Swap a CD: 15 Recently Posted CDs in Jewish & Yiddish Music

The Sway Machinery - Hidden Melodies Revealed

The Sway Machinery — 2013-05-15T21:09:22-05:00

The Sway Machinery is an all-star collective lead by guitarist Jeremiah Lockwood of Balkan Beat Box and includes Brian Chase of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on drums, Stuart Bogie and Jordan McLean of the Antibalas, and touring member of Arcade Fire Colin Stetson on bass saxophone. The Sway Machinery's sound stems from Lockwood's rich musical relationships with his grandfather Cantor Jacob Konigsberg and renowned bluesman Carolina Slim, who guided Lockwood's musical development. Lockwood's deeply personal bond to these two musical traditions helped him to create a unique musical language of his own, as he learned to move from singing in his grandfather's study to playing with Carolina Slim in New York City subway stations. Though The Sway Machinery carefully cultivates Lockwood's deeply felt connection to his musical roots, his accomplished colleagues bring to the table the sounds of afro-beat horns, unassailable rock beats and an astutely contemporary musical sensibility. Lockwood's ambitious melding of styles results in what The Village Voice has called a most joyful synthesis.

Stephen Flaherty Lynn Ahrens Audra McDonald Brian Stokes Mitchell Marin Mazzie - Ragtime - The Musical (1998 Original Broadway Cast)

2013-04-12T01:55:48-05:00

The epic sweep of Ragtime is captured in its opening prologue, a nine-minute kaleidoscope of fictional characters mingling with historical figures from the early 20th century as originally captured in E.L. Doctorow's sprawling novel. As the story continues, we meet pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Brian Stokes Mitchell) and his child's mother, Sarah (Audra McDonald), who has been taken in by a respectable family (including Marin Mazzie as Mother). Parallel story lines of the Latvian immigrant Tateh (Peter Friedman), the entertainer Evelyn Nesbit (Lynnette Perry), and even Harry Houdini (Jim Corti) and Emma Goldman (Judy Kaye) eventually mingle and merge. Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once on This Island) mix marches, cakewalks, and of course ragtime to create a rich, compelling score, including Sarah's song to her baby, "Your Daddy's Son," her soaring duet with Coalhouse, "Wheels of a Dream," Mother's self-revealing "Back to Before," and numerous set pieces, all performed by a perfect cast. Ragtime was nominated for 12 Tony Awards in 1998, with wins for McDonald, original score, book, and orchestration. The CD also includes an eight-minute symphonic suite conducted by Paul Gemignani and a booklet with photos, full lyrics, and a history of how the score was written. Tragic, touching, and ultimately triumphant, Ragtime is an American classic. --David Horiuchi

Mandy Patinkin - Mamaloshen

Mandy Patinkin — 2013-02-12T23:08:23-05:00

Mandy Patinkin knew only a few words of Yiddish at the beginning of the '90s, when the late Joe Papp eked a promise from the actor-singer to learn the repertoire. So he did, and this helzapoppin' collection of traditional Yiddish tunes and Yiddish translations of English songs by Jewish composers is the overblown, symphonically orchestrated result. Patinkin plays to the third balcony on "Mamaloshen" ("mother tongue"), squeezing every iota of feeling out of songs you might have heard on Grandma's knee, and turning each guttural consonant into a virtual phlegm fest. Nostalgia can be nice, but things get weird when Patinkin makes with Yiddish versions of such showstoppers as "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," Paul Simon's "American Tune," "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and--oy vey ist mir!--even "The Hokey Pokey," their inclusion justified on assimilationist principles. --Richard Gehr

Margot Leverett Klezmer Mountain Boys - Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys

Margot Leverett, Klezmer Mountain Boys — 2013-02-07T20:24:10-05:00

David Broza - Stone Doors

David Broza — 2013-02-06T22:34:44-05:00

In this enchanting medium tempo rock album though produced as part of a driving safety campaign in Israel we find reminders of places rhythms and people of America's West. From lovely folk ballads such as "Because I Love You" to catchy melodies such as "G

Paul Zim - Seder Night

Paul Zim — 2012-12-31T12:55:55-05:00

PAUL ZIM SEDER NIGHTS-CD

David Krakauer - Klezmer N.Y.

