Jack Gottlieb (z'l) talks about his music on WQXR (1980)

With the recent passing of Jack Gottlieb, the Jewish music world has lost a giant. A brilliant and gifted composer, Jack's music was just as captivating and effective in the synagogue as it was on the concert stage (and vice versa.)

In October 1980, Jack celebrated his 50th birthday with an extraordinary concert of his music that I was privileged to attend. (More on that very soon.)

Several days before that concert Jack was interviewed on WQXR radio, and several of his songs were beautifully performed by Julia Lovett, Alberto Mizrahi, and Jay Willoughby. Clicking on this link downloads a 30-minute portion of that program. To stream the audio now (lower quality) click here.

Debbie Friedman - Chanukah 5762

On December 9, 2001, I put together a Chanukah concert for the final day of the URJ Biennial in Boston to benefit the Rashi School. More than a thousand attendees filled the Hynes Convention Center to see Doug Cotler, Julie Silver, Peri Smilow, David Paskin, Yom Hadash, myself, and of course, Debbie Friedman, who pushed her tired voice and gave as rousing a performance as I have ever seen. A couple of hundred religious school children and dozens of cantors and song-leaders led Chanukah songs from the stage - you can see their delight in singing The Latke Song with Debbie. Thanks to the production crew's efforts - working overtime - to preserve the concert on video, we are able to enjoy Debbie's music and witness the magical way she connected with an audience. Watch Debbie's complete performance HERE.

Debbie Friedman's Cantor Controversy, 1980

In my JUF News article on the passing of Debbie Friedman, z"l, I quoted from her letter to Reform Judaism magazine (above) in reaction to a November 1980 piece by Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin (below) on the paradigm shift toward more musical participation that was beginning to take hold in Reform synagogues in the late 1970s.

I don't believe that cantors were opposed to participation, per se. But they were very concerned about the movement away from a more sophisticated composed liturgical-music style toward the burgeoning (if admittedly simpler) folk/pop style. The trend had begun with songs such as Oseh Shalom from the Israeli Chassidic Music Festival beginning in 1968, but found its American voice in the music of Debbie Friedman.

Being a cantorial student at Hebrew Union College at the time, I tried to stay on the sidelines of this debate. As a camp song-leader and creator of some "new trend" music of my own, it may have been obvious which side I was on, but it was also important for me to graduate, and that meant being sympathetic to both sides of the argument (which I was, by the way; I knew that I was young and still had a lot to learn.) So, I'm not suggesting that all cantors were allied against what Debbie represented. And the title of this post is not to make light of what happened. But I do believe that the musical and liturgical issues raised during the 1980s forced cantors and rabbis (and their congregations) to reassess their worship and music, and to ask difficult questions about the nature of communal and individual prayer in liberal synagogues.

Let's not forget that cantors have been at the center of heated debate regarding the music of worship for hundreds of years. Debbie's letter, along with the two others that accompanied it, represented the first salvos of a new chapter in a very old embroglio. (The original article that inspired her reaction appears below.)

Obviously there is much more to say on this topic, and I hope to do just that before too long.

Click (or double-click) on each page to enlarge it.

Debbie Friedman: Her music, her life

The JUF News in Chicago has published my very personal reminiscences of Debbie, going back to our first meeting in the Summer of 1969. The article is here.

I took these photographs of Debbie song-leading in the dining room at the NFTY Kutz Camp in 1969 or 1970 and they have never been seen before. (For good reason - I'm pretty confident that I will not be remembered as a photographer.)

Remembering Debbie

My dear friend (Rabbi) David Paskin has established a website called rememberingdebbie.com. Thanks to his organizing skill (and powers of persuasion!), and thanks to the generosity of Boston's Temple Israel, there will be a memorial concert for Debbie Friedman on Sunday, January 30 at 4 p.m., free and open to the public. Lots of wonderful people will be singing and reminiscing. Click on the above links for more information. See you there.

In Memory of Debbie Friedman (1951-2011)

Dearest Debbie,

You gave us your heart and soul,

and a gift of prayer and song that will always be with us.

Rest in peace, Sweet Singer.....

Having fun at NewCAJE!!!!

Hey everybody....I'm here at NewCaje, leading a music seminar with Ellen and Peter Allard, David Paskin and oodles of cool Jewish people! We are learning "Blogging for Musicians." Doesn't that sound like fun? This is me having fun. Tonight will be a rockin concert with Julie Silver, Yom Hadash and Kol B'seder (hm...never heard of them)... If you are anywhere near Boston look us up and drop by for one of our evening concerts!

