Music

Average customer rating:

"Beautiful"? More like "funereal". Very dark and depressing.
BEAUTIFUL!!
Encore! Encore!
Superb!
A superb collection

Jewish Cello Masterpieces

Manufacturer: Leggiero Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Kol Nidre Variations
Dvorák: Cello Concerto; Bruch: Dol Nidrei; Bloch: Schelomo
Legendary Cantors
Sacred Chants of the Contemporary Synagogue
Cantors: A Faith in Song

ASIN: B00006NSWV
Release Date: 2002-09-20

Tracks:

Ernest Bloch: "Nigun" (from Baal Shem)
Ernest Bloch: "Schelomo"
Max Bruch: "Kol Nidre"
Ernest Bloch: "Prayer" (from Jewish Life)
Ernest Bloch: "Meditation Hebraique"
Maurice Ravel: "Kaddisch"
Zavel Zilberts: "Reb Dovid'l"
Zavel Zilberts: "V'shom'ru"
Zavel Zilberts: "Haneros Halolu"
Jacob Wasilkovsky: "Al Tiro"
Zavel Zilberts: "Havdolo"
David Meyerowitz: "Gelt" (Wie Shlecht es is Ohn Gelt)

Album Description

A beautiful collection of great Jewish Music. Classics by Ernest Bloch and Max Bruch, mixed with rarely heard gems by Maurice Ravel, Zavel Zilberts, Jacob Wasilkovsky, and David Meyerowitz. "Wie Shlecht es is Ohn Gelt", a Yiddish Theatre gem, is alone worth the price of admission for its mixture of pathos and humor. The songs by Zilberts are an important and beautiful part of the Jewish music legacy that must be heard.

Customer Reviews:

"Beautiful"? More like "funereal". Very dark and depressing........2007-07-12

"Beautiful"? I did not find anything about this music "beautiful". Most of it is very dark and depressing. A few of the songs sound like something you would hear in a horror movie. Now I know why they do not provide samples to listen to. The only two songs I found pleasant to listen to were "Zilberts: Reb Dovid'l" and "Meyerowitz: Gelt (Wie Shlecht es is Ohn Gelt)". I am very disappointed. Admittedly, I purchased this CD without really knowing what to expect. I just trusted the previous reviews. Try to find samples to listen to before you purchase this CD to see if you like this kind of music.

BEAUTIFUL!!.......2006-01-07

I love this CD and have bought several for friends. Music is so very beautiful. Toda raba!!!!

Encore! Encore!.......2004-01-13

Perhaps no other instrument captures the sad-sweet contemplative mood of classical Jewish music like a cello. Is this because so many Jewish composers have written for the cello, that we think of it as a "Jewish" instrument? Or did they choose the cello because it sings so beautifully of the Jewish soul? Like the chicken and the egg, this question may never be answered -- but it doesn't really matter. This superb music is an important part of our Jewish legacy in its own right.

On this CD, cellist Richard Locker, accompanied by Susan Walters on piano, brings together 12 classical Jewish pieces, some well-known and others not so, in an absolutely magnificent performance -- so beautiful, that it literally brought tears to my eyes. The CD starts out with a niggun (Hasidic tune) by Ernest Bloch, then moves into to the dark, somber strains of Max Bruch's "Kol Nidre." From there it rises in mood, to end with a playful Yiddish theater piece, "Wie schecht is ohne Gelt" (How awful it is to be without money!) Included is the rarely heard "Meditation Hebraique" by Bloch, which he dedicated to Pable Casals, and a trio of pieces by the lesser-known composer, Zavel Zilberts (1881-1949), who directed the Choral Society of New York and played with the Metropolitan Opera. All of this is performed on a cello made by Nicolo Gagliano, dated 1780. To hear such a fine old instrument played by a talented, sensitive musician is truly a mechayah! (pleasure)

Superb!.......2003-12-05

I recently received this CD as a gift and was simply overwhelmed by how beautiful it is. The music, the playing, and the recording are all stunning. The interpretations of the well known works are magnificent and the pieces by Zilberts and Meyerowitz are a revelation. I cannot recommend this recording highly enough.

A superb collection.......2002-11-17

Jewish Cello Masterpieces is magnificent! This is a soulful performance by a true cello master. I look forward to more work from Richard Locker!

