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The Psalmist said, “Ilu finu malei shirah kayam!” If our mouths were full of song as the sea! We feel it as well in our time—how the Jewish music we love can stay with us all day, slowly working its way into our hearts!
You deserve to have the sounds of Jewish music reverberate in your home and your cars, in your iPod®, and in your holy places! The beauty of this issue of Moment magazine’s Guide to Jewish Music is that you can be introduced to styles of Jewish music so varied, all with their own unique touch, that it is nearly impossible to describe. Because it speaks to the soul, it can be whimsical, plaintive, yearning, inspiring or edgy, liturgical, historical or creative about teaching values. To make it easier for you to decide which music to buy and which artists to invite to your congregation or community for a live experience, you are invited to go to the Moment Web site at www.momentmag.com and take a listen to the songs posted there.
The Jewish music scene is getting livelier by the day, with new musicians and recordings arriving all the time. With one hand reaching to the past, hold on to your favorites; with the other hand reaching toward the future, try out some new styles and names. You will be pleasantly surprised!
—Marge Eiseman, co-host of Jewish Waves radio, broadcast in Milwaukee and on the Web at
www.jewishwaves.org
Neshama Carlebach
Neshama Carlebach, one of the leading superstars in Jewish Entertainment, is continuing the legacy established by her father Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Like her father, Neshama’s talent and charisma captivate and endear her to people of all ages and backgrounds as she performs in cities all over the world. Together with her band, she continues to both deeply move and entertain as she sings her father’s incomparable melodies and inspiring original compositions. An event with Neshama will uplift you and bring you the gift of songs that are danceable and unforgettable.
Neshama’s sixth CD, One and One will soon be released. This recording consists of all original music with English lyrics. The title track, “One and One,” showcases the Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir.
Neshama is now accepting bookings for concerts, private parties, fundraisers, Shabbat services, “women only” events and more. Please Visit http://www.neshamacarlebach.com, or email soul@neshamacarlebach.com for more details.
“Neshama Carlebach has emerged as one of the premier female singers in the genre of Jewish soul music. If that sounds like a big fish in a small pond, it is. But the daughter of Shlomo Carlebach certainly inherited both the DNA and the pipes to dominate the field. Indeed, one need not even be Jewish to love her music though after hearing her sing, one might want to be.”
–The San Francisco Jewish News
“Neshama’s voice is heavenly…when she's singing, an undeniable feeling of positive love floats out of speakers. We are a generation of cynics and doubters. For every twelve records you own by morally bankrupt artists, you deserve at least one Neshama Carlebach disc.”
–Splendid
Peri Smilow* 
“I can’t remember when I have been so moved by a performer. How lucky we are to have her writing and singing our songs. She is truly a shining star. Peri is a ‘must’ for your community event. She brings her warmth, a million dollar voice and style, and an infectious smile.”
Singer/songwriter, educator, cantorial soloist and community organizer Peri Smilow is delighting audiences nationwide with her fresh, original acoustic music, engaging performance style and infectious spirit. Singing in Hebrew and English, Peri weaves a unique musical tapestry with threads of social justice, community and peace. Available for concerts, workshops, residencies and fundraisers. Ask about: The FREEDOM MUSIC PROJECT: Concert in a Box™—a unique Black-Jewish musical collaboration available nationwide. All programs designed to meet your community’s needs.
For bookings: 973-763-7434 or signofthed@aol.com For CDs: 800-9-SOUND-9 or www.soundswrite.com For more info: www.PeriSmilow.com
*The title of the song is THE PRIESTLY BLESSING and it is from a previously unreleased live recording: PERI SMILOW LIVE at the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts. © 1999 Sign of the Dove Music. All rights reserved.
Miriam Lynn Nelson
Award-winning flutist, Miriam Lynn Nelson, one of the finest classical soloists of her generation, has won unanimous praise for combining natural virtuosity with impassioned musicianship, described as “Dazzling, passionate, pure magic.” “An extraordinary artist of rare gifts,” her meticulous, enchanting interpretations bring music to life with inspiring brilliance and sophisticated elegance. Appearing as soloist/recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, in symphony orchestras, on film soundtracks, radio, CDs, and in studios, she has shared the stage and recorded with artists ranging from the classical and symphonic world to Broadway stars. Identifying with her Jewish heritage, performances showcase complete programs of magnificent classical music in settings for flute and piano, harp, or chamber ensemble, by an international array of Jewish composers, including character pieces of the Holocaust. She also appears as a concerto soloist, performing both Jewish classical repertory and standard classical works.
