Category: Hebrew Music
Yisroel Amar won all of us over when as permanent fans when he dedicated his performance of Piha Puscha to his mother in last year’s Jewish Star competition, which he went on to win. It wasn’t just the beautiful voice and the way he connected with the audience, at least for me, it had a lot to do with the love and simcha that comes out when he sings.
That continues to be a theme throughout this whole album. Yisroel Amar sounds like he is smiling when he sings the upbeat songs, and when he sings the slower songs you can still see that he is bsimcha, just in a more serious way. In short, it is a high quality album with not many in the same category. By that I mean I have around 50 albums now, and not one is a child soloist. I know there have been some, but it is a rarity so I personally have nothing to compare it to. All the songs are arranged by top notch composers– either Yitzy Waldner or Baruch Levine– and every one is enjoyable. After celebrating his Bar Mitzvah recently, Yisroel Amar now has even more to celebrate since he has put out a great album at such a young age.
Let’s get to the songs.
1. Bayom Hahu (Composed by Yitzy Waldner)
Like most albums, this one starts out with a super upbeat and catchy song that will get you moving. This one is a more “typical” Jewish popular song, being that it is full of horns and big percussion with electric guitar solos mixed in here and there and has a choir to back it up. You will hear the smile in Yisroel Amar’s voice that I mentioned before. He also has a unique power to his voice without screaming or screeching as many kids can’t help but do.
2. Ten Bracha (Composed by Yitzy Waldner, lyrics by Shirel Melamed)
Right after a pumping song comes a heartfelt, slow tefilla accompanied by acoustic guitar. You will hear a a bit of an Israeli sound here that didn’t come through in Bayom Hahu, but it’s definitely not sephardi because it’s combined with “Riboino Shel Oilam”. Yisroel shows incredible maturity here in both his voice– a pretty big range for a 13 year old! – and his emotions. It’s a serious message but I feel like he is really singing to Hashem. My only complaint is that this song goes on a little too long (6:25).
3. Tefillin (Composed by Yitzy Waldner)
This is definitely my favorite song on the album and I can’t get enough of it. I wonder why it wasn’t released as one of the singles, being that it shows off such versatility…maybe the length. It starts out with a chazzanus style almost acapella, which is super adorable to hear a kid do. That’s not to mention how incredibly well he pulls it off. . Even though it’s not a style I usually like very much, he makes it really enjoyable. All of a sudden at 2:24, the tempo picks up and the horn section comes in. It turns into a more typical sounding Jewish pop song– but better than typical in my opinion. At the end of the song, it again slows down into a chazzanus style. I can imagine a really fun video to this song. It’s GREAT, and even at 7:15 I don’t get sick of it.
4.Birkat Cohanim (Composed by Yitzy Waldner)
Another slow song, this time the familiar lyrics of birkas cohanim. Although like I said before, Yisroel is not the type of kid to hit screeching high notes, he gets pretty high in this song though never in a screechy way. I love the choir–which I think is actually a few Yisroel Amars– singing together towards the end. This song has a special sweetness and innocence to it and is very pleasant to listen to. It is probably my favorite slow song on the album, although I do not think the electric guitar solos are necessary in this type of song.
5. Smile(Composed by Yitzy Waldner, lyrics by Ken Burgess and Dina Amar – is this his mother?)
This is an upbeat English song that discusses the importance of smiling and different things we all have to be happy about, like the fact that Hashem is always watching us. It is a genuine feel good song that is fun to listen to and has a relaxed feel to it despite the fast tempo. Some of the lyrics are a little cheesy (A smile is fun, a smile is free/a smile is for you and me…) but much of the song is deeper and because he is a kid it is okay for lyrics to be somewhat cheesy. Anyway it is still a really enjoyable song.
6. Toda (Composed by Yitzy Waldner, lyrics by Shmuel Yona, featuring Yishai Lapidot)
This is an Ivrit song that I cannot understand at all because I am very American. I am getting a good chunk of the words and assuming it is a message of thanks but…yeah. It sounds really pretty but I don’t know what it is talking about. Yisroel hits some amazing notes during the chorus and Yishai Lapidot is a great addition. Their voices contrast each others in a neat way. Now that I am listening to it again I’m getting more of the words, and it’s very beautiful. I just wish I could understand it all.