A Guitar Workshop for Cantors

When I came to the School of Sacred Music (of Hebrew Union College) in 1974 and began to conduct services as a student-cantor I used a guitar to accompany myself. How else was I going to do it? Since joining NFTY in 1968 I had led dozens, maybe even hundreds of services, always with guitar. It was like a part of my body - I knew no other way. Thanks to my wonderful teachers, in a very short time I received the training I would need to be able to daven with or without an instrument, and over the years I have become comfortable in a wide variety of synagogue settings. But, given, a choice, I would rather accompany myself on guitar than sing a cappella or with a keyboard accompanist. It just feels right. What's not to like about setting your own key, tempo, rhythm, and dynamics, and being able to change it on the fly!!?? I can sing a prayer over-and-over, build the ruach to a crescendo, or I can pull back to a whisper, and the guitar follows wherever I go every time. (I can also segue from one melody to another without having to make faces or wave my arms to catch the eye of an accompanist.)

How many synagogues in 1974 had guitar accompaniment every Shabbat? Probably very few. But today, "Do you play guitar?" is one of the first questions asked of applicants in cantorial searches. As with any instrument, having the ability to play is one thing, but playing with style and sensitivity is another. At Hebrew College in Newton, MA, I work with cantorial and rabbinic students on repertoire for guitar, helping them develop a technique that will be spiritual, engaging, and tasteful. On June 15 & 16, 2010 the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College will sponsor the first Guitar Workshop dedicated to music for synagogue worship and celebration, special occasions and sacred moments such as hospital visits and healing rituals. Cantors, rabbis, educators, music leaders and students are invited to take part. We will play, pray, sing, listen, play some more, share, learn...and eat. All the information you need is here.

Like A Rolling Cohen!

Mazal Tov to journalist/author/critic/blogger and friend, Seth Rogovy, on his eye popping new Bob Dylan Torathon, Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet.

I'll wait until I finish the book before offering any critiques, but here's a tip of the shtreimel to Seth, by-way-of the first internet video release of one of my Jewish Dylan parodies. All told, I've done a dozen or so - several made it onto my Live in Concert CD (Cantillation Row, Just Like a Chazn, High Holy Day Blues...and my personal favorite, Stuck Inside of Monsey with the Brooklyn Blues Again). The present vid comes from a recent concert at "my old shul" - Beth Emet Synagogue in Evanston, IL. As you'll see, the gig had a party atmosphere, which was sort of the point... anyway, more video highlights coming soon!

Evanston Here I Come!

On Sunday November 1, at 12 noon, I'll be visiting my old stomping grounds (1982-2000), Evanston, IL, to sing a family concert at Beth Emet Synagogue in honor of my (former) rabbi, Peter Knobel on the occasion of his impending retirement. Joining me will be long time musical buddies Stuart Rosenberg (violin/mandolin) and Mike Heimlich (bass). Beth Emet's new cantor, Arik Luck, will join me on vocals, and a splendid time is guaranteed for all! Tickets at the door; details here.

Here is the dynamic duo from 1983...

and 1992...

Where's Jeff?

Jeff Klepper's Blog has been on extended hiatus - more on that later - but will return to the Blogosphere soon!

PBS does Chanukah (Hanukkah?) right

There's music for every taste and more on PBS's new Chanukah concert special, "Lights", now airing nationwide (check your local listings). Produced by (and starring) Craig Taubman, the live concert features Alberto Mizrahi, The Klezmatics, and Joshua Nelson (the Prince of Kosher Gospel), with guest appearances by (among others) jazz saxophonist Dave Koz, actress Mare Winningham, and two young singer-songwriters ready to breakout, Josh Nelson and Michelle Citrin. (Did I mention dancers, a children's choir, and Rabbi David Wolpe?)

Klezmatics frontman Lorin Sklamberg and the band have an ability to dominate any stage they set foot on. They get the joint jumping with a folk-flavored Chanukah song set to lyrics by Woody Guthrie.  Frank London spins wave after wave of wild trumpet riffs, and I've never heard Lorin's vocals sound so good. 

Cantor Mizrahi gets a chance to do a little of everything, from blessings to Sephardic & Ladino songs, along with Hebraic scat singing, and even a little Greek dancing. Joshua Nelson and his singers have fun with a Gospel flavored "Dreidle Song", and Craig Taubman holds it all together with new takes on old songs and touching ballads like "Holy Ground."

Chanukah's coming soon. Check your TV listings. See the show, make a pledge, give what you can. It's Public Television - it's a good cause.