Contact: The Heritage Chamber Music Society, c/o 8 Drake Road, Somerset, New Jersey 08873. 732-828-1812; E-mail: HeritageCMS@aol.com.
Elaine Serling
“If there were a five-star rating, Elaine Serling would receive a six! Her original songs capture audience’s hearts and delight their souls with refreshing melodies, joyous lyrics, and beautiful messages.”
—Cantor Robert Marinoff
ASCAP Award-winning singer, songwriter, Jewish music educator and children’s author Elaine Serling inspires, charms and connects with audiences young and old through her enthusiastic, engaging live and recorded performances. Elaine shines as an entertainer, combining her unique sparkle and spirited vocals with her sheer love of sharing and celebrating Jewish traditions and values. Honored with the prestigious Jewish Women of the Arts Award for achievements in Jewish music and education, Elaine’s passion for Judaism is palpable and pleases everyone’s musical palates when she performs around the country and abroad. Winner of three Children’s Music Web Awards (2003-2005), look for Elaine’s delightful new CD-Single/Children’s Book Bubbie’s Baby as well as her popular Join the Circle CD and Sing and Celebrate CD/Songbook.
For more information: 800-457-2157, e-mail Elaine at Elainekay@aol.com and visit www.elaineserling.com.
Helene Kates of The Baal Shem Tones
“A unique and holy light to the world
of Jewish music.”
—Neshama Carlebach
Helene Kates is a powerful performer who breaks through boundaries to take you on an emotional journey to a place you have never been before.
Her songwriting “packs a spiritual punch (that) stands out as different from standard musical Jewish fare,” reports the Atlanta Jewish Times. Her groundbreaking short music film “Azor Li” has been screened across the country to rave reviews and is now part of a compelling workshop series exploring the spiritual journey of the Jewish woman. Her concerts are truly riveting and her workshops are a catalyst for change and deep personal growth.
“The memory of this day will always be etched inside my heart.
Thank you G-d for sending this angel our way today.”
—workshop participant inside a women’s maximum security prison
Hear Helene at www.baalshemtones.com
Bookings call Peradam Productions: (404) 256-0400
Joy Katzen-Guthrie
Bring JOY to your community. Exhilarating and Engaging, Joy Katzen-Guthrie’s vibrant music and one- of-a-kind performances uplift and inspire with a message of insight, worldwide unity, and celebration. Jewish concert/recording artist, composer/lyricist, Cantorial Soloist, and pianist and vocalist 27 years, Joy uniquely weaves history and storytelling with traditional, contemporary, and original songs from world genres, celebrating the human spirit. Those who’ve heard her music have described the many ways in which she has been beneficial in their lives — a portal to healing, renewal, and spiritual connection. In congregation and concert, lecture and class, in exhilarating multimedia presentations of “Remote Jews of the Diaspora and China”—where she’s led five amazing heritage tours—with 10 published recordings and a repertoire of thousands of songs, Joy brings together original, Israeli, Yiddish, liturgical, pop, Broadway, film, and American Jewish musical traditions with life-affirming story, memory, and sing-along that touch the mind and heart and truly bring joy.
Bookings, music/information: Tune-of-the-Century Music®; 800-354-1302;
727-785-4568; joyfulnoise@earthlink.net; www.joyfulnoise.net.
