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Singing or playing instruments together creates the ideal community. It emphasizes both the strength of the individual voice to hold its own while recognizing that the whole sounds only as good as its parts. Music is a vibration: A path to peace that soothes, comforts and connects us to each other.
Can you imagine life without it? Music has always been deeply rooted in Jewish culture—from spontaneous heartfelt prayers to klezmer wedding music, from Mizrahi nusach and Sephardic songs of love to Hasidic niggunim. With such a rich musical tradition, it’s no wonder that modern-day musicians have begun to create their own take on Jewish music.
This guide showcases some of the music, from folksy guitar tunes to classical interpretations and a cappella. Throw in some hip hop, jazz, Ladino and rap and you have a musical map of our history, and our future. We hope you enjoy this kaleidoscope of modern Jewish expression. And help preserve our culture, l’dor va’dor—from now until generations to come.
—Chana Rothman and Linda Hirschhorn, organizers of the Jewish Women’s Music Festival August 2-8, at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut
Click here to read music stories from Moment's archives.
The Afro-Semitic Experience is a band beyond category—they play spiritual, world-beat, funk, jazz, cantorial, gospel, salsa, swing and soul-driven music. Their concerts are celebrations where they play great music, tell stories and offer a positive and meaningful message: Unity in the Community. For over a decade, this group has been finding ways to merge the spiritual and sacred sounds of Jewish and African-American music into something familiar and yet new. The combination of their artistry, wit and reverence for the material makes for a moving, one-of-a-kind musical experience. Their music and their message has been bringing audiences to their feet to dance and cheer all across the county. Come participate! “Never before have I heard this lyrically powerful a fusion of Jewish and jazz souls on fire...” Nat Hentoff, The Wall Street Journal.
(203) 287-5446,
For more information: 203-287-5446; info@afrosemiticexperience.net, afrosemiticexperience.net
The Alexandria Kleztet is a genre-bending klezmer band that takes an exciting and innovative approach to traditional Eastern European/Jewish music. The band, based in the Washington/Baltimore area, has been combining klezmer with diverse influences for more than a decade. New arrangements of traditional melodies and original songs draw upon jazz, classical, world beat, rock and other musical forms to create a unique sound. The Kleztet has performed throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, including annual appearances at the Kennedy Center and regular concerts at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. They began touring internationally in 2007 with an appearance at the Semanas Musicales festival in Chile. Led by woodwind player Seth Kibel, the band includes violinist Helen Hausmann, bassist Scott Harlan and percussionist Tim Jarvis. The Kleztet has been honored with sixteen Washington Area Music Association Awards, including ones for outstanding world music instrumentalist, group and recording. Following the success of three previous albums, The Kleztet released their CD Peace, Love and Coffee, featuring six original compositions and creative re-workings of songs by Kurt Weill and John Williams, among others.
(410) 925-5253,
kleztet@gmail.com, kleztet.com
(410) 925-5253, kleztet@gmail.com, kleztet.com
“The concert by Alhambra was by far the most exciting event in this year’s series.” —El Espectador, Bogota, Colombia. The Sephardic music ensemble, celebrating its 30th anniversary, has invited the Lebanese singer/oudist Maurice Chedid to join the ensemble for programs called “Building Bridges: the Arabic-Sephardic Kinship.” They continue to perform songs of love and weddings, of the Jewish holidays and of other Jewish life- cycle events. The group consists of members: Isabelle Ganz, Michael Hess, Cantor Daniel Pincus, Elliot Z. Levine, Haig Manoukian, Rami El Aasser and dancer Aszmara. Most concerts feature five players performing the rhythmic, haunting music of Spain, the Balkans, North Africa, the Middle East and Israel. Instruments include oud, qanun, violin, shawm, percussion and vocals. Directed by Isabelle Ganz and based in New York, Alhambra can appear as a quartet, quintet or sextet. Recordings include Alhambra Performs Judeo-Spanish Songs, The Art of Judeo-Spanish Song and The Joy of Judeo-Spanish Song (Aulos).
(713) 818-0386, iganz@isabelleganz.com, alhambragroup.com
(713) 818-0386, Iganz@isabelleganz.com, alhambragroup.com
Singer Helene Kates of The Baal Shem Tones is a rising star in American Jewish music, and anyone who has seen this tiny dynamo in performance knows why. “Helene is amazing,” says singer Craig Taubman. “I couldn’t take my eyes off her throughout the whole show. I’ve never seen anything like it; she has a gift from G-d.” Helene and bandmate/husband Michael’s style of tightly crafted songwriting has been described as 100 percent American and 100 percent Jewish, with a powerful spiritual punch that stands out from standard Jewish musical fare. From the largest concert venues to the smallest workshops, a Baal Shem Tones program is more than great music. For many it is a spiritual event that stays with them for years.
