While so many aspiring singers proudly proclaim that they have music in their blood, for Mendy Jacobson, a talented young artist from Brooklyn, that statement is very likely true. Mendy’s family tree includes some very well known names in the Jewish music industry including Eli Gerstner, Srully Williger, Rivi and Eli Schwebel and composer Yitzy Waldner and with the release of his two track promotional album, Dance With It, Mendy hopes to firmly cement his place as an up and coming star in the Jewish music industry.
Mendy first began singing as a child of four, recording his performances on cassette tape and continued singing at Bar Mitzvahs, dinners and in yeshiva. After his Bar Mitzvah, Mendy focused on his learning for several years, but by the time he reached his late teens he realized that music was an integral part of his life. He began singing again, using his gifts to bring happiness to others: at simchos, boosting the spirits of the sick and forming a children’s choir that performed at the Montreal City Hall. With each performance, people have taken note of Mendy, who has appeared on the Soul II Soul stage, at a Lag B’Omer parade attended by 4,000 people and in the wildly popular Ya’alili video.
A strong believer in the power of song, Mendy’s focus is on the joy and happiness that music can bring, hoping to create music that will appeal to children, teenagers and adults alike. Mendy hopes to infuse new flavor into Jewish music, something that is fresh and today while still maintaining the beauty and integrity that defines Jewish music. Not only does Mendy breathe new life into every song he sings, he has several original compositions under his belt as well.
In advance of the release of his debut album, singer Yoely Falkowitz is releasing a free download of his new song Areivim, which is sure to take the Jewish music world by storm. Composed by Yossi Green and arranged by Shua Fried, this upbeat yet inspiring song is a timely message from Yoely reminding all of Klal Yisroel that now more than ever, we must join together b’achdus. The promo music video produced by Sparks productions features heartwarming footage of Yidden of all types, joining together in a spirited dance with Yoely as he sings this sure to be a hit song “Areivim”.
Shlock Rock’s Latest Music Video filmed at Butterflake in Teaneck, New Jersey. Kosher Cake is the title cut of the new Shlock Rock album by the same name and will be released on January 30th in honor of the 25th anniversary year of the band!
Living in an age where the sixty second sound bites rules and a world of information can be carried in the palm of your hand, we constantly look ahead to the next new obsession, making it more important than ever to stay connected to our roots in order to ensure that as time continues its exorable march forward, the legacy that is our past stays fresh in our minds. As the last living witnesses to the horrors of Hitler’s unspeakable schemes live out their golden years, the movement to deny the Holocaust gains momentum, seeking to eradicate one of the defining periods in Jewish history by revising the annals of history.
It is the continuity of the Jewish people that has defined us for centuries and it is incumbent upon all of us to become the voice of those who survived as their numbers continue to dwindle, sharing their story with future generations so that the lessons of the past will not soon be forgotten. Every Jewish child that is brought onto this earth is living testimony to the eternal nature of the Jewish people and the greatest revenge that could ever be brought against Hitler and his army of evildoers. Now more than ever, we must continue to forge the chain that binds us to our past, by sharing the survival of our ancestors during the darkest moments in history, with our youth, our brightest hope and our link to the future.
Rainbow in the Night, a short YouTube clip, is a brief but exceptionally powerful video created specifically for today’s fast paced generation. Using stunning cinematography, a haunting score, hard hitting lyrics and vocals that will touch the deepest recesses of the soul, this historical work offers a glimpse into World War II Krakow as seen through the eyes of a survivor. Beginning with footage of a 1939 oil painting of a synagogue being ravaged by the Nazis, shown at a private event in the survivor’s home, Rainbow in the Night is an exquisitely emotional journey, as the survivor recalls first the warmth of his childhood home, then the shock and disbelief as people are forced to leave their homes for the Krakow ghetto, taken to an extermination camp and after enduring unspeakable cruelty, finally liberated. Set against a backdrop of utter despair and hopelessness, the survivor relives the inexplicable power that enabled him to persevere, the rainbow in the figurative night that promised better days to come. Culminating triumphantly with our hope for the future, the faces of hundreds of modern day Jewish children, Rainbow in the Night is both a euphoric tribute to the indomitable human spirit that enabled the Jewish people to survive against all odds and also a call to arms, to rekindle the spark of Jewish pride and unity among Jews worldwide, as we continue to rebuild the generations that were destroyed by the Nazis.
Filmed in New York, Krakow and inside the Majdanek concentration camp, this first ever music video depicting the Holocaust was directed by Daniel Finkelman, with cinematography by Mauricio Arenas and produced by both Finkelman and Arenas. With a stirring title track written and composed by executive producer Cecelia Margules and sung by legendary tenor Cantor Yaakov Lemmer, Rainbow in the Night is an epic historical work that will allow the voices of survivors to be heard for generations to come.
Mendel Singer has released a music video for the title track of his CD, Kosher Symbol Blues. The CD, originally released as a 5-song EP, has been re-released as a full-length 12 song CD. The album will entertain and inspire Jews of all backgrounds and ages, with English lyrics that run the gamut from tears to laughter, introspection to observation. The production is simple and mostly acoustic. No drum tracks or synthesizers. The CD features 11 original songs, plus a helping of Carlebach.