Judy Frankel
“Her voice is graceful, ravishing, meltingly warm…” — Sing Out Magazine
“… (one) of today’s most evocative Jewish singers.” — Dirty Linen Magazine
Judy Frankel is a recording-performing artist known internationally for her performance of Sephardic songs learned in the 500-year-old oral tradition from Jewish descendants of 15th-century Iberia. She has concertized extensively throughout the U.S., and in Auschwitz, Barcelona, Havana, Krakow, Lisbon, Madrid, Montreal, Paris, Shanghai, Vilna, and beyond. She is featured on nine CD-compilations and has published four Judeo-Spanish music CDs and a Sephardic songbook of traditional, contemporary and Crypto-Judaic songs. Currently, she divides her time between giving lecture-concerts on the history and music of the Sephardim, conducting workshops in Judeo-Spanish song, and performing concerts from her vast Sephardic repertoire.
For concert, lecture and workshop information: judyfrankel@usa.net; P.O. Box 470515, San Francisco, CA 94147-0515. For CDs and songsbooks: http://www.hrmusic.com/artists/jfart.html or 800-Tara-400 or 800-9-SOUND-9.
Marge Eiseman
Marge Eiseman is a presence! Living an intensely Jewish life, teaching through stories and songs, Marge has the ability to build bridges and make community connect! From a house concert to a program on Rosh Chodesh/Jewish Women’s Spirituality Groups, to a “Presence-in-Residence” weekend that includes leading Shabbat services and singing or writing songs with the religious school kids, she’ll charge up your group’s Jewish life. She is also one of the hosts of Jewish Waves radio (www.jewishwaves.org), an hour-long Jewish music and culture program broadcast in Milwaukee, WI. Her two CDs, We Are All Connected: Songs to Lift the Spirit and Enduring One, are full of uplifting, engaging original songs. Chosen as Milwaukee’s Jewish Educator of the Year 5765, Marge is a passionate teacher of all ages, pre-school through adults, and recently earned a master’s degree in Jewish education from Siegal College of Judaic Studies.
Contact her at 414-426-6216 or marge@jewishwaves.org to arrange a program in your hometown.
Laura Wetzler
“What glorious singing! Exciting, up-beat, joyous.”— Workman’s Circle
ASCAP Award-winning singer/ songwriter Laura Wetzler performs in over 150 concerts and lectures every year, on stage, TV, and radio and in film scores, presenting over 20 different cutting edge programs. Her songs get international airplay on over 750 stations, including New York Times Radio. Laura’s work has been featured on WOR-TV, at jewishfamily.com, in the New York Daily News, the Baltimore Jewish Times, and Jewish Currents, Lilith, and Sing Out magazines, among others. Programs include “A World of Jewish Music-Ethiopia, Uganda, Calcutta, Europe, the U.S. & Israel,” “Jewels of the Diaspora: Jewish & African American Song (duo),” “KidSong™,” “Songwriter’s Notebook,” “Music of the Jews of Italy,” “Songs of the Lost Communities,” and “Kabbalah Music: Songs of the Jewish Mystics.” Travel with Laura to do mitzvah work in Jewish Uganda. Explore 24 different concerts, workshops, and lectures, hear music, or order CDs all at her website.
For more information: 413-634-5617;
booking@laurawetzler.com; www.laurawetzler.com
Cindy Paley
“Cindy Paley is a Jewish treasure...Her spirited and energetic style engages listeners of all ages and provides a positive vehicle for educating and entertaining.”—Randee Friedman, President, Sounds Write Prod., Inc.
Cindy’s distinctive voice and warm personality encourage active participation among multi-generational audiences. A seasoned cantorial soloist, music educator and Jewish music song leader, Cindy travels the U.S., producing, performing creative holiday shows, teacher workshops, family concerts and community celebrations. Singing in Hebrew, Yiddish and Ladino, her repertoire includes meaningful new melodies, traditional liturgy and more. Her latest project introduces Yiddish to children through nationwide performances and workshops. She’s currently finishing S’iz Yontev Kinder! Lomir Zingen! (It’s a Holiday, Children! Let’s Sing!), a CD to be released this fall, featuring holiday songs with a complete songbook printed in Yiddish with English transliteration, music and guitar chords. Named one of the “Top Ten Jewish Children’s Performers” by Moment Marketing and Tara Publications, Cindy has recorded numerous popular works including Yavo Shalom (Israeli Songs of Peace).
More information: 818-621-8954, cindypaley@aol.com, www.cindypaley.com.
