Musical Showcase: Lea Kalisch and Jewbalaya Sing Az Der Rebbe Zingt and Bim Bam

Jewbalaya plays a good-time mixture of Klezmer and Traditional New Orleans Jazz. With a horn section, drums, banjo, accordion and vocals, Jewbalaya offers a shmaltzy stew of funky beats and Yiddish treats. Jewbalaya has performed recently at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, Mall of America, The Slavic Experience Festival, and more.

Jewbalaya's vocalist is Lea Kalisch. From Rap to Rumba, Folk to Feminism, Lea blends styles and languages like a smoothie. Lea is a Swiss Jewish international entertainer who gives tradition a facelift. Yiddish Theater, forgotten melodies, original songs, and mashups—all delivered with young, zestful energy. She slips into different characters to make you laugh with one eye and cry with the other. 

In this video, Lea and Jewbalaya sing and play the Yiddish classics Az Der Rebbe Zingt and Bim Bam.

Enjoy! 

Happy Purim! Join Us in Celebrating with a Purim Song in Yiddish by Litvakus

Renowned Eastern European clarinetist, pianist, and composer Dmitri Zisl Slepovitch presents a uniquely thrilling klezmer experience with his new quintet Litvakus, which brings to soaring life the often overlooked Belarusian and Litvak (Belarusian-Lithuanian) Jewish musical heritage. 

Litvakus is reaching out to the modern audiences worldwide, making the old sound new and fresh, meaningful and hip.

Makhts Of - Open Up! is a traditional Yiddish song produced by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in collaboration with Museum of Jewish Heritage (New York City), In this video Litvakus introduces the main characters of the Purim story.

The performers are Zoë Aqua, violin; Taylor Bergren-Chrisman, bass; Joshua Camp, accordion; Zisl Slepovitch, clarinet, gragger, vocals;  Sam Weisenberg, poyk (drum)

Enjoy, and have a Happy Purim!

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Tumbalalaika Around the World: Klezmer Balkan Gypsy Orchestra Roulottes Barriolées Plays the Classic Folk Song

The Yiddish folk love song Tumbalalaika originated in Eastern Europe in the 19th century, but its exact origin is hard to pinpoint. That hasn't prevented it from being sung and played over and over, not only in places where Yiddish songs are sung, but just about everywhere in the world, in vocal and instrumental versions, in cabarets and in the movies.

Just as we have followed the songs Hava Nagila, Adon Olam, Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, and Abanibi as they took different forms as interpreted by a wide variety of singers, musicians, and dancers, we're continuing the series today that we started back in 2012, bringing you many interpretations of this universal courting and love song.

This rendition of Tumbalalaika was recorded by Roulottes Barriolées, a Klezmer Balkan Gypsy Orchestra. The English translation appears under the video on this page.

Enjoy!

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Tumbalalaika - English Translation

A young lad stands, and he thinks
Thinks and thinks the whole night through

Whom to take and not to shame
Whom to take and not to shame
Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalalaika
Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalalaika
Tumbalalaika, strum balalaika
Tumbalalaika, may we be happy
Girl, girl, I want to ask of you
What can grow, grow without rain?
What can burn and never end?
What can yearn, cry without tears?
Foolish lad, why do you have to ask?
A stone can grow, grow without rain
Love can burn and never end
A heart can yearn, cry without tears

 

Gefilte Drive, Israeli Russian Band, Sings Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" in Yiddish

There have been more than 100 cover versions of The Beatles' song A Hard Day's Night but until now there has not been a Yiddish version. This week an Israeli Russian Klezmer band called Gefilte Drive released an energetic version of the song in Yiddish.

Led by Alexander Kotler, the band has produced some impressive versions of international and Jewish music. In 2017 we posted their lively version of Tumbalalaika, a version that one of our readers called "kosher eye candy."

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Hava Nagila by Charan-Po-Rantan in Japan

Charan-Po-Rantan is a Japanese sister duo that has an "exuberant, alternative-cabaret-meets-circus vibe"  comprised of Momo Matsunaga on vocals, and her older sister, Koharu on the accordion.