7. Vehu (Composed by Baruch Levine)
This song sounds like a Baruch Levine fast song, and as I said in my review of the latest Levine album, his fast songs keep getting better. There is a good deal of horns, and it’s catchy and memorable. The high part has a unique tune and stands out amongst many Jewish songs that are easy to get mixed up sometimes. Aside from Tefillin, I think this is my favorite song. Again, a lot of simcha comes through and it is hard not to smile listening to it, not to mention sing along.
8. Hilulat (Composed by Yitzy Waldner, lyrics by Rabbi Chay Amar– is this his father?)
This is an upbeat Sefardi style song that sounds like (with a different voice of course) it could have been on Libi Bamizrach when it comes to the beat and the instruments. I can imagine people dancing on the streets of Israel to this song– but unfortunately it is the shortest song on the album so they would have to put it on repeat like I just did. Not much else to say except for this is a great, fun song.
9. Mikdash (Composed by Baruch Levine)
I didn’t even recognize these lyrics being from Lecha Dodi at first because this is such a unique tune, not to mention it’s very slow, unlike most of the ways I hear Lecha Dodi. I love “diddy dai dai dais” at around 3:20. It takes the song to a place outside of a recording studio because it sounds like men sitting around a table or in shul singing. This is not my favorite slow song on the album, but its very well written and the vocals are incredible. Not sure what it is about it that I’m not crazy about, but I still would say it is a good song.
10. Gam Zu (Composed by Yitzy Waldner)
This song has lyrics that we all need to hear “Gam ki leech bgai tzalmoves/ Lo ira ra ki ata imodi / gam zu ltova”. It’s the only really techno sounding song on the album, which I was surprised about because that seems so popular now and this was the single. Although I love this song, it was a pleasant surprise because I don’t want a whole album of techno. I love it when the tempo slows down at 2:44. This is a really catchy fun driving song (or subway song…) and will leave you wanting more Yisroel Amar. You’re going to want to start the album over from #1…
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This album has all the cuteness and fun of a kids’ choir but is elevated above what someone would expect from most kids in maturity. I look forward to following Yisroel Amar’s music career. He is off to a great start!
Do a good deed and get a free song!
http://www.mostlymusic.com/dancing-in-the-dark.html
Music video for the song Shir Hamalos from Yisroel Justkowitz’s debut album.
Six13 is celebrating Shabbat with the debut of their fun new music video, “Good Shabbos”. We figured the world had enough Purim, Passover and Chanukah tunes and videos — so why not one for the most important day of all?
We’ve borrowed some infectious grooves you’re sure to recognize for our Shabbat anthem, and we hope it adds to your Shabbat excitement. Please enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom!
Share the joy! Send the link to friends and family! http://jewi.sh/six13gs
Post it to Facebook! http://jewi.sh/six13gsf
Tweet it far and wide! http://jewi.sh/six13crt
I always get excited to see a new Jewish music project coming out of the punk community and was doubly thrilled to see it coming from the Midwest, far from the Jewish music mecca that is NYC. In particular, it’s great seeing a Jewish punk / industrial projecting coming from Chicago, home of Wax Trax! Records, one the seminal industrial music labels.
The project Hadar, by musician Naamah Bat-Sarah, is a “Jewish Zionist themed avant-garde musical project” that combines “Ambient, Neoclassical, Experimental/Post-Industrial, Neofolk, and Acoustic/Electronic styles.” Hadar’s free-for-download album “Khanike” alternates between drones and drums, militant dissonance and open dreamscapes. As Bat-Sarah notes below, Khanike expresses the”real moods and emotions in the ancient Khanike story, on what it must have been like for the Jews at the time of the Maccabean Revolts and re-dedication of the Temple (albeit with modernized soundscapes).” There is a deep brooding and feeling of loneliness to the music. There is also a slow developing sense of foreboding, but the slow development and the limited set of tones becomes burdensome by the seventh track / seventh day. While the eight track / eight day is sufficiently varied from the previous tracks, and in many ways more engaging that the previous days, it doesn’t feel like the resolution I was looking for. I would have loved to hear Hadar push further in exploring the emotional and sonic landscape.
Be that as it may, Khanike is a solid piece, and one that’s gone into heavy rotation lately. I’m looking forward to listening Hadar’s new full album Mishmaat, which is available through Amazon. There’s also an earlier Hadar single, “Terrorist Hunters Local 36″ available through iTunes. THL36, which I have cranked right now, is a true Wax Trax! style industrial noise fest. Awesome.