From Avenue A to Great White Way 1914-1950

Average customer rating:

What a collection!
Very Rare Recordings
From Avenue A
Gevald! Di Bananas and das pernicious influence

From Avenue A to Great White Way 1914-1950
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Music From The Yiddish Radio Project
Jewface
The Barry Sisters - Their Greatest Yiddish Hits
Yiddish-American Klezmer Music 1925-1956
Yiddish Radio Project (Original Radio Broadcast)

ASIN: B00006640B
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Tracks:

Voyl Iz Der Mammen (Mother Is Good) - Alxeander Olshanetsky & His Orchestra
In Shtedtele Nikolayev (In The Town Of Nikolayev) - David Medoff
Ihr Megt Gleybn Oder Neyn (You Can Believe It Or Not) - Molly Picon
V'Hakohanim (The High Priest) - Yoselle Rosenblatt
Huliet, Huliet Kinderlach (Play, Play Little Children) - Abe Moskowitz
Whoopee - Peisachke Burstein
Inzer Rebin's Vunder (Our Rabbi's Wonder) - Dora Bowshower
A Brief Finem Chosid Tsum Rebin (A Letter from a Hasid to His Rabbi) - Master Seymour Rechtzeit
Sha, Sha Der Rebi Geht (Shh, Shh, The Rabbi's Coming) - Morris Goldstein
Vu Zenen Meine Zieben Gute Yohr? (Where Are My Seven Good Years?) - Nellie Casman
Gevald! Die Bananas (Help! The Bananas!) - David Medoff
Hot Dogs - Molly Picon
Dos Yiddel Fun Der South (The Jew from the South) - Irving Grossman
Dem Pastuchel's Chulem (The Shepherd's Dream) - Abe Schwartz
Gevalt! Di Nerven (Help! My Nerves) - Jacob Zanger
Mayer! - Annie Lubin
Mit 40 Yohr Tzurick (40 Years Ago) - Menashe Skulnik
Yes Sir, Zi Iz May Kale (Yes Sir, She Is My Bride) - Peisachke Burstein
Vie Iz Dos Gessele (Where Is the Little Street) - Abe Moskowitz
Vos Gevehn Iz Nishtu (What Was Is No More) - Nellie Casman
Beigelach (Rolls) - Peisechke Burstein
Who'll Buy My Bublitchki? - Emery Deutsch
Zaynin Mir Chasidimlach (We Are Hasidim) - Jewish Art Quartet
Bei Mir Bist Du Schon (To Me You Are So Beautiful) - Belle Baker
Roumania, Roumania - Aaron Lebedeff

Tracks:

What Am I Gonna Do? - Irving Berlin
I Don't Know Whether to Do It or Not - Fanny Brice
Palesteena - Eddie Cantor
Rose of the Volga - Sophie Tucker
Tomorrow Is Another Day - Al Jolson
Horray for Baby and Me - Al Jolson
That's Yiddisha Jazz - Julian Rose
The Sheik of Avenue B - Frank Crumit
When Nathan Was Married to Rose of Washington Square - Willie Howard
Since Henry Ford Apologized to Me - Jones, Billy & Earnest Hare
Yiddisha Charleston - Nathan Glantz
Yosel - Nellie Casman
Joseph, Joseph - Russ Morgan
Der Shtiller Gulgar (The Quiet Bulgar) - Jewish Orchestra
And the Angels Sing - Mildred Bailey
Dem Nayer Sher (The New Sher) - Seymour Rechzeit
The Wedding Samba - Xavier Cugat
The Super-Special Picture of the Year - The Yacht Club Boys
Mischa-Yascha-Toscha-Sascha - The Funnyboners
Egytipan Ella - Ted Lewis
Matzoh Balls - Slim Gaillard
Utt-Da-Zay (That's the Way) - Cab Calloway
A Bee Gezindt (As Long as You're Healthy) - Mildred Bailey
My Little Cousin - Benny Goodman
Jungle Madness - Gene Krupa

Amazon.com

From Avenue A to the Great White Way is a two-CD set that collects 50 songs tracing the early recorded history of Jewish music in New York and the subsequent influence that music had on American popular song. Henry Sapoznik, the producer of The Yiddish Radio Project series that appeared on PBS, compiled the tracks. He's unearthed some fascinating items, including rare recordings from early stars of the Yiddish theater such as Molly Picon, a klezmer piece by Abe Schwartz, and a beautifully operatic performance from the cantor Yossele Rosenblatt. Among his most interesting finds are the previously unreleased track from 1914 of Irving Berlin singing his song "What Am I Gonna Do?" and a vocal group from 1933 known as the Funnyboners singing the obscure Gershwin tune "Mischa-Yascha-Toscha-Sascha." Sapoznik's excellent liner notes do a fine job of connecting the dots between such seemingly disparate songs as the 1928 Yiddish song "Inzer Rebin's Vunder (Our Rabbi's Wonder)" and Cab Calloway's 1939 swing tune "Utt-Da-Zay (That's the Way)." While it would have been nice to have translation of the Yiddish lyrics, that is just a minor quibble with what is a otherwise intriguing survey of long overlooked part of American musical history. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

What a collection!.......2007-05-07

This is a delightful collection of performances showing the development and influence of Jewish music in America. Great price. Great performances. Lots of fun.