Pictured below: Joshua Nelson and Kosher Gospel; 

Michelle Citrin: Josh Nelson and kids

From The Archives..."We Will Be Free" (1997)

Back a few years ago my good buddy, Chicago folk music legend Stuart Rosenberg, and I, spent a lovely afternoon writing a song to sing on MLK Day. We called it, "We Will Be Free." Today - having just witnessed the election of (soon to be) President Barack Obama - seems like the right time to bring it back.

Since we're old enough to remember when "Blowin' in the Wind" was still "in the wind", our little song was inspired by the great freedom songs out there we wish we had written. But it's all right, ma...we like it just fine, and hope you do too.

Here are the lyrics. You can hear Stuart and me play it together here.

The video clip is from the 1997 UAHC (URJ) Biennial in Dallas, TX. The concert was a benefit for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. You can order the live concert CD right here.

From The Archives...Kol B'seder (1979)

Here's a blast from the past.  Kol B'seder from 1979.  Somehow Dan and I were recruited to add our happy-slappy campy kid songs to a couple of episodes of one of the original New York City Jewish cable TV shows, Shalom Corner.  I recently found the almost 30 year old Betamax video in a box of old tapes, then I scoured Ebay for a used (cheap) Betamax.  Bought a nice old one for 65 bucks plus shipping (they're heavy, let me tell you), which was not a bad price... 

While terribly dated, the shows are kinda cute, and here's a sample: Kol B'seder singing Richard Silverman's classic, 'It is a Tree of Life,' complete with the requisite puppets, kids, and Shalom Corner host, Carol Sterling. By the way, anybody want to buy an old Betamax?

The Times They Are A Changin' (!)

"Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call..." Ok, I admit, the title is a cheesy way to steer a little Dylan traffic here.  But now that we know Barack Obama will be our 44th President - and I can finally get back to blogging again - I want to begin with one of the more interesting cultural sidebars of the campaign: yes, the Dylan-Obama connection.

In June of 2008 Dylan told the Times of London:

“Well, you know right now America is in a state of upheaval. Poverty is demoralizing. You can't expect people to have the virtue of purity when they are poor. But we've got this guy out there now who is redefining the nature of politics from the ground up...Barack Obama. He's redefining what a politician is, so we'll have to see how things play out. Am I hopeful? Yes, I'm hopeful that things might change. Some things are going to have to.”

On November 4, 2008, Dylan's second song at his election eve concert at the University of Minnesota (where he studied - briefly - nearly a half century earlier) was 'The Times They Are a Changin'.  He introduced his last encore, 'Blowin' in the Wind', with these words:

"I was born in 1941. That was the year they bombed Pearl Harbor. I've been living in darkness ever since. It looks like things are going to change now."

Oh, yeah...Dylan's son Jesse directed the incredible "Yes We Can" video by will.i.am. And several months ago he won an Emmy Award for it.

Mazal tov, Jesse.

London calling....

8/3 Sunday - It had been about 10 years since I was in England, when Kol B'seder sang here for the "Festival of Reform Judaism" in the late '90s. In '95 I was invited to teach and perform at Limmud, which then was just a British phenomenon but is now world famous. Over the years, through Caje, Limmud, and Hava Nashira, many strong friendships have developed among music leaders from the American and British Jewish communities. Personally, it is very gratifying to be welcomed so warmly, and to find that so many of my songs (along with those of Debbie Friedman and others) have been embraced by the Jewish community here. There is also special meaning in being able to sing my own music - so much of it inspired by the Beatles - in the land of Sgt. Pepper.

EJ Cohen is known to many for her sign language interpretations at Caje and other Jewish events. Having just signed on as Education Director for Finchley Progressive Synagogue, she took the bull by the horns and, along with Rabbi Neil James, organized a Sunday morning brunch/concert for me at which over 100 people came. This all took place the day after my flight and some 12 hours after landing at Heathrow. The concert was splendid, with lots of singing, a great deal of laughter, and a real feeling of spirit in the room. To top it off, nearly 300 pounds was raised to support the Israel Reform movement (in dire financial straights at the moment due to the sick dollar) and that amount will be doubled by the British Liberal and Progressive synagogues.



Tomorrow I'll be visiting Camp Kadima in Sussex to sing with a very large group of kids!

Greetings from Israel!

Yaffo in the morning
Sunset at Ein Hod

What a wonderful time to be in Israel. The country is bustling and growing, the shekel is strong against the dollar (ok, not so great for Americans), and Barack Obama was just in Jerusalem today assuring Israelis that he is on our side.

