the Holocaust and honoring all those who completed shas. Almost all the lyrics were changed, and it became an instant classic.

6.Sholom Aleichem- Regesh
An easy choice. This song is universal sung in most jewish homes at the friday night meal. Its a great nigun, and it has stood the test of time.

5. Torah Today- MBC
I could have chose many songs from Miami, but this is my favorite because it has a great sound and a good message.

4.Shema Yisroel- Shwekey
This combines the writing skills of Abie Rotenberg and the vocal skills of Shwekey. An unbelievable story and a heartfelt performance by Shwekey.

3.Im Eshkacheich- Shlomo Carlebach
Sung at almost every wedding its a true classic.

2. Chazak- Avraham Fried
His biggest hit! By far

1. Jerusalem Is Not For Sale- MBD
My favorite song from the king of JM, even if he steals some songs. The lyrics have their original meaning and a new meaning in 2007. Very catchy tune and very eloquent lyrics.

Obviously I left many great songs and artists out, but I had to pick my 10 favorites. I used songs from the most influential artists with a couple exceptions and didnt use one artist more than once.

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As per Joel's request, here's his top ten English songs (not including the ones from his original top ten). feel free to comment.

Joe Dimaggios Card - Journeys
On Giant Shoulders - Avraham Fried
City of Gold - Blue Fringe
Deaf Man in the Shteeble - Country Yossi
BS'D - MBC
Let my people Go -MBD
In Israel- Sam Glaser
Chazak Ameinu - Voices for Israel
Jerusalem is Calling - Diaspora
Together - Yeedle

Lev Tahor & Pink Floyd?

Two weeks ago I was talking to my cousin and I suddenly heard a familiar tune playing in his computer. It was the intro of Lev Tahor's Gut Shabbos (click here to listen), from their latest album. Well, I was wrong. A few seconds later I found out that it Pink Floyd's High Hopes song (hear it!).

Comparing the two identical intro's I actually prefer Lev Tahor's - using the lower octave sounds better in this case, I think.

On Chazzanut and Helfgot

Chazzanut has always been a mystery to me. It seemed that the only people really interested in it were our grandparents, who from time to time try to explain to the younger generation how great Koussouvitzky was, or how much they missed Yossele Rosemblatt’s voice. Personally, I couldn’t listen to that type of music for more than a minute; that was the most I could take of that awkward old-Jewish traditional music. In my mind, the Chassidic music we all know today – MBD, Yossi Green, Avraham Fried and so on – was our generations’ “official” music while Chazzanut was a faded trend. My only contact with the Chazzanut world had been going to the Great Synagogue whenever I happened to be in Israel and that was it.

Until I went to Park East Synagogue in Manhattan’s East Side. That is the current home of Yitzhak Meir Helfgot, whom I had heard once before at the Madison Square Garden Daf Yomi Siyum. As soon as he started to lead Kabbolas Shabbos, I got immersed in a new world of music. Suddenly, I was able to understand my grandparents’ great excitement about the great Chazzonim of the beautiful shuls in pre-war Europe. Helfgot started the Kabbolas Shabbos with the popular Carlebach tune “Lechu Neraneno” and displayed all his skill and great vocal range in the coming pieces. There was also a very well organized choir, orchestrated by Cantor Naftali Hershtik's son (I can't remember his name), seamlessly singing the background cords and “Amens”. In Shacharit, I saw women and children rushing to the shul just to hear the final song, the joyful Adon Olam at the end of the service and I came to the conclusion that I was witnessing the rebirth of Chazzanut. I was so impressed that I decided to learn how to enjoy Chazzanut and I purchased Helfgot’s Avot album, featuring the breathtaking Halelu and other great songs. Finally, I learned how to enjoy Chazzanut.

Helfgot is behind the revival of Chazzanut in our days. Never before, since after the WW2, has this genre been so popular and Helfgot is requested at Chuppas and weddings, for a great sum of dollars. The trend is back, and even people such as me who never had any interest in Chazzanut are starting to undrestand the beauty of it.

There is a caveat though. When I say I enjoy Chazzanut today, I mean to say that I enjoy Helfgot - I still can’t bear the old recordings of Yossele and Koussovitzky. I attribute that fact to Helfgot’s Nusach. He sings a lighter version of Chazzanut, mixing old tunes with more contemporary songs, creating a very interesting musical blend. Helfgot has sold-out performances at the Met from time to time and there are many smaller concerts of Chazzanut in a monthly basis in NY today. In the Pessach cruises, it’s not enough to have a good singer anymore; the best ones make sure to get the most popular cantors, a sign of the popularity of Chazzanut in the last years. If you like music and are ready to enjoy something different, go after Helfgot and hear his songs a few times. Don’t let yourself out of the Chazzanut Revolution of our time.

Click here to watch a YouTube video of Helfgot.

A.K.A.Pella 2

A.K.A.Pella returns to the music scene with this new blend of (recent) old songs. In his first album, they managed to come up with an interesting selection of songs and I loved “ScrabDror Fair”, because of the good choice of words for this non-Jewish song. The first album wasn’t excellent but it was interesting to hear the computerized beats and the good vocals. The public’s expectation for their second album was a more original work, less focused in the computers and more centered in the quality of the songs and harmonies.

When I looked at the list of songs in the album cover, I was surprised to see Lecha from Chevra, a few Shalsheles songs and Im Lovon from Lev Tahor – which are quite recent songs also sung by young groups. Lecha was never a great hit specifically because the song was too focused in the electronic beats and excessive harmonies. AKAPella did the exact same thing, in an Acapella setting. That alone crushed my expectations here, since the first song should be new and refreshing.

Regarding the Shalsheles songs I think no one is better at singing them than Shalsheles themselves. They created a new style of music that was very successful because of the light harmonies and the simple musical arrangements. A.K.A.Pella did the opposite – “heavy” harmonies and obstructive arrangements. Additionally, Kol Halayla released an album featuring a marvelous Acapella version of Ekrah (hear sample here), far superior than this one, last year. A.K.A.Pella apparently copied the idea.

The lack of originality is highlighted in the Album cover, copied from American Idol (I refer you to the copyright infringement discussion Aryeh had in his blog).

Computerized beats, old songs, promotional videos, catchy album jackets cannot be the “supporting beams” of a musical project. Good Music = originality and A.K.A.Pella should focus more on that next time. I think they are talented – a special mention to that guy who sang Yesimcha in the first album (I think it’s Avi Stewart), who is a great vocalist – but they have to figure out what are their core competencies i.e. what makes them special and different from everyone else in regards to music. After all, isn’t this what they keep on saying to the candidates on American Idol?