Very Rare Recordings.......2005-08-29

I Loved This CD//However I Was Hoping That The very Rare
Version Of Rumania Rumania By Aaron Lebedeff Over 7 Minutes Long Was On This CD.This Version Is The Short One/I Have On An Old LP/So I'm Still Looking

Stanley Cooper
Jupiter, Florida

From Avenue A.......2003-03-31

If not for this album, one might never have known that Fannie Brice was sent to the lower east side of New York so she could sound more stereotypically Jewish, or that Jewish vaudeville performers found success in "best Hebe contests" and songs like "Cohen Owes Me Ninety-Seven Dollars." This is the world of From Avenue A to the Great White Way: Yiddish and American Popular Songs from 1914-1950. The double CD set has extensive liner notes and photos acting almost like an historical document into a world that, for better or worse, many younger Jewish people inherited but never knew existed.

If you remember Molly Goldberg calling "yoo-hoo" on the old radio show The Goldbergs then you'll probably remember Eddie Cantor singing about Leena from Palestina. That's just one of the oldies featured, many of which sound like and come from the same era as You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile from the musical Annie.

The double CD set begins with the old style Yiddish theater songs from people like Molly Picon and David Medoff. It continues chronologically hitting upon the vaudeville era and into the jazz age.

Many tunes seem self-depreciating like Since Henry Ford Apologized to Me and When Nathan Was Married to Rose of Washington Square. Other tracks are by non-Jewish performers who jumped on the bandwagon like Cab Calloway of Minnie the Moocher fame and Slim Galliard with a song called Matzo Balls. The album ends with Jewish jazz performers such as Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa.

Although well known performers such Al Jolson and Irving Berlin are here, most of the tracks have been completely forgotten or lost making this a collection of things one has either never heard before or only heard on the radio when they first came out. The sound quality of the songs is very good for their age, having been re-mastered from the original 78 rpm records.

For some this will bring back some great memories, and those that can't understand shouldn't criticize. Others will be disgusted at the depiction of Jewish people in such a manner. Perhaps this was "what made Sammy run" to assimilate into the great White way of America. It's a real shame because there are some real gems on hear that were performed with the purest of intentions.

Gevald! Di Bananas and das pernicious influence.......2002-09-09

Darn that pernicious Jewish influence in American music. (hehe) If there was a Grammy for this category, Henry Sapoznik and his posse would receive it without question. The CD's are made to look like an old Columbia 78 RPM. The 14 page liner notes are very good; they include photos of the most famous singers, and a picture of "vaudeville" in Yiddish characters and a line outside The Grand Theater's "King Lear." They exclude the lyrics, however. After listening to the first CD three times, I was ready to move on to the second CD. Is this Himmel? You bet! Let's not forget that the Yiddish Theater of Manhattan's Second Avenue had Shakespeare and musicals while Broadway was in the dark ages of entertainment, awaiting O'Neill. Sapoznik has compiled 50 pieces from newly found vaulted stampers, including: a very sexy English and French piece by Al Jolson (Hooray Baby and Me); Julien Rose's Chicken story; a previously unissued version of "Mischa Yascha Toscha Sascha" (1933) by the Funnyboners (Gershwins and others) with apologies to Jack Benny; "Roumania Roumania" by Aaron Lebedeff (1941); "Bei Mir Bis Du Schon" by Belie Baker (1937); and "What Am I Gonna Do?" (1914) by Irving Berlin (never released before). Yoselle Rosenblatt is the soloist in "V'Hakohanim" (1916); and Molly Picon sings "Ihr Megt Gleybn Oder Neyn" in a previously unissued performance from 1933. "Yes, Sir, Zi Iz May Kale (Yes Sire She's My Bride/Baby)" is sung by Peisachke Burstein (1925). Eddie Cantor sings "Palesteena" (1920), and one wonders if there are some hidden meanings in the words. Abe Schwartz appears with his 1918 "Der Shtiller Bulgar," a current standard of every klezmer group. "Yosel," a Yiddish standard, is performed by Nellie Casman in Yiddish (1923). The same song is reprised in 1938 in "Joseph, Joseph" by Trombonist Russ Morgan and Orchestra, sung in English by Carolyn Clarke. Amazing! "Since Henry Ford Apologized To Me" by the Happiness Boys (1927) is an amazing find; the satirical song reacts to Ford and his Dearborn Press' virulent anti-Semitism. The "Yiddisha Charleston" also includes a jab at Henry Ford. Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra (in pre-Charo 1950) perform "The Wedding Samba" so well with Abbe Lane that you might as well be in Miami Beach while listening to it. Both Benny Goodman and his break-away drummer, Gene Krupa, appear in the final two cuts. But by far, my favorite cut, worth the purchase, hands down is "Whoopee" by Peisachke Burstein. Impossible to get out of one's head after one listen.