Here's a brief travelog so far.

7/20 Sunday - Arrival 5 a.m. Stayed 'overnight' in Yaffo at the new, lovely (and inexpensive) Mishkenot Ruth Daniel. Took the train to Haifa and stayed at Ein Hod with Rabbi Bob and Annette Samuels. Bob is the former director of the Leo Baeck Education Center. He brought me to Haifa for a year in 1981, and encouraged me to compose music for the Leo Baeck Synagogue, 'Ohel Avraham'. On Sunday night I sang for some friends in their living room.

Ohel Avraham 1982

Ohel Avraham 2008

7/21 Monday - This was a day of walking around Ein Hod, formerly an Arab village, abandonded in 1948 and turned into an Artists Colony in 1956. Some of the worlds' most illustrious artists and musicians live there. I met an incredible gentleman named Nisan Cohen, who owns the world's largest collection of vintage music boxes. He repairs and demonstrates them in a lttle museum he set up. I'm not talking about little things, these are huge tabletop instruments. They were all the rage for about half a century, until Edison's phonograph put them out of business, instantly and permanently. They sound amazing. He also has player pianos and organs, and vintage wind-up phonographs. He played me a 1918 recording by Cantor David Roitman, who sounded like he was standing in front of me.

7/22 Tuesday - I visited the Or Chadash Congregation in Haifa, and met with their rabbi, Edgar Nof. He took me downstairs to the bomb shelter, which was the only place in Haifa where services could be held during the Hezbolla bombing during the summer of 2006. I sang for 150 of the cutest kids I've ever seen, at their day camp in the synagogue. We sang songs they knew and I taught them a few new ones. I hope they understood my pidgeon Hebrew. Afterwards they all came up to hug me... That evening, cantorial soloist and folksinger Orit Perlman had 25 people at her house for a party in her backyard. We sang for over 2 hours.

Singing at Or Chadash in Haifa

7/23 Wednesday - Jerusalem seems to be coping with Obama's visit. I'm at HUC now, but they say you have to walk completely around the King David Hotel, where he is staying, just down the block. I'm using my cell phone to call old friends, making connections and meeting plans.

7/24 Thursday - I spent the day with the class of entering cantorial, education and rabbinic students beginning their year of study in Jerusalem. I piggy-backed on their walking tour of Jerusalem - in the morning to Talpiyot and the "Tayelet", and in the evening to the Old City. In the late afternoon I talked to the class of first-year cantorial students, one of whom looked very familiar. She was one of my bat mitzvah students from about ten years ago.

7/25 Friday - Barack Obama has left the building. All that remains is his photo on just about every magazine and newspaper here. The bustle of the work-week is replaced by the bustle of preparing for Shabbat. Tonight I will lead services at Kehilat Mevaseret Tzion, just outside of Jerusalem, and Shabbat morning at HUC.

7/26 Saturday - Spent a delightful Shabbat morning at HUC services and sang with Cantor Tamar Havilio. Lunch with Michael and Sally Klein-Katz at their flat in Abu Tor. Had a rowdy and totally fun song session with the Bronfman Fellows, high school seniors, at the Goldshtein Youth Villiage.

7/27 Sunday - Just arrived at Kibbutz Lotan in the Arava for a community concert and "shira b'tzibur" (singalong)...some friends from Kibbutz Yahel will be there too. BOY IS IT HOT! Shabbat in Jerusalem was heavenly. More on that when I have more computer time.

7/30 Wednesday - Arrived in Tel Aviv for my last leg in Israel. Kabbalat Shabbat at Beit Daniel Friday. I'll fill in the blanks when I can. More photos coming.

...Next week it's on to LONDON!

The website is safe!

Recently hackers got into my website and hacked the index page. But everything has been fixed and the danger is over. A couple of folks told me that their anti-virus programs screamed bloody murder when they tried to access jeffklepper.com. The files have been cleaned and the passwords changed. I truly hope nobody's computer was messed up. It's a good reminder to get the best anti-virus program you can and keep it up to date!

See you in Israel...

My last visit to Israel was five years ago. I can stay away no longer! So, I recently cleared some time on my calendar and traded in my last batch of United miles for a ticket. I'm bringing my guitar and some clothes. My hope is to sing in as many places as possible, and to stay in homes wherever I travel. I want to reconnect, see old friends and make new ones. I am not charging a fee for my singing. Any earnings that happen to come my way will be used for tzedakah in Israel. With a few things already scheduled, I'll be leading t'filot, doing workshops, singing at house parties, summer camps, maybe tour groups, at cafes, I'll see what opportunities come up. Here's my travel schedule, subject to change.  I'll post specifics when I can. If you're nearby please come and say hi. To contact me, just click here.