Fran Avni
Singer/songwriter, recording artist and producer Fran Avni has been creating original music for over two decades. An internationally acclaimed performer, she engages her audiences in dynamic interactive concerts, workshops and artist residencies. Fran’s varied career covers everything from early childhood literacy songs to traditional and contemporary Hebrew melodies. Her lively concerts are participatory and involve children, teachers, parents and grandparents in fun, singable songs and engaging movement activities. A Fran Avni concert is a lyrical, whimsical mix of catchy melodies and infectious rhythms. With simple props and interactive songs, everyone becomes part of the performance.
Fran’s Instant Harmony Happenings for adults inspire and uplift, create immediate connection and community, and promote peace. Her infectious gift of rhythm and groove provides a new beat for ancient texts. With spontaneity and warmth, spirit and energy, Fran encourages everyone to lift up their voices in unison, chants, drones, and counterpoints—a joyous chorus.
For more information: USA: 424 North St., Oakland CA 94609; 510-595-9132; Canada: 514-737-9630; fran@franavni.com. Visit www.franavni.com
Blue Fringe
With record-breaking CD sales and scores of sold-out performances, Blue Fringe is fast establishing itself as America’s favorite Jewish rock band.
Captivating large and enthusiastic audiences of all ages across the religious spectrum throughout the U.S. and abroad, the band successfully mixes pop, rock, funk and R&B with Jewish themes that are particularly relevant today. Arranged, written, and recorded over the course of several months, The Whole World Lit Up, Blue Fringe’s highly-anticipated third album, hit stores in December 2006 and features a ten-song collection of innovative approaches to traditional Jewish tunes. Weaving familiar melodies with original lyrics about anti-Semitism, the ongoing war in Israel, and the Jewish response of prayer to 9/11, the album infuses new perspective into ancient liturgy and promises to be their most successful release yet.
For more information on Blue Fringe please visit www.bluefringe.com or call
MJ Productions at (516) 528-3129.
Sababa
Sababa is...
an Arabic word widely used as Israeli slang, meaning “really cool” or “awesome.” While it can be used to describe an object (as in, “Hey, your new car is really sababa”), it’s more often used to describe a mood or a feeling (as in, “How are you feeling today?” “Sababa!”)
Sababa is...
the newest powerhouse trio in Jewish music! Steve Brodsky, Scott Leader, and Robbi Sherwin, all accomplished songwriters, performers, and recording artists, have joined forces to create great, rockin’ new Jewish music. Outstanding songwriting, masterful musicianship, and impeccable harmonies make Sababa “one of Jewish music’s coolest rockin’ trios.”
Sababa’s debut recording, Pray for the Peace, has received high praise: “The songwriting and the production values on this CD are of the highest quality. But it’s those beautiful three-part harmonies that truly take Sababa to another level. Sababa is the Crosby, Stills, and Nash (circa 1969) of the Jewish music world today.”—Cantor Martin Levson, Hamden, CT
For more information, visit www.SababaMusic.com or e-mail info@sababamusic.com.
Robin Helzner Trio
“A MUSICAL DELIGHT! Robyn Helzner’s voice radiates warmth and hope.”
—The Washington Post
“The Trio’s performance for our Israel Independence Day Celebration was perfect! You had us dancing in the aisles.”
—Jewish Federation, Portland, Maine
Bring the Robyn Helzner Trio to your community to celebrate Israel’s 60th birthday! From Beijing to Boston and Moscow to Miami, the Trio has inspired Jewish audiences to celebrate their cultural roots and non-Jewish listeners to appreciate a vital part of Jewish culture. With exceptional vocal harmonies and exciting instrumentals, the Trio brings our rich Jewish musical experience to life. The Trio’s new CD, Signs & Wonders, showcases the lively rhythms and evocative melodies that make up the vast Jewish cultural landscape. Book the Trio before 11/1/07 and receive a discount!