Sacred Chants of the Contemporary Synagogue

Average customer rating:

Not at all what I expected
Marvelous
A Brilliant Cantorial Performance
Jewish songs and prayers beautifully sung!
Good but is this Jewish?

Sacred Chants of the Contemporary Synagogue
Cantor Rebecca Garfein , Morris Barash , Charles Gounod , Max Helfman , Max Janowski , Rachelle Nelson , Maurice Ravel , Stephen Richards , Ben Steinberg , Kurt Weill , Jacob Weinberg , and Lazar Weiner
Manufacturer: Bari Productions
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cantors: A Faith in Song
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Thank God It's Friday!: The Music of Shabbat
Legendary Cantors

ASIN: B0000488V6
Release Date: 1998-01-01

Tracks:

Ma Tovu
Ahavat Olam
Hashkiveynu
R'tzey
Shalom Rav
Grant Us Peace
Kiddush
L'dor Vador
Yosl Klezmer
A Nign
Avinu Malkeynu
Kaddisch
Ana Dodi
Entreat Me Not to Leave Thee
Cantor Garfein's Greeting to the Audience
Shehecheyanu
Yismechu

Album Description

Berliners say New York's Rebecca Garfein is causing a revival of Reform Judaism in Germany; this mezzo-soprano is making history with her music, recorded in the country where her great -grandmother perished in the Holocaust. In 1997, she became the first female cantor to sing in a synagogue in Germany; where she performed as part of Berlin's International Jewish Cultural Festival; and this exquisite 1998 release captures that ground - (and stained-glass ceiling) - breaking moment. It contains Jewish songs and prayers in Hebrew and Yiddish, selections from the Book of Ruth and Song of Songs - liturgical music previously only chanted my male clergy - operatic in character, performed in what was once the women's gallery in the Oranienburger Strasse Synagogue before its destruction. This live performance was attended by Jews and non-Jews, women and men, together, shattering the historical separation of faiths and genders. Beautiful, significant, and highly recommended!

Customer Reviews:

Not at all what I expected.......2006-01-21

Hmm... Ok, maybe it was not the best reason to want to buy this CD, but I heard one of the songs on it, Hashkiveynu, performed (partially) during an episode of the West Wing, and it sounded AMAZING (it was NOT the same cantor as on this CD). I am not Jewish and not even very spiritual, but I wanted to have that song in my collection.
I immediately searched the web for the info, got the name of the chant and found this CD. I almost purchased it without listening, when I found a different site, where they actually have rather long excerpts (2 min.) of most tracks, so I listened to them.
Boy, was I relieved and disappointed at once! Relieved that I didn't buy the CD and disappointed that I couldn't get the song I wanted (I was willing to buy a whole CD for just 1 song, that's how much it impressed me).
The song sounds very little like the one from the West Wing, although I do believe that the site where I found the info speficially pointed to this CD as having a recording of the same song used in the show. And I'm sorry to say it but the voice also doesn't hold a candle to the one used on the show - way too "operatic", as mentioned by many, and harsh and even unpleasant-sounding to me. It took all the charm and candor right out of the song (in the show, they had a much more natural voice do the song). I also agree that the choir does not mesh well with the soloist.
If anyone knows where and if I can purchase a recording of this song done by a different singer (if it can be the one from the West Wing, I'll be thrilled), please, let me know. In the meantime, I'm passing on this CD...

Marvelous.......2006-01-11

What a voice...!

A Brilliant Cantorial Performance.......2004-01-27

Cantor Rebecca Garfein has a magnificent voice which expresses the oft-overlooked nuances in the music she has chosen for this recording. Able to perform equally well in the metzo soprano and soprano ranges, the cantor delights the listener with thrilling high notes and sultry lower registers.

Organist-Choirmaster Arnold Ostlund, Jr. skillfully chooses registrations which enhance both the cantorial performance and the superb choral blend.

Jewish songs and prayers beautifully sung!.......2004-01-18

Cantor Rebecca Garfein's Sacred Chants is a memorial tribute to the cultural and spiritual greatness of the pre-war German Jewish synagogue. Some of the numbers were composed by Jews on Jewish themes -- for example, Mah Tovu by Cantor Meir Finklestein or Ahavat Olam by Cantor Morris Barash. Other numbers were composed by non-Jews, but they express traditional Jewish values. Throughout, Cantor Garfein sings with love and passion in the spirit of her tradition. Additionally, the beautiful organ music is wonderful to hear for those of us who have enjoyed hearing organ music as part of our Reform Jewish liturgy.

Good but is this Jewish?.......2004-01-07

I have to admit, it am in the process of converting and wanted a contemporary collection of Jewish music in the house. I was especially excited because it featured a female cantor. Unfortunately, I played this CD and it...reminded me of church not synagogue! Lovely for what it is though, with the opera voice, choir and organ music. Not quite what I expected.