July 20 - 23, Haifa area

July 23 - 26, Jerusalem area

• Kabbalat Shabbat July 25 at:

Kehilat M'vaseret Tzion

July 27 - 28, Kibbutz Lotan (Arava)

July 29 - August 1, Tel Aviv area

• Kabbalat Shabbat August 1 at:

Beit Daniel, Tel Aviv

Yes, that's Elvis. I have no idea where this photo is from.  Did I take it myself?  Does anyone recognize this restaurant? Stay tuned...see you in Israel!

But enough about me...

This past December I was asked to sing at a Chanukah party for Hillel at Harvard University. I was invited by one of my former Bar Mitzvah students.  He's a wonderful fellow (from a great family) and he plays in the Hillel Klezmer Band!  My gosh, how could I say no?  

I had no idea what to expect.  I even brought my Jewish comedy videos with me just in case I needed help getting things going.  It turned out to be an incredible evening of singing and shmoozing.  Someone was snapping photos the whole time.  I recently got emails from folks saying they saw me in the Spring 2008 Harvard Hillel Journey (a quite lovely and glossy publication.) Well, I finally got a copy and saw this overly generous article.  You can get the pdf here.  (And the entire issue of the Journey is here.)

As it turned out, I didn't need the comedy videos.  Maybe next time.

The Songs of Israel (Part 2)

Anyone who knows anything about Israeli music probably knows the name Naomi Shemer. By every measure she towered over other Israeli songwriters. For half a century her songs were, literally, the voice of a nation and a people. After her death in 2004 it was revealed that she had appropriated the melody of a Basque folksong for Yerushalayim Shel Zahav. The Jewish people held no grudge.

But there was another great female Israeli composer who lived in her shadow for decades, Nurit Hirsh. Her name is less well known in North America, even though her music was (commercially) more successful.

Having a hit song is one thing, but composing a mega-hit, a song that by definition alters the musical landscape, is quite another. By that yardstick, Nurit Hirsh’s Oseh Shalom became the equal of Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, and more. Where did this seemingly “traditional” song come from? Oseh Shalom was one of two hit songs from the first Hassidic Song Festival, held in Tel Aviv during Sukkot of 1969. This is what it sounded like on the very night of its premiere. (The other was V’haeir Eineinu by Shlomo Carlebach, whose wildly popular Hasidic-pop songs had inspired the Festival. In the years following, a dozen or more Hasidic flavored worship standards would emerge from this Festival to become part of the permanent American synagogue repertoire.)

Nurit Hirsh’s new Oseh Shalom arrived on these shores like every other Israeli song in those days – via sh’lichim (emissaries) who came here from Israel in search of olim chadashim (new immigrants). During the spring of 1970 it spread through a network of Hebrew teachers and young rabbis, helped along by high school students returning from their Israeli exchange programs. For those of us strumming our guitars at Jewish camps in 1970 (I was 16) and learning it for the first time, it hit like a bolt of summer lightning.

Yes, during that summer we were gifted with one of the most recognizable Jewish songs in history. Through the summer and into the fall it was on everyone’s lips, and by the following year it felt like an old friend. In Jewish venues across the USA, from synagogues, camps and Hebrew schools to Federations, nursing homes and nightclubs, it became an anthem. Here is NFTY’s recording from 1972. 

Before long, teenagers, emboldened by the power of this new song (and others that would follow) urged their rabbis and cantors to include it in worship services, and many did. But some questioned the appropriateness of such a “simple” tune becoming part of the regular synagogue repertoire. Youth group and camp was one thing, they said, but the bima was another. In 1975 I attended an academic conference on Jewish music, at which I heard a well-known musicologist complain that the repetition of melodic sequences in Oseh Shalom’s B and C sections made it a poor choice for inclusion in synagogue services.

The following summer brought her second mega-hit, Bashanah Haba’ah, to an American Jewish audience now hungry for tuneful, inspiring and spirited new Israeli songs. Hirsh’s bouncy and playful melody, wedded to the late Ehud Manor’s elegant and simple lyrics was a huge hit at camp - we couldn’t stop singing it. By the early ‘70s El Al was using it in TV commercials, so kids would start dancing around the dining hall with arms outstretched like airplane wings whenever it was sung, and before long everyone was doing it.