As Susan Delson wrote in the Wall Street Journal,

Speaking through an interpreter in a video interview from Tokyo, Koharu said that klezmer, a Jewish music of Eastern Europe, is the bedrock of her style. She started listening to it in middle school, when their mother brought home a CD. Hearing Hava Nagila, she said, was a musical turning point.

Other influences from Eastern Europe include the No Smoking Orchestra, a Balkan beat band that includes the noted film director Emir Kusturica, and a traditional Romanian group called Taraf de Haïdouks. Contemporary groups like the indie-rock Yeah Yeah Yeahs also make the list, along with blues and rap music.

Enjoy!

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Klezmer for the 21st Century: Hava Nagila by the San Francisco Yiddish Combo

The San Francisco Yiddish Combo (SFYC) plays updated Klezmer music for the 21st century. The group was formed by accident when a love of Klezmer music collided with their collective backgrounds in every genre except Klezmer. 

Now the SFYC is embarked on a journey around the world to present their own unique blend of everything that is Klezmer, mixed with years of experience in the jazz, blues, folk, and even hip hop world. 

Made up of classically trained musicians who enjoy stretching musical boundaries, the SFYC is led by cellist Rebecca Roudman who has fronted groups all over the world bringing her virtuosic and fiery playing to stages from China to Italy and beyond. 

Last month the SFYC played Hava Nagila on stage to music fans in Ashland, Oregon at the Ashland World Music Festival. Enjoy!

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Yiddish Nostalgia: Avi Hoffman Sings Aaron Lebedeff's Classic "Rumania, Rumania"

Last year Avi Hoffman went on stage with the Klezmer Company Jazz Orchestra to perform Aaron Lebedeff's Classic Yiddish song Rumania, Rumania.

Hoffman, CEO of Yiddishkayt Initiative, is a world-famous actor, who specializes in Jewish culture and Yiddish theater. His long-running “Too Jewish” trilogy has been seen by millions on PBS and in venues around the world. He has produced and presented shows throughout North America, Europe and Israel.

As Adrian Yekkes wrote in his blog,

The song harks back to what was once considered to be the golden era of Romanian Jewry, the years between the first and second world wars. During this time the Yiddish theatre thrived, Jewish culture blossomed and despite continuing discrimination there was a degree of prosperity and progress for Romania's Jews.

It describes the simple pleasures of a less sophisticated, more rural Jewish world. The lyrics describe Romania as a land where everyone is drinking wine, eating delicacies and dancing. It is also described as an amorous land where "he who kisses his own wife is one who is crazy.." and where the cook may be dressed in rags but she is still pretty, makes great puddings and is quite partial to a kiss!

Some of those delicacies are still on offer in Romania and indeed in Israel and old style Jewish restaurants today. These include mamalige - a porridge of yellow corn flour, karnatzl - a spicy beef sausage and patlazhele - an aubergine (or egg plant if you are not British!) salad. The song also mentions two cheeses - kashtaval which can refer to a specific cheese made from sheep milk as well as being a more generic term for yellow cheeses, whilst I am told (but can't find confirmation) that brinze is a kind of cottage cheese. 

Enjoy!

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Lighting the 8th Chanukah Candle with the SabbathSong Klezmer Band

Tonight we light the 8th Chanukah candle to the accompaniment of the Sabbathsong Klezmer Band of Budapest, Hungary singing and playing Maoz Tzur and Hanerot Halalu. 

As Tamas Masa, founder of the group, explains,

Our band started in 1998 at the closing ceremony of Chief Rabbi László Deutsch in a small synagogue in Budapest, where we performed our beloved Israeli songs in gratitude. The chief rabbi then said a prophecy in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah) that "comfort, comfort my people ...", which has been accompanying our actions ever since, is said to be the foundation of our work.

In our repertoire, besides the Eastern European klezmer, Yiddish and Israeli traditional and. modern songs and dances also play an important role. Our aim, beyond a high-level interpretation of the melodies of Judaism, is to return to the spiritual root and source of these songs, the reality of the Bible. That's why we got the slogan: "More than klezmer."

Enjoy, and Chag Chanukah sameach!