For more information or to purchase music: RAH Productions, 202-244-3975; robyn@helzner.com; www.helzner.com; PO Box 11398, Washington, DC 20008
Shlock Rock
Shlock Rock is in its twenty-first year performing Jewish Rock and Roll. With 29 albums released since Lenny Solomon started the band in 1986, Shlock Rock has inspired people to learn more about their heritage and love being Jewish. A powerful band in Jewish Music and Jewish Education today, they’ve performed over 2000 times in more than 225 cities worldwide. Teachers of every denomination have used Shlock Rock songs to teach Jewish Pride, Identity, Awareness and Jewish Continuity through music. Lenny lives in Israel with his wife and four children and performs over 70 times a year. This year sees two new releases “Osher V’Osher” an original music CD with 12 new compositions and “Shlock Rock GH2 - Greatest Hits 1991-1996” a collection of Shlock Rock hits plus three bonus tracks.
Get the latest information on Shlock Rock, free lesson plans, lyrics and MP3 song-
preview clips at www.shlockrock.com. Shlock Rock is here to help you “Be Good Be Cool Be Jewish!”
For more info, email us at info@shlockrock.com or call 1-800-233-9494
Cantor Wally
Great edutainment, diverse appeal, and singable songs! Cantor Wally is a featured performer at Jewish gatherings with several albums and a songbook to his credit. His hilarious and touching “songs with a message” in both Hebrew and English engage groups large and small. Wally’s music is sung across the country, and he is now recording two new series of songs, on the Jewish life cycle and on early childhood menschlichkeit. Wally, an HUC graduate and a long-time URJ song and prayer leader, is cantor of Leo Baeck Temple, Los Angeles, and is regularly a musician-in-residence, guest lecturer and workshop leader nationally.
For appearances and products: cantorwally@6point.com; 818-993-5778;
www.cantorwally.com.
The Afro-Semitic Experience
The Afro-Semitic Experience is a collective of Jewish and African-American musicians from diverse backgrounds. They offer music, stories, and more in a unique program that merges their distinct heritages and cultures and delivers a positive and meaningful message about interfaith and Black-Jewish relations. The combination of their sophisticated jazz artistry, wit, and reverence for the material makes for a moving, one-of-a-kind musical experience.
“The Afro-Semitic Experience evokes the sound of cultural shift, of a melting pot, of spirituality and devotion and ceremony, of partying and praying and jamming…A danceable, trance-causing flurry of notes with godly underpinnings. Underneath all the oomph you feel the warmth, wealth, fury and pain of whole nations, repressed cultures, challenged beliefs. This band is the sound of the past, the present and the great beyond all at once.”—Christopher Arnott, The New Haven Advocate
“The Afro-Semitic Experience rocks the house.”—George Robinson, The Jewish Week
For more information or a free sample CD: 212-683-7816; concerts@goldenland.com; www.goldenland.com.
Alhambra
The concert by Alhambra was by far the most exciting event in this year’s series.—El Espectador, Bogota, Colombia
The Sephardic music ensemble, ALHAMBRA, celebrating its 26th anniversary, has invited the Lebanese singer/oudist Maurice Chedid to join the ensemble for programs called “Building Bridges: the Arabic-Sephardic Kinship.” The group consists of members: Isabelle Ganz, Michael Hess, Cantor Daniel Pincus, Elliot Z. Levine, Haig Manoukian, Nicole LeCorgne, Maurice Chedid, and dancer Aszmara. Together they perform the rhythmic, haunting music of Spain, the Balkans, North Africa, the Middle Eastern countries and Israel. Instruments include oud, qanun, violin, shawm, percussion, and vocals. Directed by Isabelle Ganz and based in New York, the group performs all-Sephardic or Arabic-Sephardic programs. ALHAMBRA appears as a quartet, quintet or sextet. Recordings include Alhambra Performs Judeo-Spanish Songs and The Art of Judeo-Spanish Song (Global Village Music) as well as The Joy of Judeo-Spanish Song (Aulos).
For more information contact, Isabelle Ganz: Iganz@attglobal.net;
phone: 713-818-0386; or Leila@LSArtists.com, 914-751-7870;
www.alhambragroup.com.
David Paskin
“The most direct means for attaching ourselves to God from this material world is through music and song.”—Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
After leading two Jewish musical groups, producing and recording five albums of contemporary Jewish music, writing scores of powerful and uplifting songs, performing hundreds of concerts across the United States and in Israel—the “Rock ‘n’ roll Rabbi” still aspires to inspire!