To provide some contrast, here’s Hadar’s remix of the Na Nach techno classic “Rebbe Nachman.” Chopped & Screwed indeed. Bring it on.
I had a chance to do a ‘email interview’ with Naamah Bat-Sarah about Hadar. First, to sent some context here’s Bat-Sarah’s artistic statement about Hadar.
“Hadar literally means “To Honor” or “Glory/Splendor” in Hebrew. The concept of Hadar — pride in and knowledge of Jewish tradition, faith, culture, land, history, strength, pain and peoplehood. Hadar is the need to have pride in Judaism and not allow it to be disgraced and defiled by beating and desecration of Jewish honor. This is the concept that the great Jewish leader Zev Jabotinsky attempted to instill in the oppressed and degraded masses of Eastern Europe 70 years ago. The anti-Semite’s hatred and contempt of the Jew is an attempt to degrade us. It is an attempt to instill within the Jew a feeling of inferiority. It is an attempt that, all too often, succeeds in promoting Jewish self-hatred and shame in an attempt to escape one’s Jewishness. Hadar is pride. Hadar is self-respect. Hadar is dignity in being a Jew.”
Teruah: According to your self-description, you think of yourself as “a Jewish Zionist themed avant-garde musical project” and you name-check Zev Jabotinsky as an influence. I am familiar with music across the Jewish spectrum, but I don’t run into that set of influences very often. Daniel Kahn’s music, “Six Million Germans” in particular, mines similar territory of strong Jewish action, but as a Yiddish social-anarchist he’s the opposite of a Jabotinsky Zionist. I was hoping you could tell me more about this. How did you come to this particular set of influences and where do you see it taking you as a musician? Do you see yourself as having clear peers in the Jewish music community or are you out on your own?
Bat-Sarah: As for how I came to the set of influences, you’re basically asking me to describe my entire life experience, because that what has shaped my musical as well as political worldview, but I will try to shorten my answer considerably. I have been playing music since I was a child and most of my musical background is in underground Punk Rock & Post-punk genres such as Industrial & Noise, with a heavy influence from reggae, esp. Skinhead Reggae, 70s-80s Dub & Dancehall. My “militant” attitude probably comes in part from my background as a Skinhead (the non-racist kind, obviously). We tend not to shy away from conflict.
Socially, I was raised completely secular with a non-observant Reform Jewish mother and an Agnostic African-American father. I identified as a Jew throughout my childhood, and often dealt with Antisemitism in public school, but I had absolutely no knowledge of Halakha. I have always been pro-Israel since childhood as well, and in my adult life, my outspoken Zionist viewpoint ended me up in contact with more traditional Jews, which inspired me to study my Judaism deeper. I didn’t start being more Jewishly observant (keeping Shabbat, kashrut, etc.) until I was an adult, around age 26. I will be 31 soon.
Politically, I lean to the right, falling into what one might call “Neolibertarian” for American politics and, in regards to Israel, what might be labeled as either “Neo-Zionist” or “Revisionist Zionist”. I have been in many physical altercations over “The Jews and Israel, so I guess that makes my outlook fit the definition of “militant”. I have been seriously researching Jewish history & esp. it’s relationship to modern Zionism since sometime after high-school, reading the Torah & Jewish history books along with works by Jewish thinkers/leaders such as Jabotinsky, Herzl, Stern, Kahane and others. I’m not saying I agree with every single opinion/suggestion expressed by said leaders, but overall, I strongly support their message.
Concerning where it takes me as a musician, from the “success” perspective, I’m not making any money and I am certain that expressing this unpopular viewpoint will never make me into a big-time rich rock star, but I sometimes one needs to do what they feel is right as opposed to what is popular. I look at it like this: If I stay broke, I stay broke, but at least I didn’t compromise my ethics, and every mitzvah I do creates a thread of light in the Olam Haba (the world to come).
Sonically, I do believe it takes me in more interesting musical directions, however.
In regards to peers, I would not say anyone else is even remotely doing what I’m trying to do sonically, but conceptually, I think there are other avant-garde and underground Jewish artists such as Barzel (NY Zionist noise project who will be on a split/collaborative CD with Hadar in the near future), John Zorn, Black Shabbis, Moshiach Oi!, etc. who are taking modern Jewish music in several powerful directions.
