New York Klezmer Series Lenka Lichtenberg & Fray
Lenka Lichtenberg & Fray appears in NYC Dec. 6, 2016
Jalopy Theater and School of Music!! 315 Columbia Street Brooklyn, New York 11231
phone 718.395.3214 www.jalopy.biz
Workshop 6:30-8:00pm ($25)
Concert at 8:30pm ($15)
Come celebrate her new album Yiddish Journey
Toronto based, Czech born Lenka Lichtenberg singer, composer, songwriter, and chazanit. She has produced numerous recordings based on the European experience, including Yiddish songs, and her CD Breathing Walls, where she visited many old synagogues in Czech Republic, and joint projects with Yair Dalal.
A new CD of
Vera Lozinsky has a new Yiddish CD out, Wunderweg –Wondrous Way. She has a luscious, rich voice. Vira is a pleasure to hear, along with such superb interpretive powers. Log into her 
SoulAviv has produced a CD of the same name. The vocal group is located in Santa Barbara, CA. Members are three women: Erin Berkowitz, Jamie Green, (vocals and percussion) and Liat Wasserman all singing with Rob Raede, vocals and guitar. The recording features music aimed at “tikkun olam” or making the world a better place… featuring the sounds of gospel, soul, reggae. Additional tracks include a number of original songs by Rob Raede featuring Jewish themes. The album’s vocal focus is energetic and highly entertaining. Some of the songs are “standards” recorded many times, such as “Wade in the Water” and “Rivers of Babylon/One Love” which joins a traditional gospel tune to Bob Marley’s hit, or “Oh Had I a Golden Thread by Pete Seeger.… 
A new CD by HaOman Hai Ensemble called Kulmus Hanefesh: A musical journey into the Hassidic niggun explores the integration of Jewish folk niggunim and instrumental music from eastern Europe into contemporary Israeli art music. Members of the group include Baruch Brenner, Andre Hajdu, Yair Harel, Nori Jacoby, Jonathan Niv, Eitan Kirsch, and Matti Kovler. Participants are: Avishai Fisz, Roni Mosenson-Nelken and Itamar Ringel
Debbie Friedman has released a new CD “As You Go On Your Way: Schacharit –The Morning Prayers”. This just released CD has a combination of Debbie’s compositions and melodies to the liturgical texts of the Shacharit, the morning service. Some of the songs on the album are new, but many were composed as long ago as 1972. In a way this retrospective is a perspective piece. The “traditional” repetitions, for example are where the text is more traditional (for example, in the Amidah, the Imahot are included in the non- traditional setting.) The album helps the listener integrate the familiar tunes of Friedman with some chanting of segments of the service. Friedman states in her album “By praying we can understand how each Bracha, each blessing, helps us build a balanced and grateful life.
Rebecca Teplow’s latest CD “Kaveh, Hope” has just been released. The songs are all in Hebrew and composed and arranged by Rebecca on liturgical texts. Rebecca’s strong embrace of text is clear and distinct. She has interestingly even composed variations of her own songs and presents “Gam Ki Elech” twice in different styles. I liked the Joni Mitchell clarity and simplicity of her word painting in “Esa Einei” and that is one of her real strengths. The rock idiom predominates as in pieces such as “Hinei Kel,” which also includes some fun instrumentals. Teplow’s use of contemporary musical idioms are muted but used in a effective way, as in the introduction to “Peyrasti,” which starts out in one idiom but morphs into a rock sequence with some nice guitar riffs.… 
Several times in the last year (or so) there have been concerts for women based on the album by Talia Applebaum Flashes in the Darkness. It deserves another look for the humour, fun, a bit of blues, a little jazz, a bit of funk, but mostly American folk. Talia is writing about the stuff of her chosen life with the Breslov Hassidmi, and the way religious devotion permeates her life, blended into ‘the everyday.’ The music gives a window into that world –that Talia obviously relishes– for the rest of us. All music and lyrics are by Talia, including blending English and Hebrew with an all female accompaniment. Occasionally the melody and words don’t quite make it, but most often they do, and music cleverly wraps into the lyric.The best piece, (or maybe better to say, the one more universally related to all Jews’ experience), is “Perservere” with arrangement and piano by Shana Friedman, which could fit into any Jewish denomination’s repertoire.… 
An early-bird Chanukah album reached JMWC even before Rosh Hashonah! The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band teamed up with Rabbi Joe Black to create a great Chanukah show for Temple Sholom in Chicago. Now you can join in the fun. It’s more than a children’s album, although there are some great pieces for the kids, especially the new ones composed by Joe Black. He has a great ear for combining lyrics with the American folk and country sound which work well and sound great for kids. There are also some fantastic jazz arrangements with Maxwell Street. Joe Black also has some moving pieces that are for the parents too, such as “Faith is Not A Flag”. Lori Lippitz has such a wonderful voice as everyone knows from over twenty years in previous albums,– and she’s featured in “Chanukah Lights.” Kimber Leigh Nussbaum, a lead singer with the group, is also terrific in “Abi Gezunt”, a song that has been done so many times, it takes a lot of energy to make it fresh.… 
A new album, called simply, Shmoozin’, has been released by our friends from ‘down under’ — Australia– The group is Klezmania and they have produced an album that just hits the spot. Give it to all your girlfriends, honey. Freydi Mrocki is the vocalist. She does a nice job that keeps the album in a even mood. David Breytman, bayan (a Russian type of button chromatic accordian); David Krycer, double bass and guitars; and Lionel Mrocki on clarinet, saxophone, guitar, percussion, didgeridoo, (this is an Australian album after all!) and vocals. There are a lot “standards” on this album, but there are some differences. They start with Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love” but add some Yiddish verse by Doodie Ringelblum.… 
Emil Skobeloff and Or Chadash have released an album of all new tunes to liturgical music called “And Sarah Danced.: The album is thoroughly American in concept, and takes the listener on a walk through fifty-plus years of American popular styles, attached to Jewish liturgical texts. Skobeloff succeeds in creating some good tunes and some are quite catchy. So for those fond of American style music for Jewish worship, check out this album. Several of the successful songs are the “Magen Avot”, “Ma Tovu” and “Ashrei”. Skobeloff has a myspace page at: 
Tzadik label has released Eyal Maoz’s Edom. Eyal Maoz, a guitarist, is a composer born in Israel but based in New York City. His CD Edom is with John Medeski on organ, Shanir Blumenkranz on acoustic and electric bass and Ben Perowsky on drums. Maoz is known as a leader of the fusion-neo-klezmer group “Lemon Juice”. His ensembles performed at the Red Sea International Jazz Festival, Verizon Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, NYC Winter JazzFest and many more. Eyal was hosted at NPR WNYC ear To Ear radio program, presenting some of his music and ensembles. Maoz wrote nine original tracks for this CD. The CD is part of the Radical Jewish Culture series on John Zorn’s Tzadik Records. The cover photo, along with some musical elements, reflect tributes to the Masada songs on another Tzadik recording.… 