“After the last song, it’s like a dear friend just got on an outbound plane.” — Julie Silver (404) 256-0400, baalshemtones.com See ad on page 55.
(404) 256-0400, baalshemtones.com
 Neshama Carlebach
Neshama Carlebach, a leading superstar 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 and teaches in cities worldwide. With her incredible band and in collaboration with The Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir, she continues to both deeply move and entertain as she sings her father’s incomparable melodies and inspiring original compositions. Neshama’s seventh recording, Higher & Higher (Sojourn Records/Sony), an official Entrant in the 2011 Grammy Awards, showcases this unique collaboration. Neshama and the Choir were the featured performers at the 2010 General Assembly conference in New Orleans. Neshama has limited dates left in 2011. She can perform solo, with her band or with the full choir.
Neshama will be headlining at the Jewish Music Festival, August 29 — September 5 at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT.
(718) 360-9925, mark@sojournrecords.com
See ads on pages 54 & 56.
CantorWally.com
50% cross-generational Hebrew music phenomenon. 50% children’s music sensation. 100% authentic. Native Israeli recording artist, performer, music therapist and educator, Dafna is heralded as “an emerging star...at the forefront of a new type of children’s edu-tainment” on the cover of the New York Jewish Week and described by the Canadian Jewish News as an “extremely talented” performer whose music will “delight listeners of all ages...who inevitably, will also sing happily along.” Known also as the founder of Shir Fun, the groundbreaking Hebrew music-based early childhood development program, Dafna’s original Hebrew songs are adored by adults as much as their children. Her distinct sound is an authentic and organic Hebrew take on folk, Americana, world music and reggae sounds, and her concerts with her Shir Fun Band are unforgettable audience-driven celebrations of music and the Hebrew language. Dafna is cherished by a worldwide following of fans young and old. Click here to see a video of Dafna's music.
(646) 342-0715, shirfun@yahoo.com, shirfun.com
Eprhyme (pronounced E-prime) is a Radical Jewish Renaissance Rapper, combining cutting edge cultural expression with consciousness expanding contemporary Jewish commentary. Whether rhyming about Current Events, Altered States of Consciousness, or Neo-Hasidic Storytelling, Eprhyme’s “rapid-fire word salads are a humanist vision of spirituality fused with social engagement,” (The Forward). Since 2009, Eprhyme has been bringing his inspiring blend of deep spirituality, Jewish
identity and avante-popular style to music clubs, liberal arts colleges, international conferences and Jewish community centers. In that time, Eprhyme has also relased two full length solo albums, the first with pioneering Jewish Music Label ‘Shemspeed’ and the most recent with legendary Indie-Pop icon ‘K Records.’ ‘Dopestylevsky,’ Eprhyme’s sophomore solo effort, released on April 26 has been enthusiastically received by fans and endorsed by critics as “an imaginative look forward into the future of hip hop.” Aside from being an electrifying poet and performer, Eprhyme is also a sought after public speaker and spiritual teacher, as well as one half of the Musical Midrash Project, ‘Darshan.’
Eprhyme will be headlining at the Jewish Music Festival, August 29 — September 5 at
the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT.
eprhyme.com, krecs.com, facebook.com/eprhyme
Yaakov Feinstein-Feit is a Master of Melody who has given birth to hauntingly beautiful liturgical chants, used in havurot and synagogues around the world. His 2011 album Az (Then) delves deeply into richly-layered harmony, electronic explorations, Gospel and Latin influences, while exploring what it means to be a Godwrestler in the 21st century. The 2010 release Zeh (This), is a folk-electronic Kabbalat Shabbat album of enchanting original melodies, featuring Aviva Chernick (Jaffa Road), Basya Schechter (Pharaoh’s Daughter) and piano prodigy Jullian Pollack. Rabbi Shefa Gold, a pioneer in the renewal of Jewish music called Zeh “a striking and lovely expression of deep devotion, thoughtful embrace of text, playful exuberance and gentle reverence for the Teachings of Love.” Whether teaching contemplative prayer or leading ecstatic song, as an officiant at weddings and life-cycle events, or as one-half of the world-hop duo Darshan (with Radical Jewish Renaissance Rapper Eden “Eprhyme” Pearlstein), Shir Yaakov weaves a tapestry of Kabbalistic wisdom, contemporary songwriting, and deep personal spirituality that can move your body, mind, heart and soul. Shir Yaakov currently serves as the musical and creative director of Romemu, New York City’s fastest growing synagogue. He will be headlining at the Jewish Music Festival, August 29 — September 5 at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT.