Bashanah is an enduring song and I love singing it. But it has taken on more than a hint of Catskill kitsh, especially when done in swing time. This may be a legacy of the song’s English language version, “Anytime of the Year” sung by (Brooklyn cantor’s son) Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Broadway lyricist Robert Brittan’s “translation” has little to do with the Hebrew, (maybe that’s for the best) and while Steve and Eydie’s swinging 45 rpm version is rarer than rare, this excerpt, sung by Holly Lipton gives you the general idea.

Interpreting Bashanah is a risky affair. Where do you go with it – swing? samba? The song has started to show up in December school “Holiday” concerts as the token Jewish song, which, sadly, can only hasten its decent into dreidle-ization. I’ll give some credit to the San Diego Men’s Chorus for trying a different tack in this YouTube video, and then finish up with two of my personal favorites.

First, from the mid-70s, is the proto-Jewish-rock-group, Tayku, five superb musicians who met while studying Torah at JTS. Bassist David Burger is a highly respected composer and performer, while pianist Matthew (Mati) Lazar has become one of the leading conductors of Jewish choral music on the planet. It's an inventive arrangement. The Latin treatment is, trust me, (as I have said before) cutting edge for its time. I only wish I had a better sounding LP version, but sadly, a CD transfer was never released. Listen here.

Two decades later we have a very refreshing straight ahead rock treatment by the Boston based (and quite Beatlesque) Yom Hadash, one of our great contemporary Jewish bands, from their first album, When We Were Young. Listen here.

How can I end a tribute to Nurit Hirsh without taking note of her third big hit, Abanibi? Here’s the video. The cute disco hit (I actually kind of like it) gave Israel its first ever 1st Prize at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978, paving the way for Halleluyah, video here, which also won 1st Prize for Israel the following year (and probably earned more money than anything either Shemer or Hirsh ever composed.) Eurovision songs have never been accused of heft - let’s just say the bubblier and bouncier your song is, the better your chance of taking home a prize.

The Songs of Israel (Part 1)

Happy Birthday Israel! What a proud and momentous celebration - six decades of statehood. I still treasure the memories of my first trip to Israel in 1978. I lost count of how many times I’ve visited since then, each trip unique and wonderful.

No aspect of Israel means more to me than her songs. They are her heartbeat and pulse, her very spirit. They live within me and I take them everywhere I go. They bathe my brain in beauty and memory. They conjure up the sand, the shuk, the Sea, the Golan, the Kotel, the sky, the heat, the air, the bitter and the sweet. Israel's songs are medicine for the soul, three-minute doses of strength and hope.

So what better way for me to celebrate these 60 years than to offer some reflections on The Songs of Israel as I know them and sing them, filtered through my ears and my heart. They are the musical signposts of my own journey through Israel’s recent past.

I grew up singing the old songs, the classics: Artza Alinu, Zum Gali Gali, Eretz Zavat Chalav... Hinei Ma Tov (in waltz time) is the first Hebrew song I remember learning. These were songs of yearning with few words and simple melodies. Sweaty and heroic, they serenaded the draining of swamps by day, then fueled a night of horas at week’s end. In those early years, schmaltzy old tunes from Russia were brilliantly retrofitted to accompany the exquisite poetry of Yonatan, Rachel, Bialik and Chefer. Later came the love songs, soft and plaintive, evocations of the Good Land, songs like Dodi Li and Iti Milvanon (both from Shir Ha-shirim, composed by Nira Chen).

The Six Day War in 1967 was the catalyst for a new and contemporary outpouring of song, now influenced by the American folk revival, and by tunes brought from around the world with each wave of immigrants to the young country. The most famous of this period is the late Naomi Shemer’s Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, a song so beloved it serves as a secondary national anthem and appears in many siddurim (prayerbooks).

As we count these days of the omer, I will be counting the songs of Israel that have meant so much to me, and blogging about them here.

Let’s begin with a spectacular moment from 30 years ago: Barbara Streisand talks to former Prime Minister Golda Meir on national TV, then sings Hatikva to celebrate Israel’s 30th birthday. Raised in Brooklyn, Streisand learned early on how to shed her accent, a talent that served her well on Broadway and in Hollywood. Listen to her perfect elocution as she introduces the humble Golda, slipping into comfy Brooklyneese for the chit-chat, then effortlessly back again, before singing a stunning Hatikva!

Kol B'Seder celebrates 36 years!