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Welcoming Shabbat with a Yiddish Translation of a Classic Jimmy Buffett Song

We never expected to put the words Yiddish, Shabbat, and Jimmy Buffett in the same sentence. But last week a funny video with just this combination started spreading on the Internet and already has 7,500 views.

Rokhl Kafrissen, the columnist and playwright, translated a Jimmy Buffet classic song with the family-friendly shortened title of Let's Get Drunk into Yiddish.

As Jessica Steinberg wrote in The Times of Israel,

The Margaritaville Resort Times Square — part of Buffett’s hospitality company, which manages and franchises restaurants, stores and casinos named for the singer’s hit song, “Margaritaville” — is located at the center of Manhattan’s garment district.

The neighborhood once housed three synagogues serving the many Yiddish-speaking garment industry workers. While most of the textile businesses no longer exist, the historic Garment Center Congregation is now on the ground floor and two sub-floors of the Margaritaville entertainment complex, part of a complicated real estate negotiation.

In honor of that unusual situation, Yiddish culture nonprofit Congress for Jewish Culture commissioned playwright Rokhl Kafrissen to adapt Buffett’s tale of a man’s bar hookup into a woman’s Yiddish plea to skip Shabbat dinner and go right to dessert.

The song is performed by a formidable crew of klezmer performers: Sasha Lurje (voice), Craig Judelman (violin) and Lorin Sklamberg (guitar, voice). 

Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Shalom Aleichem by ArcheoEnsemble in Milan, Italy

This week we go to Milan, Italy to welcome Shabbat with another version of Shalom Aleichem as performed by the Klezmer group ArcheoEnsemble at the Nuevo Teatro Ariberto.

The ArcheoEnsemble specializes in instrumental and vocal pieces in Hebrew and Yiddish.

Enjoy, and Shabbat shalom! 

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Welcoming Yom Kippur with Avinu Malkeinu by the Budapest Sabbathsong Klezmer Band

Yes, we know it's another Monday, and that usually means it's time for another Joke to Start the Week. But we're in the midst of a month of Jewish holidays that started with Rosh Hashanah and continues with Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

So we're holding off with the weekly jokes until the Monday after the holidays, and instead bringing you content that's more appropriate for this month.

Yesterday we posted a beautiful rendition of Hava Nagila by the Budapest-based Sabbathsong Klezmer Band. Today we're posting their version of Avinu Malkeinu as we prepare for Yom Kippur.

Wishing you an easy and meaningful day of prayer and fasting.

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Hava Nagila Around the World - Sabbathsong Klezmer Band in Budapest Concert

One of the joys of posting videos on Jewish Humor Central is discovering new versions of traditional Jewish and Hebrew songs as they are performed around the world, often in unexpected places.

Since we started Jewish Humor Central ten years ago we have posted 80 different versions of Hava Nagila. The song has shown up in many countries, including some unexpected ones (Scroll down the left column on this page and click on "Hava Nagila" in the Keywords list and you'll see what we mean.)

Today we're posting a version of Hava Nagila that was performed at the 2019 New Year's Concert in Budapest, Hungary by the Sabbathsong Klezmer Band.

As Tamas Masa, founder of the group, explains on its website,

Our band started in 1998 at the closing ceremony of Chief Rabbi László Deutsch in a small synagogue in Budapest, where we performed our beloved Israeli songs in gratitude. The chief rabbi then said a prophecy in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah) that "comfort, comfort my people ...", which has been accompanying our actions ever since, is said to be the foundation of our work.

In our repertoire, besides the Eastern European klezmer, Yiddish and Israeli traditional and. modern songs and dances also play an important role. Our aim, beyond a high-level interpretation of the melodies of Judaism, is to return to the spiritual root and source of these songs, the reality of the Bible. That's why we got the slogan: "More than klezmer."

Enjoy!

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Israelis Seeking Country Music Find it in Nefesh Mountain

Today we're sharing another episode of Jewish Country with Israelis Oriel and Lior filming and talking their way through a road trip across the American heartland looking for unexpected Jewish connections in flyover country. 
 