Ellstein: Great Songs of the Yiddish Stage 1 [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]

Average customer rating:

Great collection, nice orchestrations
A Great New Addition to the Milken Archive!

Ellstein: Great Songs of the Yiddish Stage 1 [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]

Manufacturer: Milken Archive
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Lazar Weiner: The Art of Yiddish Song

ASIN: B0000C508K
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Tracks:

Der Nayer Sher - Simon Spiro
Oygn - Elizabeth Shammash
Ikh Vil Es Hern Nokh Amol - Simon Spiro
Ikh Zing - Robert Bloch
Abi Gezunt - Amy Goldstein
Zog Es Mir Nokh Amol - Bruce Adler
Di Grine Kuzine - Joanne Borts
Vos Geven Iz Geven Un Nito - Simon Spiro
Oy Mame, Bin Ikh Farlibt - Elizabeth Shammash
Zog, Zog, Zog Es Mir - Nell Snaidas
Der Dishvasher - Robert Abelson
Du Shaynst Vi Di Zun - Nell Snaidas
Vos Iz Gevorn Fun Mayn Shtetele? - Benzion Miller
Mazl - Elizabeth Shammash
Ikh Bin A 'Boarder' Bay Mayn Vayb (Doctor) - Bruce Adler
Der Alter Tzigayner - Simon Spiro

Album Description

The American Yiddish musical theater, a vibrant expression of the immigrant experience, became famous during its heyday in the 1920s-1940s. Combining the musical flavors of Viennese operetta, Tin Pan Alley, and eastern European nostalgia, these songs and duets are quintessential American popular music—with a Yiddish voice. Volume 1 spotlights the hit songs of Abe Ellstein, one of the genre's premier songwriters. New, historically accurate orchestrations re-create the unforgettable glory days of Yiddish radio and film, the uproarious vaudeville houses, and the thrill of a night at the theater on old New York's fabled "Second Avenue."

Customer Reviews:

Great collection, nice orchestrations.......2005-01-19

Great collection of yiddish musical theatre favorites. Unfortunately the singers were told to sing the songs in a supposedly "authentic" galician accent which in certain instances is completely incomprehensible to any yiddish speaker.The singers are quite good and the orchestrations are lush and well done.

A Great New Addition to the Milken Archive!.......2004-03-10

This CD is perfect for fans of Yiddish folk music and newcomers to the genre alike. It is a great introduction to some of the treasures of the Yiddish stage. Especially worth noting are the four tracks sung by Elizabeth Shammash, whose rich Mezzo-Soprano voice brings a great sensitivity and tone to her pieces.

Average customer rating:

Angst for the memories!
Great Bacharach music
Great for the musically adventurous Bacharach fan

Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan [Tribute]
Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg
Sound Grammar

ASIN: B000003YTQ
Release Date: 1997-05-20

Tracks:

Close to You
Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Wives And Lovers
Who Gets The Guy?/This Guy's In Love With You
Walk On By
Promises, Promises
Alfie
Freefall
Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Solo)
Trains And Boats And Planes

Tracks:

Do You Know The Way To San Jose
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
I Say A Little Prayer
She's Gone Away
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
A House Is Not A Home
The Look Of Love
What's New Pussycat
What The World Needs Now Is Love
I Took My Strength From You (I Had None)

Customer Reviews:

Angst for the memories!.......2005-11-26

Fans of the incredibly handsome and supremely talented Burt Bacharach may now learn he is Jewish and a world of wonderfull recordings and soundtracks are yours for the asking as all his "dstuff" is thankfully available. I dare say that he sells more music today than he did in the 60s-70s. Buy and enjoy that first. If you are a true aficianado you then will be fascinated by the range of music that Bacharach inspires from Punk to Lounge and yes, Jewish. Someday I would love to hear Klezmer musicians have a go at this. But here, Bacharachs music is deconstructed and that unique Yiddisha talent for reflection, suffering even, ennui, arcane internecian and occult "schtick" is center stage. Very introspective the songs of love and loss are seen, and played with a spiritual angst that finds its way into things like the popularity of Kabbala. If Burt were Black a Gospel treatment would be due. But Bacharachs world weariness, like Cole Porters dark side, is focused. It takes some listening but the mood is beautiful as a vacation to Greenland where you sit and look at the glaciers.

Great Bacharach music.......2003-04-11

This was the first of Tzadik's 'Great Jewish Music' tributes, and definitely the best, due to the musicians involved, and of course the source material. There's been quite a resurgence of Bacharach's music of late (thanks to Austin Powers, among other things) and this tribute helps to show that this resurgence is well-deserved. When some of the biggest names in modern music (Bill Frisell, Eyvind Kang, Marc Ribot, Fred Frith, etc.) record your music, that is some pretty high praise.