It’s 36 years since Dan and I started singing together, in the Spring of 1972 (the name Kol B’Seder didn’t come until a couple of years later.) So, here’s a Kol B’Seder birthday present from Danny and me: 20 minutes of highlights from our concert last week at Temple Beth Zion in Buffalo, NY.

This particular concert was a lot of fun, in spite of a very dicey flight situation from Boston. In addition to our golden oldies, we sang some of our silly Pesach songs (not on the MP3, sorry) and Dan generously allowed me to sing four of my Bob Dylan parodies (three of which are on the MP3, two of them - until now – never before released.) We also sang - for the first time - my new "Sim Shalom".

Amazingly, it had been a year since our last full-length concert. (I joked that now we know how Simon & Garfunkel felt when they did their reunion tour a few years ago.) Unlike the real Simon and Garfunkel, Dan and I never truly ‘broke up’ – we just had to ramp things down a bit. Dan got really busy as Vice President of the URJ, I moved to Boston, took a new congregation and battled some voice issues (all but resolved, thanks to an extraordinary voice teacher - but that’s another story for another time.)

B’chol zot (with all this), we’ve managed to sing at least a few times every year, including some really big shows. This past December we sang at the URJ Biennial in San Diego to honor Debbie Friedman. Back in 2004 we marked the 30th anniversary of “Shalom Rav” with a concert not far from where that song was composed in Boston. In 2005 we sang in Russia in support of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, and in 2006 we were named “Legends of CAJE” along with Debbie, Craig Taubman, Doug Cotler, Julie Silver, and Sam Glazer. In 2007 the Zamir Chorale of Boston built a concert around our music. A couple of songs from the concert are on YouTube, at least one of Josh Jacobson’s awesome arrangements for choir (Oseh Shalom) will soon be published, and we have some incredible film footage in the can for the future.  So, even if, like such great duos as Simon & Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers, and Nichols & May, we never actually ceased performing, this still seems like the right time for a Reunion Tour. Therefore I am announcing:

KOL B’SEDER’S 36th ANNIVERSARY “REUNION” TOUR

Kicking off Friday December 5, 2008 at Temple Sinai in Sharon, MA. 

The rest of the tour, however, depends on you. If you’d like to bring Kol B’seder to your community, just click this link, and talk to Moishe Rosenfeld at Golden Land Connections. (Special deals are yours for the asking if you are close to the New York or Boston metro areas.)

We hope you enjoy the music.  Songs on the MP3 include excerpts from: Yism’chu, In Every Generation, Modeh Ani, Or Zarua, Rollin Up the Torah, Haporeis Sukat Shalom, Oseh Shalom, Tangled Up in Jews, Like a Rollin Cohen, Eilu D’varim, Sim Shalom, Lo Alecha, and Cantillation Row.

We are grateful to Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld and cantorial soloist Penny Meyers for arranging the concert, held at Temple Beth Zion’s beautiful downtown sanctuary! Thanks to Enid Bloch for the lovely photos.

Counting the (H)omer...

Though we're now a week plus into counting the Omer, I keep running into folks who swear they knoweth not about one of the coolest Jewish websites in the Liturg-O-Sphere.  I'm referring of course to the Homer Calendar. (Yes, as in Homer Simpson.)  It was researched, written and designed by my friend, health care advocate Brian Rosman, who guested with his family at our seder and presented us with a copy of the handy "pocket edition" of the Homer Counter hot off the press. 

This is not a one joke deal. Brian's site is 100% kosher, a perfect synergy of ancient Jewish ritual and modern American pop culture. Not only is The Simpsons' creator and many of the writers Jewish (no surprise there), the show itself has frequently referenced Jewish themes, notably revolving around one of the supporting characters who is Jewish, the TV star Krusty The Clown. But you know all this. What you may not know is that there exists a stack of books and articles (and probably a Ph.D. dissertation by now) on the religious (even Jewish) significance of this hopelessly dysfunctional TV family. Brian has some very interesting commentary and links to much of it, including a very funny slide show of "Jewish Life in Springfield." Click here, and happy counting.

Downtown Seder: the last word on Pesach?

Ok, Pesach is over and we're eight days into the Omer. We have to move on, but if I don't put this up now I'll have to wait a whole 'nother year, and who knows if the world will still be here by then.

Michael Dorf, the powerhouse genius behind Oy!hoo, the NYC operation which has pretty much become synonymous with Cutting-Edge-Jewish-Music, posted a Virtual Seder on the cusp of Shabbat Hagadol. If your inbox overflows with viral videos - usually sent by parents, in-laws, cousins, and acquaintances with way too many names in their address books - then you've probably seen it - along with the second Jewish holiday video by that candy-coated singing stick of dynamite (and maybe the next crossover Jewperstar?) Michelle Citrin - but if you haven't, then you're in for a treat. Here are just a few of the celebrity Jews you'll get to see exposing a little of their ethnic under-skin.