“His music brings Jewish tradition to life through songs filled with energy and spirit. Adults and children alike are thrilled by the upbeat and charismatic tunes and their spirits are touched by songs filled with prayer.”—St. Louis Jewish Light
For more information about David Paskin, visit www.rocknrollrabbi.com, www.davidpaskin.com or e-mail rabbi@davidpaskin.com.
Also check out www.shirav.net where Rabbi David Paskin joins with Rabbi Menachem Creditor to become the Jewish Simon and Garfunkel.
David Shneyer
Singer-composer, rabbi-cantor, guitarist-clarinetist, David is one of America’s finest performers of traditional and contemporary Jewish folk music. He has delighted audiences from Argentina to Canada, from Israel to Sweden and some 38 states in the U.S., with rousing performances, compelling workshops and joyful davenning. A leader in the havurah movement and the movement for Jewish Renewal, David is the spiritual leader of Kehila Chadasha and Am Kolel. Reb David is also the director of the Am Kolel Sanctuary Retreat and Renewal Center near Washington, D.C. He has edited and translated a New Makhzor for the High Holidays, and his recordings include American Chai, Country Klezmer, Smoky Mountain Shabbes, Love Songs and Blessings, and Psalm Songs from Rock Creek. A protégé of Shlomo Carlebach’s, David also leads the Fabrangen Fiddlers Band.
For more information contact 301-231-9067 or write rebdavids@aol.com
The Josh Nelson Project
Josh Nelson is one of the most popular performers and producers in modern Jewish music. A multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Josh’s music has been celebrated and integrated into the repertoire of congregations, camps and communities across North America.
2007 marks the long-awaited release of Lift, the debut CD from the Josh Nelson Project. Built upon songs of Jewish identity and continuity, Lift breaks new ground with razor-sharp lyricism and a progressive, radio-ready sound.
The Josh Nelson Project is a perfect choice for community concerts, inspiring Shabbat services, and artist residencies. Josh’s performance style is high-energy and captivating, and his music consistently leaves audiences with strong feelings of community.
Josh has performed over one thousand shows in a variety of venues. Highlights include: international conventions for each of the major youth movements in the USA, the United Jewish Communities General Assembly, URJ Biennial Conventions, JCCA National Conventions, CAJE conferences, and JCC Maccabi Games.
For booking information, tour dates and merchandise, please visit
www.joshnelsonproject.com. Contact: josh@joshnelson.net; (888) 613-JOSH
Kenny Ellis
Kenny has been the cantor at Temple Beth Haverim in Agoura Hills, CA, for 11 years. He is a versatile performer whose talent combines singing, stand-up comedy, and pantomime in an entertaining show that includes a variety of popular songs, cantorial pieces, and Broadway hits. He performs these with a smooth vocal style that draws raves from audiences from New York to Tel Aviv. Kenny’s live recording, The Man Behind the Matzoh Ball, was overwhelmingly received and his new CD, Hanukkah Swings! is a big hit!
For more information, check it out at www.kennyellis.com.
818-707-4216; KennyE145@aol.com; 5699 Kanan Rd., #150, Agoura Hills, CA 91301.
Eric Komar
“Eric is a serious talent!”—Sam Glaser
Listeners of all ages have enjoyed the rock, folk, and jazz of veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist Eric Komar. With two decades of songleading experience, he performs and teaches at JCCs and Hillels around the country, as well as URJ Biennial and CAJE conventions. A number of his compositions are published by Transcontinental Music, including peace anthem “Lo Yisa Goi” from the debut CD Notes from the Underground.
January 2007 marked the release of Eric’s second CD Two Life, showcasing the inspirational songwriting and skillful guitar playing his fans have come to expect. Its featured track, “Justice, Justice,” has become a favorite of teens at New York area synagogues.
Eric lives in New Jersey with his wife Dalia and son Noah. In addition to being a synagogue music specialist, he works in the field of music publishing and teaches guitar.
For more information or to purchase music: 718-344-0440; Eric@KomarMusic.com; www.KomarMusic.com