shiryaakov.bandcamp.com, romemu.org/music
Adrianne Greenbaum, offering three different ensembles—FleytMuzik, Klezical Tradition, and Mishpokhe—is known for her groups’ unparalleled performances, be it for concerts or celebrations. Musicians literally ignite the fire in the souls of the audience with moving nigunim while freylekh dance tunes complement a program filled with personal accounts of history in the making, of family connections, of interesting tidbits that bring the music to life. A special klezmer Friday Night service, composed by Greenbaum, is offered as one single event in your synagogue or can be the beginning of a weekend residency with coaching, leading dancing, talks and a final concert. Education concerts in public or private schools, with narrators. Small to large ensemble offerings, classical and jazz to complement your celebration. For Bar/Bat Mitzvot we offer dancing and background plus games that feature Jewish music for the kids. We do it all — and very well!!
klezmerflute.com, klezband.com
Hailed as “one of the finest American klezmer bands” by Songlines Magazine, Metropolitan Klezmer performs an exhilarating range of musical treasure with astonishing agility and refreshing depth. Formed in 1994, this engaging neo-traditional octet of exceptional New York musicians combines the best of downtown, classical and world music, playing soulful arrangements of rollicking dance, ethereal trance, gorgeous Yiddish swing and tango, Soviet Yiddish theater tunes & vintage soundtracks revisited, plus imaginative originals such as klezmer cumbia, appealing to all ages. Led by drummer/Yiddish film lecturer/Harvard grad Eve Sicular, “Metropolitan Klezmer takes a scholarly approach to the genre’s history, yet never skimps on the exuberance at its core” (Time Out NY). Along with sister sextet Isle of Klezbos — touring Vienna to Vancouver — Metropolitan Klezmer has been on HBO, CBS, PBS, CNN, Showtime and NPR. Bandmate backgrounds: Albanian to Zydeco, Latin jazz to baroque, Eastman to Juilliard. Latest award-winning CD Traveling Show, “5 stars!” (Jewish Week) and raves worldwide. 2010-11: Lincoln Center packed premiere; sold-out debut concerts, Miami & Mid-Atlantic; Triangle Fire centenary, Cooper Union. 2012 Southwest debut: Scottsdale, AZ. “Brilliant & breathless, mixing levity with gravity” (Phat Planet). “Absolute top of the genre” (Rootstown, Belgium).
(212) 475-4544, sicular@gmail.com, metropolitanklezmer.com
Craig Taubman began his illustrious career at the tender age of 15, when he picked up a guitar and led music at Camp Ramah in Ojai, California. His eclectic (read ‘madly creative,’ not ‘dirty hippie’) musical style has made his recordings an integral part of the Jewish community. Craig’s top-selling releases include Friday Night Live, and his most recent recording, How Good. His extensive musical catalog consists of over 50 recordings, featuring everything from the new Celebrate Jewish Lullabies, to Rockin’ Toontown, featuring backup vocal with Minnie and Mickey! He produces concerts, festivals, and the unique annual publication Jewels of Elul. We attribute Craig’s extraordinary success to good hair products, his dog, children and wife of 25 years who keep him in line.
craignco.com, 1-800-6-CRAIG-8
 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.
The Heritage Chamber Music Society: (732) 828-1812, heritagecms@aol.com
The Red Sea Pedestrians (RSP) are a one-of-a-kind, full-blown, instrument-swapping fusion between tradition and the here-and-now. We’re talkin’ high-energy world-beat grooves, hypnotic laments from the earth, songs of celebration and wonder, all filtered through the band’s original vision. RSP is a melting pot of six distinct singer/songwriters and multi-instrumentalists,exploring a warped and beautiful blend of Klezmer, Greek, Gypsy, Celtic, Jazz and American Roots. Their newest and third full-length album, , will be released Summer 2011.
redseapedestrians2@gmail.com, redseapedestrians.com
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The Afro-Semitic Experience
Eprhyme 
Shir Yaakov Feinstein-Feit 
Adrianne Greenbaum 
Metropolitan Klezmer 