David Krakauer — 2012-12-19T20:37:12-05:00

Timna Brauer Elias Meiri - Chansons & Violons

Timna Brauer, Elias Meiri — 2012-10-27T11:45:42-05:00

I started my schooling at the French Lycee in Vienna in May 1968. I spent my early childhood in Paris where my parents earned their living singing as a duet in the Latin quarter, specifically in the famous "La Contrescarpe" nightclub where young, still unknown artists such as Georges Brassens, Barbara and Jean-Paul Belmondo hung out. We were taught roundels and French songs in kindergarten. Later in the seventies, we were singing Georges Moustaki and Jacques Brel in the lycee. When I returned to Paris in 1980 to begin my music studies, it seemed to me that the tradition of French songs had disappeared. French rap as performed by Serge Gainsbourg and M. C. Solaar was going to replace them. However, these timeless melodies are still lurking somewhere in the minds of the French. One has to seek them out in deepest France - in the bistros. In its presentation of chamber music - piano, strings and voice - in a classical form, the arrangements of Elias Meiri are offering a new dimension of forgotten (?) French songs by integrating original compositions along with various adaptions in French. TIMNA BRAUER

Mickey Katz - Simcha Time

Mickey Katz — 2012-07-11T20:14:52-05:00

On the surface, bandleader, songwriter, clarinetist, comedian, and (most of all) entertainer Mickey Katz is a sort of Jewish-style Spike Jones. Schmaltzy comedy and frenetic klezmer riffs combine to create humorous skits that were part borscht belt, part vaudeville. But listen here to Katz's one "straight" album--the legendary Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs and Brisses, recorded in the early '50s for Capitol--and you find a true musician who could swing with jazz's best, a guy with faultless timing and a great sense of humor. On "Frailach Jamboree," he takes the upbeat traditional klezmer pattern (the frailach) and proves he and his band have impeccable timing; the next tune takes klezmer the way of Raymond Scott, the cartoon-music pioneer; on "Simcha Time," he rounds up the whole circus--bride, groom, and family (this is music for weddings, after all)--and happily informs you that the show is going to begin. Whether he's writing cancans or covering "Sunrise, Sunset," you can't help but admire Katz's musical, and comedic, genius. Don Byron achieved acclaim for his album of Katz interpretations, Plays the Music of Mickey Katz, but this is the original thing. And what a gorgeous shtick it was, now--thankfully--reissued entirely on CD with bonus cuts from Hello, Solly, his Broadway musical, and five previously unreleased tunes. --Jason Verlinde

Johann Sebastian Bach Felix 1 Mendelssohn George Frederick Handel Franz Vienna Schubert Charles Gounod Richard Classical Wagner Johann Pachelbel Jeremiah Clarke Henry Purcell Joseph Barnby Albert Hay Malotte Ludwig van Beethoven JeanJoseph Mouret Victor Young Michael Kamen Alex North Lionel Richie Larry Henley Marvin Hamlisch Kenny G - Forever in Love

2012-06-16T13:10:31-05:00

Various Artists - All the Best From Israel

Various Artists — 2012-06-06T17:58:20-05:00

Various Artists - Festival of Light

Various Artists — 2011-12-15T17:53:17-05:00

You might ask yourself, what does the funky blues of Peter Himmelman's "Lighting Up the World" have in common with the spirited klezmer of Don Byron's "Oi Tata"? Somehow, after listening to Festival of Light, you'll see the connection. Throughout this compilation--one of the most eclectic collections of Hanukkah music available--you find diverse, yet soulful music that somehow captures the spirit of the holiday and its people today. The Covenant meld the future sounds of electronica and trance with the gorgeous vintage vocals of Cantor Ben Zion Kapov-Kagen on "Kiddush Le-Shabbat" to great affect; the Masada String Quartet performs John Zorn's playful "Bikkurim" in one of the disc's most sublime moments; and Jane Siberry's take on "Shir Amami" puts a modern spin on the traditional tune. Whether you favor the lush sounds of worldbeat or the sincere messages of world-class singer-songwriters, there's something for you here. --Jason Verlinde

Ofra Haza - Desert Wind

Ofra Haza — 2011-03-23T21:58:41-05:00

She's been dubbed "the Madonna of the Desert," and this record is the reason why. Haza came out of her '80s folk-fan circuit and returned to her beloved Israeli disco-pop with this highly produced set of songs that were clearly designed for the mainstream. She's got an incredible set of pipes, and they are readily in evidence here. Haza is a charmer when she sings, soaring above even the most trivial studio dubs and musical overloads that exemplify the backing tracks. There are more traditional recordings available from Haza, both predating and following this one, that accent her Israeli and Yemenite heritage. Desert Wind is for those looking for a heavier beat, a harder pop edge, and exotic samples rather than deeper roots. --Louis Gibson

Matisyahu - Youth

Matisyahu — 2011-02-26T16:38:04-05:00

Samuel Cohen Sholom Secunda Naples Alessandro Scarlatti Orchestra John Huston Richard Tucker - Welcoming the Sabbath

2011-01-08T12:22:18-05:00