Teruah: It’s interesting that the album you put up on ReverbNation is titled Khanike, the Yiddish term for Chanukkah and your songs are titled after the nights of Khanike. It’s pretty easy to understand why someone who is influenced by a strong Jewish self-defense leader like Jabotinsky would find Khanike an important moment in Jewish history and on the Jewish calendar, but listening to the tracks I’m not sure I hear the connection you’re making. I get a variety of textures from a strident militarism to an open dreaminess but none of the usual musical textures I associate with Khanike music. There was no feeling of celebration or devotion. What were you going for?
Bat-Sarah: The feeling being expressed in “Khanike” the album is not focused on modern celebration of the holiday, but on the real moods and emotions in the ancient Khanike story, on what it must have been like for the Jews at the time of the Maccabean Revolts and re-dedication of the Temple (albeit with modernized soundscapes). Keep in mind, that the miracle of the oil that took place in the Beit HaMikdash was only understood after the fact. Now we know how long the oil was to last, but at the time, all those Jews had was faith in the idea that our Temple would be able to be cleansed and our rituals could begin there once again. The Jews back then would not have been having a festive dinner party like we do today for Khanike (not to say anything against festive dinner parties!)
The sound & atmosphere is meant to invoke a thoughtful “night-time” feeling, with a mixture of militancy, hope and pensiveness….Kindling the lights of dedication while surrounded by darkness, hatred and uncertainty.
Teruah: I’m very interested in the varying niche’s that self-identified Jewish musicians establish for themselves. I get from your FaceBook and ReverbNation pages that you’re Chicago based and have played, or are about to play, some concerts locally. How as your reception been so far? What parts of the Jewish community have expressed interest in this project? I sometimes help find artists for Jewish organizations in Michigan so this is practical question as well as one of general interest. At what kind of venues are you looking to play?
Bat-Sarah: Thus far I have only done one private house show as Hadar, but in a week or so (march 18, 2012) I will be performing for “Jewish Chicago’s Got Talent” which is a program that helps decide performers for the Greater Chicagoland Jewish Festival. I have no idea who the judges are or how they will react to my weird music, seeing as the other acts on the bill appear to be either traditional Klezmer or Klezmer-pop. I have gotten a few donations from nice people at my synagogue to help buy votes (it is Chicago, after all), and a couple pals online helping to promote it. Hopefully I can get onto the Festival(!).
So far, primarily what some people might call politically (if not so much religiously) “right-wing” Jews have expressed interest, but I did get a very positive review in Culture Is Not Your Friend!, an Israeli webzine, which seems to lean left a bit.
Interestingly enough, even though I am a Masorti/Conservative-affiliated woman who is heavily tattooed and do not live anywhere near an Eruv, I get a good amount of more conservative Modern Orthodox as well as Lubavitcher fans, which could partially stem from Chabad-affiliated Rabbi Nachum Shifren appearing on the Hadar track “The Essential War”. Extremely frum / Haredi people of course are not likely to be a big “market” due to it being largely electronic music which sometimes features a woman singing. Thus far, I have had hardly any Reform support, but this show coming up is at a Reform temple (Temple Beth Israel in Skokie), so maybe that will change? I am looking, naturally, to play Jewish venues such as JCCs & synagogues, but I will accept any type of traditional “music venues” so long as they do not have strippers, pornography, “Palestinian” flags on the walls, pork grilling next to the stage or some similar assur gross-out factor.
I’d love to be able to afford to go to Israel, not only to play, of course, but to experience The Land. I have several friends in Israel, mainly skinheads & people in punk / underground bands, who I’d like to meet in person too.
Teruah: It’s not clear from the FB and RN pages, but what kind of performances are you putting on? Do you have a full band? Or is this more of an individual musician show? RN listed a few live videos, but they’d been taken down from YouTube. Are they still available?
Bat-Sarah: A Hadar performance typically will consist of me singing & playing electric (sometimes acoustic) guitar on top of my programmed music. The 2 live videos are no longer online at this time, but I may post more soon if I get good footage from the March 18 show.
I am trying to get a video or DVD projector to project video loops that I make onto venue walls, as I did years ago in my secular ambient/martial music, but those things are so expensive nowadays!
Teruah: Now that Khanike’s out, what’s next for Hadar?