So, onto some of the music... Dave Douglas reworks 'Wives And Lovers' into a wonderfully swinging version for trumpet, piano and bass sax/piccolo/flute, and one wonders why we haven't heard more of Dave with this lineup. Accordionist Guy Klucevsek mixes 'Who Gets The Guy?' with 'This Guy's In Love With You' with a result that is almost unrecognisable due to his extreme reharmonisation. 'Walk On By' gets a relatively straight but beautiful reading by downtown legend Kramer.

And so it goes - most of the tracks are reworked beautifully, or covered relatively straight, but great versions nonetheless. One that most notably breaks the mold is Joey Baron's solo drum version of 'Alfie'. Kind of interesting, but doesn't really hold up to multiple listens.

As another reviewer said, there's probably just too much music here - though I love Marc Ribot, it is probably not necessary to have two tracks by him (one solo, one with band). And some of the tracks, towards the end of the second disc in particular, are a bit lacking.

But all in all, this is a worthy tribute to a great songwriter.

Great for the musically adventurous Bacharach fan.......1999-08-14

If you are a fan of Hal Wilner's tribute albums to Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and Nino Rota, and also of Burt Bacharach, this album is right up your alley. At 20 songs, there are about six too many, but at least two of them are worth the price of admission by themselves. I'm speaking of Bill Frisell's beautiful solo version of "What the World Needs Now Is Love" on what sounds like an acoustic archtop guitar (none of his volume pedal/tape delay effects, just pure Bill), and also of Medeski Martin and Wood's super-funky version of "Do You Know the Way to San Jose." If only MM&W had such strong material to work with on their own albums...The more experimental things work in about half the cases on this album, and there are a small number of tracks you will never want to hear again. I distilled my favorites onto one CD so I wouldn't have to program and switch the discs out to get to all my favorites.

Hatikvah!: Richard Tucker Sings Great Jewish Favorites

Average customer rating:

Hatikvah!: Richard Tucker Sings Great Jewish Favorites

Manufacturer: Sony Special Product
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Welcoming The Sabbath
Secunda: Kol Nidre Service
A Passover Seder Festival
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Jan Peerce Sings Yiddish Folk Songs

ASIN: B00005CEPM
Release Date: 2001-01-01

Tracks:

Hatikvah
Hava Nagila
Kinereth
Jerusalem of Gold (Yerushala'im Shel Zahav)
Tzena, Tzena, Tzena, Tzena
Sunrise, Sunset
Exodus Song
Shalom
Anniversary Waltz
Rover

Average customer rating:

A Glimpse Into the Artist's Craft
Early works unveiled

Leonard Rose: The Memorial Edition

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Schubert: Sonata in A Minor, Boccherini: Sonata No. 6
Saint-Saëns: Concertos
Pierre Fournier: Aristocrat of the Cello [United Kingdom]
Brahms: Piano Trios Nos. 1, 2 & 3; Piano Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 3

ASIN: B000000WS3
Release Date: 1997-06-17

Tracks:

Suite No. 1 In G Major For Unaccompanied Cello, BWV 1007: Prelude
Suite No. 1 In G Major For Unaccompanied Cello, BWV 1007: Allemande
Suite No. 1 In G Major For Unaccompanied Cello, BWV 1007: Courante
Jewish Life No. 1: Prayer
Sonata In C Major: Minuet
Apres un Reve
Sonata In G Major: Allegro
Sonata In G Major: Grave
Sonata In G Major: Vivace
Suite No. 3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Cello: Prelude
Suite No. 3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Cello: Sarabande
Suite No. 3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Cello: Bourree I
Suite No. 3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Cello: Bourree II
Suite No. 3 In C Major For Unaccompanied Cello: Gigue
Sonata In F Major, Op. 99: Allegro vivace
Sonata In F Major, Op. 99: Adagio affettuoso
Sonata In F Major, Op. 99: Allegro passionato
Sonata In F Major, Op. 99: Allegro molto
Passacaglia

Tracks:

Variations On A Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Thema, Moderato semplice
Variations On A Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Var. 1, Tempo della Thema
Variations On A Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Var. 2, Tempo della Thema
Variations On A Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Var. 3. Andante sostenuto
Variations On A Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Var. 4, Andante grazioso
Variations On A Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Var. 5, Allegro Moderato
Variations On A Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Var. 6, Andante
Variations On A Rococo Theme, Op. 33: Var. 7, Allegro vivo
The Little Shepherd
Sonata In C Major: Minuet
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Introduction
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Theme
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 1
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 2
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 3
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 4
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 5
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 6
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 7
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 8
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 9
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Var. 10
Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations On A Theme Of Knightly Character, Op. 35: Finale
Concerto No. 1 In A Minor Movement 1 And Coda, Op. 33
Chant Sans Paroles
Practice Session Excerpt: Schumann Concerto Cadenza

