Chassidic Singer Shulem Lemmer Sings Frank Sinatra's Hit "My Way" in Tel Aviv

We've become big fans of Shulem Lemmer after spending a Shabbat with him in Delray Beach a couple of years ago when he was the star of a concert at Anshei Emuna Congregation.

Shulem Lemmer, known professionally simply as "Shulem," is an American Belz Hasidic singer from Borough Park, Brooklyn, in New York City. He is the first born-and-raised Haredi Jew to sign a major record contract with a leading label, Universal Music Group, under its classical music Decca Gold imprint.

Before becoming a full-time singer, Lemmer was marketing director at a technology firm start-up based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He also works as a cantor during the High Holidays at Congregation Ahavath Torah, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Englewood, New Jersey.

Shulem Lemmer is the most recent rising star of the Jewish musical tradition that has been intertwined in the life, faith, and culture of the Jewish people throughout their history. Whether it's prayers, psalms, or contemporary classics, this youthful Brooklyn tenor finds in music something rich and affirming, an endeavor that makes the soul soar and the spirit rise and speaks to the human condition. 

Shulem is as comfortable with popular music and Broadway show tunes as he is with Chassidic music. Today we're sharing a performance by Shulem of Frank Sinatra's hit My Way at Magen David Adom's annual event at the Heichal Hatarbut in Tel Aviv in June 2023.

Enjoy!

Unsung Jewish Composers and Lyricists of the Great American Songbook - Ervin Drake and "It Was a Very Good Year"

It's well known that many of the songs that comprise the collection known as The Great American Song Book were written by Jewish composers and lyricists, mostly in the decades between 1930 and 1965, but also going back to the turn of the 20th century.

 

The most prolific of these writers are responsible for the great majority of songs. Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin lead the long list of songwriters and their songs number in the hundreds.

But there are many others that were written by composers and lyricists that you very likely never heard of. These songwriters wrote lots of pop songs to stand alone and as parts of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and Hollywood movies. Most of the songs are long forgotten, but a few of them have become popular standards, and are sung as much today as in the years they were written.

In this series, which will run in Jewish Humor Central on a weekly basis, we will focus on one songwriter at a time, and feature a video performance of their most popular song.

Today we're featuring Ervin Drake, who was born in New York City as Ervin Maurice Druckman. He attended Townsend Harris High School and the City College of New York. One of his best known songs is I Believe which was made popular by Frankie Laine.

He wrote the words and music for It Was a Very Good Year in 1961, when a publisher friend told him that Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio would be in the publisher's office the next morning, and the publisher asked Drake to write a song for Shane to sing solo. 

 

In 1965, Frank Sinatra heard the song on his car radio as he was driving home in the desert and immediately pulled over in the middle of the night to a gas station and pay phone. Sinatra called Gordon Jenkins and told him he wanted him to make an arrangement with plenty of strings and maybe an interesting instrument like the oboe could be used as well. 

When he arrived back in L.A. he recorded it for his career comeback album September of My Years. The Sinatra recording was a Top 30 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1966, and made No.1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. 

 

Here's the rare studio recording of Sinatra singing Jenkins' arrangement of It Was a Very Good Year. 

 

Enjoy!

 

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Unsung Jewish Composers and Lyricists of the Great American Songbook - Carolyn Leigh

It's well known that many of the songs that comprise the collection known as The Great American Song Book were written by Jewish composers and lyricists, mostly in the decades between 1930 and 1965, but also going back to the turn of the 20th century.

The most prolific of these writers are responsible for the great majority of songs. Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin lead the long list of songwriters and their songs number in the hundreds.

But there are many others that were written by composers and lyricists that you very likely never heard of. These songwriters wrote lots of pop songs to stand alone and as parts of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and Hollywood movies. Most of the songs are long forgotten, but a few of them have become popular standards, and are sung as much today as in the years they were written.

In this series, which will run in Jewish Humor Central on a weekly basis, we will focus on one songwriter at a time, and feature a video performance of their most popular song.

Today we're featuring Carolyn Leigh, who was born to a Jewish family in the Bronx. She graduated from Hunter High School, Queens College and NYU.

 

She wrote lyrics for Broadway shows including Peter Pan, Wildcat, Little Me, and How Now, Dow Jones. Her best known song is the second one she wrote after working as a copy writer for radio stations and advertising agencies.

 

In 1953 she was urged to write songs by a music publisher. The first was I’m Waiting Just for You. Her second was Young at Heart. At the time, her father, a man with a great zest for life, had become ill and depressed.

 

“I wrote the song for him,” she recalled, “using some of his own philosophy to cheer him up. When the song became Number 1, he was the most happy fella in the hospital.”

 

With music by Johnny Richard, here is the definitive hit recording by Frank Sinatra.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Starting a New Series: Unsung Jewish Composers and Lyricists of the Great American Songbook - Albert Von Tilzer

It's well known that many of the songs that comprise the collection known as The Great American Song Book were written by Jewish composers and lyricists, mostly in the decades between 1930 and 1965, but also going back to the turn of the 20th century.

The most prolific of these writers are responsible for the great majority of songs. Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin lead the long list of songwriters and their songs number in the hundreds.

But there are many others that were written by composers and lyricists that you very likely never heard of. These songwriters wrote lots of pop songs to stand alone and as parts of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and Hollywood movies. Most of the songs are long forgotten, but a few of them have become popular standards, and are sung as much today as in the years they were written.

In this series, which will run in Jewish Humor Central on a weekly basis, we will focus on one songwriter at a time, and feature a video performance of their most popular song.

Today we're starting with Albert von Tilzer, who was born as Albert Gumm to Polish Jewish immigrants Sarah Tilzer and Jacob Gumbinsky. When his older brother Harry adopted his mother's maiden name as his own, seeking to make it sound even classier by tacking on a "Von", Albert and his other brothers followed suit.

Albert Von Tilzer was a top Tin Pan Alley tune writer, producing numerous popular music compositions from 1900 continuing through the early 1950s. He collaborated with many lyricists, including Jack Norworth, Lew Brown, and Harry MacPherson. A number of his tunes were performed (and recorded) by jazz bands and continue to be played decades later. 

But Albert's most popular song was Take Me Out to the Ball Game, with lyrics written by Jack Norworth.  Here is a video of the song performed by Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, from a movie with the same title.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Welcoming Shabbat with Beit T'shuvah Congregation and Shalom Aleichem a la Frank Sinatra

Beit T'shuvah in Los Angeles calls itself "a Congregation Like No Other" and certainly organizes Kabbalat Shabbat services like no other congregation.

Over the years we have posted some of their liturgical selections set to tunes of the Beatles and Country and Western stars. They specialize in Shabbat services of other popular culture genres as well.

Last July they conducted a service with most of the tefilot set to songs made famous by Frank Sinatra. Would you believe Fly Me to the Moon as Shalom Aleichem?

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.

Funny Flashback - Don Rickles Surprises Frank Sinatra on Johnny Carson Show

Here's another in our series of flashbacks to special moments in television comedy. Don Rickles was a frequent guest on the Johnny Carson late night TV show. One night in November 1976, Johnny's guest was Frank Sinatra. 

In the middle of their conversation, Don Rickles struts in and quickly takes over, making Carson and Sinatra crack up with laughter. 

With heavy use of Italian dialect and references to organized crime, Rickles has the audience in his hands. He looks around and sees Sinatra, Carson, and Ed McMahon. He says "I'm a Jew, you're an Italian, here's a what? and here's a great Irishman. This is America."

Sinatra finishes up with a funny story about how Rickles exploited their personal connection in a restaurant encounter.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)