(Left to right: Lewis Black, Jerry Stiller, Jill Sobule, Al Franken, Lou Reed)

Each and every clip is a delight. Especially the entertaining dissertation on maror by a very rabbinic looking Lewis Black.

Memo to Michael Dorf: Maybe Lorne Michaels couldn't get the Beatles on SNL, but if you start now, you might have a shot at getting Bobby Zimmerman for the Downtown Seder in...2010?

Dayeinu!

Ok, folks, we're in the home stretch and I've saved the best for last.  To get us in the mood for Mike Hammerman's extraordinary Dayeinu (see below), here are a couple of my favorite Dayeinu instrumentals:

We begin with the Farbrangen Fiddlers, whose second LP American Chai (1976) is a pre-klezmer masterpiece of Jewish Americana (sadly, unavailable on CD). The Fiddlers' first record had a very small pressing - thus their "Dayeinu Bluegrass" (cutting edge for the 1970s, trust me) has rarely been heard.  I taped it on cassette one Sunday evening off WEVD in New York, from Robert Cohen's wonderful Yedid Nefesh program.  Back in those early days Robert was the Vin Scelsa of Jewish radio. Apologies for the sound (there's a drop-out or two), but David Shneyer's guitar and Alan Oresky's fiddle make this Dayeinu sweeter than that first sip of Shevitz!

The next cut speaks for itself.  It's from an LP called Twistin' The Freilach by Lou Klayman and his orchestra: a priceless piece of Jewish pop-culture, in which - you guessed it - traditional simcha songs are played in the style of that 1960s dance sensation "The Twist"! 

Here's a Dayeinu For The Ages.  When I started collecting Jewish novelty songs - think Jewish Dr. Demento (he is Jewish, I know) - I would occasionally come across a track that was recorded in complete seriousness, but hit me funnier than many comedy songs.  Not like the stuff on NPR's Annoying Music Show, which is just annoying.  I mean great music, the kind that gets better with age.  (Sometime I'll let you hear my 10 worst Hava Nagilas and you'll see what I mean.) 

So, enjoy this Pesach treat, the late Cantor Michael Hammerman, tenor, beloved hazzan of Brookline's historic Congregation Kehilat Israel, from his album of Jewish songs called Bless This House.  I don't want to spoil the fun of discovering it for yourself.  I'll just mention, in the third verse, after he gives a krechtz (cry) on the words "try to do it" the track gets more and more bizarre by the second, straight through to the end.  This is one you'll want on your iPod. (Here are the lyrics.)

Had enough matzah yet?

We're halfway through Chag Ha-Pesach, and our over-consumption of white flour is beginning to have an effect on the internal organs.  (They do sell whole wheat matzah, which isn't bad, but we never seem to be able to stock enough of it to last through the week.)  So, to help get you through the next few days with a smile, here are a few 'Songs you never learned in shul' relating to - what else? - the Bread of Affliction: 

From the great Allan Sherman we have "Mammy's Litttle Baby Loves Matzoballs", the finale of 'Shticks and Stones' from his landmark first LP, 'My Son the Folksinger'. There is much more to say about Allan Sherman (and we shall) but in the meantime there are rewards aplenty for those who search out his TV appearances on YouTube.

There is also much that can be said about the legendary 1930s jazz hipster Slim Gaillard, whose Yiddish inflected novelty tunes can be heard on multiple CD compilations. Slim recorded several memorable paeans on his love for Jewish foods, among them, "Matzah Balls," which appears on the excellent Columbia CD of proto-Jewish pop, 'From Ave. A To The Great White Way', and thus can only be excerpted here.

As you can hear, Gaillard seems to enjoy eating his matzah balls with gefilte fish.  To each his own, I suppose, but that brings me to the deliciously named 1980s California group Gefilte Joe and the Fish. Gefilte Joe (who he actually is/was is a mystery to me) was not the first (nor the last) Jewish humorist to channel Mel Brook's Yiddish accented 2000 Year Old Man. As you can hear on "Matzoh Man," (from a curious and long-out-of-print Rhino Records six-pointed-star-shaped EP - on blue vinyl(!) - called 'Hanukkah Rocks') he 'sings' in a way that makes you wonder if it's a total put-on or whether he's just your average disco-loving Jewish grampa.