Amazon.com

An introductory note by Rose's best-known student, Yo-Yo Ma, explains the importance of this collection briefly and accurately: "Leonard Rose was one of the greatest cellists of our time ... he changed the way we think about the cello and raised our standards forever." These two discs add previously unknown material to Rose's already extensive discography, beginning with some Bach dating from 1936 when he was a student at the Curtis Institute and including part of his 1947 Town Hall recital, Bach's unaccompanied Suite No. 3, Brahms's Sonata in F and, best of all, Richard Strauss's Don Quixote (which he never recorded commercially) with George Szell conducting the New York Philharmonic. The booklet includes an autobiographical note. --Joe McLellan

Customer Reviews:

A Glimpse Into the Artist's Craft.......2002-03-18

One of my idols in recordings since my earliest cellistic days, what a treat to be able to hear him in pieces otherwise unrecorded, and to even be privy to practice sessions! In one of them you can even hear him emit an expletive when annoyed at himself! This is a gem, a true collector's item for the cognoscenti.

Early works unveiled.......2001-04-05

What's so interesting about this 2-CD set is that it contains great cellist Leonard Rose's early playing--from the time when he was a student at Curtis Institute. People who already have other Rose's CDs will enjoy listening his music when he was a teenager. Since many of the pieces on the CDs, in the 1930s and 40s, were recorded for radio broadcasting, I have to admit that the sound quality is not superb. But, in spite of that, there are so much more in this CD set to explore Rose's music. The one small funny stuff is that, in the final piece, the producer put a very rare-to-hear, practice by Rose, which might encourage young cello students to head for more practice. After listening this 2 CDs, I felt like I can get a little closer to Rose in person.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful, sensual jazz based song cycle with text from King Solomon's "Song of Songs"

Mayim Rabim: Great Waters
Ayelet Rose Gottlieb
Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Jewish & Yiddish Music | Folk | Styles | Music

Klezmer | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

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When Do We Eat?

ASIN: B000FG8BOQ
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Tracks:

Tapuah
Har'ee'nee, Hashmee'ee'nee
Al Mishkavi
Min Ha'midbar
Libavtini
Pithi Li
Patahti
Ana Halah
Ma Yafit
Mayim Rabim

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful, sensual jazz based song cycle with text from King Solomon's "Song of Songs".......2006-10-16

This CD has wonderful, modern and complex musical interpretations of King Solomon's love poetry "Song of Songs".
The lyrics are in Hebrew, but don't let that deter you. Just read the enclosed translations, sit back & be carried away on an amazingly inventive musical magic carpet ride. Ayelet's voice has a big range and she and her assistants use their voices beautifully for a variety of sounds and styles.
Highly recommended. Israelis will love it.

A Hanukka Celebration [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]

Average customer rating:

A strangely mixed bag, excellent craft
A great collection of things unrecorded
Jewish holiday music between the cracks.

A Hanukka Celebration [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]

Manufacturer: Milken Archive
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Klezmer Concertos & Encores [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
Jewish Voices in the New World [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
First S'lihot: Midnight Service
Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Naomi & Ruth / Sacred Service for Sabbath Eve [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
Brubeck - The Gates of Justice (Milken Archive American Jewish Music)

ASIN: B0000TSQLQ
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Tracks:

B'rakhot L'hanukka - Raymond Goldstein
Hannerot Hallalu - Hugo Adler
Ma' Oz Tzur - Aaron Miller
To Celebrate A Miracle - Samuel Dler
Likhtelekh - Leo Low
Di Khanike Likht - Zavel Zilberts
Hanukka Madrigal (Mi Y'Mallel?) - Herbert Fromm
The Flames Of Freedom: O Rock Of My Salvation - Samuel Adler
The Flames Of Freedom: The Lights We Have Kindled - Samuel Adler
The Flames Of Freedom: For The Miracles - Samuel Adler
The Flames Of Freedom: Who Kindled These Lights? - Samuel Adler
The Flames Of Freedom: Into The Temple Judah Came - Samuel Adler
The Flames Of Freedom: Who Can Retell? - Samuel Adler
The Flames Of Freedom: Candles In The Night - Samuel Adler
The Flames Of Freedom: Rock Of Ages - Samuel Adler
Mizmor Shir Hannukkat Habbayit - Solomon Ancis
Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin - Judith Shatin
Adonai Z'kharanu - Alexander Olshanetsky
Aspects Of A Great Miracle: Light The Legend - Michael Isaacson
Aspects Of A Great Miracle: A Hanukka Dreidl - Michael Isaacson
Aspects Of A Great Miracle: Light - Michael Isaacson
Aspects Of A Great Miracle: Psalm 150 - Michael Isaacson

Album Description

Hanukka, the Festival of Dedication, is celebrated by Jews everywhere to commemorate the heroic Maccabean victory in 165 B.C.E. over the Greco-Syrians in the fight for religious freedom. It marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the legend of the miraculous eight-day endurance of the light in the candelabrum. Traditional Hanukka songs from many parts of the world, along with music composed in America, enrich the experience of this beloved holiday. This recording brings old favorites and new discoveries together for a unique American Hanukka celebration.

