U'Shmuel B'korei Sh'mo

This review is long overdue.

As much as I love music in general, Jewish music usually comes up in the "What were you thinking?" department similar to Milli Vanilli and Vanilla Ice. Since the late 90's we've started to see a new trend in Jewish music and this past year was a landmark year. I purchased four albums this past year that blew me away, in their musicianship, the song writing, the producing (something that has been sorely lacking) - but it really just comes down to this: They cared.

MOChassid published U'Shmuel B'korei Sh'mo in honor of his late father Shmuel. If I were him I'd be truly honored by this - there is not one thing about this album that is not done well. Some things are done better than others, but all done well.

Even though I have tons of music on the computer - mp3's, Shn's, and FLACs - I love being able to hold the CD in my hand and read the linear notes while listening to the CD [as I'm doing now]. The CD is visually stunning - the artwork is respectful and tasteful though not sad in anyway. After reading the dedication on the inside cover I cannot help but be reminded of a celebration of life instead of a mourning of death. Truly a fitting memory

The music is beautiful. The musicians - most of whom I've met and own CD's of - are world class. I particularly like the fact that none of these songs appear on other albums. The list of musicians that appear is enough to make my jaw drop: Chaim David, Shlomo Katz, Eitan Katz, Nochi Krohn, Avraham Rosenblum, Yosef Karduner, Ben Zion Solomon, and Aron Razel. I started off this review by listing the change in the past decade - these are the artists that have been at the forefront of this change. Except for Avraham Rosenblum and Ben Zion Solomon (if you don't know both of these guys were in Diaspora Yeshiva Band). This is truly a collection of the gedolim of Jewish music.

I'm tempted to list my favorite tracks, but that would be very time consuming since they really are all fantastic. Only one song I don't think fits and that's Chaim Dovid's "Brach Dodi". Listen, it's good but not great and the placement is not great. "Brach Dodi" is the segue between Shlomo Katz's "Shuvi Nafshi" and Aron Razel's "Yom Shaboson" which are both up tempo sing-a-long's.

The only real criticism that I have is the number of times each artist appears on the album. Shlomo Katz appears 3 times, Chaim David Nochi Krohn and Aron Razel each appear twice. Yet Ben Zion Solomon, Yosef Karduner, and Avraham Rosenblum only appear once. There will aparently be a follow up album and I look forward to it's release - hopefully many of these same artists will reappear.

Vehakohanim

Shlomo Katz has released his latest CD Vehakohanim and I cannot illustrate how amazing this album is. I've been a fan of his (and his brother Eitan) for a while now since their duet album came out a few years ago.

In Vehakohanim, Shlomo creates a great Jewish album. If you've read this blog before you'll notice that I love music. I've been to hundreds of concerts and own hundreds of CDs on top of thousands of live shows. Jewish music as a whole does not even attempt to produce itself in the way the secular world does. Blue Fringe among others have tried to force Jewish music to move past that state. Shlomo Katz does it, and does it well.

The entire album is beautifully done, the arrangements are outstanding, the band is great too. My favorite song has to be Yismechu, which should become a staple zemer for shabbos. I had the opportunity to sing this song with Shlomo at a seudat shlishit this passed summer and the song spoke to me then and I still remember that event like it was yesterday.

So, I highly recommend that you all buy the album. You will undoubtedly be as pleased as I am.

Rav Shmuel

I came across a live recording of Rav Shmuel and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. He's a fantastic story teller, one-man show in the Carlebachian show - though it's not Carlebach music. Give it a listen; let me know what you think. It's a great show, I'd probably check him out if he came to town.

[Rav Shmuel homepage]

If you've never heard of Rav Shmuel he started an organization called Gefilte Fish, where he went on Phish tour setting up shop in an RV in the parking lots prior to shabbos and invited kids over. My friend Zev recalls one Erev Shabbat where he met Rav Shmuel and proceeded to go to the show, only turning around at the door handing his ticket to some unsuspecting fan and made shabbos in the parking lot.

I've met Rav Shmuel a few times (at Phish shows, go figure) and he always seemed like a great guy. Another friend Leib , who introduced me to Rav Shmuel, mentioned that (if I remember correctly) that he taught at YU - the website says he taught at various Universities, but no way to confirm this info.

Anyway, since it's on the LiveMusicArchive you can download it, burn it, give it to your friends legally and for free. The LaMA allows bands who agree to the service to upload live recordings - there are hundreds and thousands of them (Grateful Dead, Matisyahu, etc.). Here's the full band list.

I must apologize for the lack in posting recently, I've been rather busy. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some more shortly.

Ben Folds and Shir HaShirim

I regard concerts as a nearly religious experience. Not all concerts are, but there are those which can be described in religious terms - just ask any Deadhead. Earlier tonight I saw Ben Folds play live, and I can only describe it as intense. The way a night hike with a full moon in the Negev is intense - you can come up with other descriptions, but intense covers it all.

I was watching Ben play his piano with the same erotic intensity that describes. I've been a long time denier of the religious nature of Shir HaShirim, until I realized that, for me, it was written like a concert. The author of Shir HaShirim (Shlomo or otherwise, it doesn't really matter to me; it's still a great work) is describing his relationship with God in the only way he can, by describing an erotic relationship. Everyone will, or will eventually, be able to comprehend this message. It is a beautiful book full of tension and release, hills and valleys; I see concerts it much the same literary fashion.

Not everybody understands Shir HaShirim, for some people the description gets lost "in translation". When I was 15 I learned it in school, you'd think a 15 year old adolescent with raging hormones would love this class - I found it boring - it was lost on me. I've been to at least 144 concerts (yes, I've got a list) some were bad, some were great, most are just alright. But I see music as another vehicle to express a relationship with God, even if the musician and the audience do not even see it as such.

As Jews we understand this, from the Levi'im in the Beit HaMikdash to Nigunim, we sing. We put on concerts, now granted most Jewish music is down right bad. But it does not change the fact that it is a communication with the divine. Not every shiur is supposed to be life changing, nor every Rabbi. There are those of us who cannot fathom going to 5 concerts let along 144 (or the 288 Grateful Dead shows that a Lubavitch friend of mine has), but that's okay, there is something out there that connects you to the divine. If it's Kabbalah - great. If it's minute details in Halacha - even better. Whatever it is, whatever extra piece of life gets you going, run with it; just remember to use it constructively and don't let it take over your life either.

Matisyahu

Alright this bugs me

While looking through pictures of my sisters current trip to Israel I noticed this hanging on her apartment wall. I really like Matisyahu, but you don't spell his name that way in Hebrew. Argh.