Bat-Sarah: Well, the album full-length “Mishmaat” is available at Amazon on CD & Mp3: http://amzn.to/mishmaatcd
I have other music already recorded for my next album “Roots & Branches”, some of which can be heard on the Hadar Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/
I hope to get more live events this summer both with Hadar and my (secular) street rock band Bleach Battalion. I have also been throwing around ideas with a local NCSY kid who is interested in starting a Religious Zionist hardcore punk band…this is still in idea stage though. In the meantime, I daven, record music, try to sell it and try to do kiruv when I can. Purim is coming up as well as the Jewish Festival event, and then..Pesach, Lag B’omer, Shavuot, and so on….
Here are few more Jewish music related bands going the IndioGoGo and Kickstarter advance sales route. Check ‘em out
Mikey Pauker
My buddy, Mikey is in Israel studying and making music. He’s been invited to play mainstage at the Jacob’s Ladder Festival, a 5,000+ attendance folk, bluegrass and world music festival in Israel. This is a really big deal. But doing this messes up his booked flights. So he’s asking for help and selling his CDs to raise funds to get him home. Here’s the IndiGoGo link. Here’s Mikey’s website and facebook page.
Help Mikey Pauker play Jacob’s Ladder Festival (and get home again!)
Wisaal
Next up is Wisaal, from Michigan. According to their bio, “Wisaal – An Arabic word meaning links, connections, or unities – reflects our attempt to fuse elements of the Arabic musical heritage with Klezmer, Indian and American influences while resection the spirit of these traditions.” Wisaal is raising funds / doing advance sales for their debut album. Here’s their kickstarter page, facebook page and website.
Max Chaiken
Last up is the Max Chaiken Band, from Boston. According to his bio, “For nearly 10 years, Max has been song leading and writing original, contemporary Jewish music. He served as the Head Song Leader at the URJ Camp Harlam from 2004 through 2009, and currently serves as the Head Song Leader at the URJ Kutz Camp.” Their raising funds / doing advance sales for their debut album “All That Breathes” Here’s their kickstarter page, their facebook page, and their website.
Honestly, Max’s Kickstarter video is boring (boring = no music). So here’s Max doing a lovely job putting Psalm 150 to the chords of Leonard Cohen’s classic Halleluyah. I just heard the high school choir at Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor sing this recently.
Psalm 150 to Leonard Cohen’s Halleluyah
Chag Sameach Purim everyone!
Here’s a great Purim Schpiel from two of my favorite guys, Sam Zerin and Jonah Rank.
Purim at Hogwarts (Yiddish song with English subtitles)
Jonah Rank is rabbinic student and musician Jonah Rank. Sam Zerin is a musician and grand poopbah of the Joseph Achron Society. In case you missed it, Sam put out slightly discombobulated but hysterical “Rejected JTS Theme Song” last Purim. “We don’t take no crap from YU..JTS!”
After a period of silence in which Yehuda Glantz composed and arranged, it’s time to hear new songs of his new release ”Chai Vekayam”
Songs in Hebrew and Spanish, as he knows and is known for many years.
Making music is an art, it’s not an hocus pocus, and when you’re a perfectionist like Yehuda, things are cooked slowly with a lot of thought and investment … countless nights of hard work are invested in this album….Yehuda Glantz is the pioneer in incorporating the charango, the Bolivian native instrument, to the jewish culture and fuses his music with melodies and autochthonous instruments. Yehuda adopted the charango to express the psalms of King David and the prayers of the people of Israel to integrate music and South American rhythms with his own compositions.
The album:Chai VeKayam is a compilation of 14 tracks of new beautiful songs. This album is a fusion of Latin-pop, klezmer and world music.The flamenco style song about Jerusalem, “Jerusalem My Life”, is in English and Spanish.
“Yesh Li” is a light Jewish cumbia with a beautiful message of hope; a song that we produced in Spanish also for the Spanish market. “Shabat Shalom” is a happy song for Kabalat Shabbat. “Samachti”, “Lev Tahor” and “Gam Kielech” are all quiet songs with lyrics from psalms. “Pat Bamelach”, a salsa based on the famous Mishna and Yehudas original lyrics. “Azamra” was done with the participation of Yehudas son, Moshe, on the vocals. The instrumental songs on this album are “Yocheved” which was written with the inspiration of Yehudas daughter and “Jazz Metaktak”, a master piece of Klezmer-Latino-jazz compositions. The grand finale of the record is the famous song “Besame Mucho” in Hebrew with a Latin twist arrangement, and the happy “Chai Vekayam” a trance-organic song to bring joy and happiness to everyone in the world, wherever they are.
Distributed in the United States by Aderet Music, and available for download, at MostlyMusic.com here.