Customer Reviews:

A strangely mixed bag, excellent craft.......2004-02-05

This album comprises a very disparate collection of Chanukah music. The selections include settings of liturgical texts, settings of non-liturgical holiday poems, skillful arrangements of popular holiday songs, and original holiday pops. The program notes are comprehensive but somewhat challenging to read. They are divided into 4 sections, dealing with Chanukah, the composers, the compositions, and the performers. Some diligence is required to make the correct connections, but if you take the time you'll be rewarded by some insights into how arrangers re-hear familiar material while musicologists discover the original essence that we recognize.
Samuel Adler's "To Celebrate a Miracle" is a brilliantly orchestrated suite of well-known tunes. With interesting and unexpected harmonies, counter melodies, bridge material, and a stunning command of wind sonorities, it is a ear-opening treat if you already know the songs, and stands alone as a concert work if you don't. "The Flames of Freedom," also by Adler, mixes original material, liturgical texts and popular melodies in a deliberate homage to Britten's Ceremony of Carols.
Michael Isaacson's "Aspects of a Great Miracle" strikes me as a rather slick pops piece. The speaking chorus in the 2nd movement owes more to Meredith Willson's Music Man than Ernst Toch's Geographical Fugue.
Leo Low and and Zavel Zilberts provide alternate settings of the same Yiddish poem, and Herbert Fromm presents a brilliant madrigal based on Mi y'mallel. I would love to hear the other 5 madrigals in the set.
Liturgical music is represented by Goldstein's lovely setting of the Chanuka candle-lighting blessings, Adler's Hanerot Hallelu, Miller's refreshingly up-beat Ma'oz Tzur, a Hallel piece by Olshanetsky, and a work for the Shabbat that falls within Chanuka in the best men's choir tradition by Ancis.
The performances range from quite good to excellent. There's a lot to learn and enjoy here.

A great collection of things unrecorded.......2004-01-31

I have been nothing but impressed by not only the sheer volume of things recorded by the Milken foundation, but the quality of their recordings. This collection of Hanukkah music is no exception. Dr. Adler brings the best out of his choirs, the performances are all very solid, and the recording quality is something rarely heard in the Jewish world. It is a pleasure to hear an arrangement by the very talented Raymond Goldstein, who should have his work recorded more often, imho. I don't think this album was intended to be a resource as much as a collection of works that deserved to be brought to the public's attention. Oh, and Isaacson's works are so much better when orchestrated!

Jewish holiday music between the cracks........2004-01-12

The Milken Archive series is quite remarkable, but this album is misbegotten. The research is extensive and impressive, but it matters little to even the learned listener. The disc has 22 cues in 73 minutes, but that information is nowhere found in the plethora of microprint. As a rabbi familiar with the material, I was unable to match the selections with titles or the other data, in various columns that are not co-ordinated. The TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS have only the latter; no Semitic originals. There is no indication of Israeli or the dominant European (Ashkenazi) pronunciation. To add insult to injury, the town near the infamous death camp known as Auschwitz is also written in Polish (p. 11) but the diacritics are wrong so the name is misspelled.
The real problem is that the music falls between the cracks. The florid arrangements and the poor information booklet make it useless as a family or Hebrew school resource, and the material does not warrant consideration as classical music.

Average customer rating:

as if you care

Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach
Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan [Tribute]

ASIN: B00000B73U
Release Date: 1997-10-21

Tracks:

Les Amours Perdues
Ford Mustang
Bonnie and Clyde
La Bas C'Est Naturel
69 Annotique
Pauvre Lola
Ballad of Melody Nelson
Les Sucettes
L' Homme a Tete de Chou
Ce Mortel Ennui
Un Poison Violent, C'Est l'Amour
Initials B.B.
Sous le Soleil Exactement
Couleur Caf
Le Chanson de Slogan
Contact
Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus
Intoxicated Man
Comic Strip
Requiem Pour un Con
Black Trombone

Customer Reviews:

as if you care.......2004-08-26

Great Jewish Music is the name for a series of tribute albums by Tzadik-related artistes. I've only heard two of these songs; the very accessible (for Ikue Mori) Pauvre Lola and the silly version of Comic Strip with too much reverb on the vocals. Interesting, poppy experimental music.

Music:

Music