In today's episode, they travel to Memphis, Tennessee, where they connect with the Jewish bluegrass band called Nefesh Mountain.

We've posted some of Nefesh Mountain's music before, but in today's post they perform a bluegrass concert a the Levitt Shell Amphitheater in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff, founders of Nefesh Mountain, explain how they infuse the bluegrass country sound with elements of klezmer, Jewish, Hebrew music, and the pride of being Jewish Americans.

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places - "Sunrise, Sunset" from Yiddish "Fiddler" - in Tokyo!

Sunrise, Sunset in Yiddish? Sure, it's a featured song (Tog ayn, tog oys) in the Yiddish version of Fiddler on the Roof, now playing in an extended run Off-Broadway at Stage 42 in New York.

But it's also being played in Tokyo and on YouTube by a Japanese klezmer band called Jinta-la-Mvta. It's is a musical group founded in 2004 by Ohkuma Wataru, clarinetist and bandleader of the groundbreaking Japanese experimental folk band Cicala Mvta, and his partner and drummer Kogure Miwazo.

Ohkuma’s interest in Klezmer music began in the late 80s. He was one of the first Japanese artists who listened to and played the genre. He has a repertoire of dozens of Klezmer tunes through his distinct perspective, setting him apart among non-Jewish klezmer musicians. 

Considered as one of the few Klezmer experts in Japan, he has also penned various pieces on Klezmer and Japanese liner notes of Klezmatics and Frank London. Since the Great Northeast Japan Earthquake and the subsequent nuclear crises in 2011, the band started to perform not only on club stages and festivals but also at anti-nuclear protests and demonstrations on the streets of Tokyo, attracting a new and wide range of audiences and fans.

The  YouTube post includes a greeting to the Yiddish-speaking audience:

Tayere Yidn, mir zaynen tsuzamen mit aykh. Libe fun Tokio
(Dear Jews, we are together with you. Love from Tokyo)

Enjoy!

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Jewish Traces in Unexpected Places: Old School Klezmer is Alive and Well with Hava Nagila in Puebla, Mexico

Dressed in the clothing of a Hasidic Jew, Juan "El Maestro" Perez performs in a band called El Colectivo Klezmorino that plays klezmer, a style of Jewish folk music that originated in Eastern Europe.

Perez is not Jewish and neither are the other band members. They play in the streets of Puebla, a city without much Jewish life. It's about 60 miles southeast of Mexico City, which has most of the Jewish population of Mexico.

Klezmer is a unique sound in Puebla, where most street musicians play mariachi guitars and sing romantic Mexican songs. Perez loves the music and says it was easy to learn. He taught himself to play more than 60 klezmer pieces, mostly by watching YouTube videos.

Here's one with the band playing Hava Nagila. Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with Adon Olam by The Sound of Klezmer

The Sound of Klezmer is an Israeli musical ensemble that includes soloist Maxim Solniker (clarinet), Omri Rivlin (accordion), Amir Kovalsky (keyboards), and Nir Segal (drums). 

This ensemble plays a purely Jewish soul music and it continues a long tradition. The ensemble often performs ceremonies, celebrations and festivals throughout Israel and the world. The soloist is a student of clarinetist Giora Feidman, two of the band members are graduates of the IDF band, and the fourth is a musician and arranger.

In this video The Sound of Klezmer plays a rousing version of Adon Olam that you're not likely to hear in your synagogue tomorrow, but it gets us into a freilach mood for Shabbat.

Enjoy!

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Welcoming Shabbat with a Freilach Version of Yedid Nefesh

What happens when you take a klezmer trio, put them on a stage in Israel, and ask them to play Yedid Nefesh, a traditional song that's sung on Friday night to welcome Shabbat?

You get a blend of a liturgical poem and a lively freilach melody, with a touch of singing by the  audience. All in all, a new and innovative combination to start Shabbat by the Michael Gorodetsky trio.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom.

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Adon Olam Around the World: "Crazy Freilach" Band and Sand Artist Ilana Yahav in Kfar Saba Concert

Using only her fingers, Ilana Yahav, a world renowned sand artist, creates a wonderful and magical story that emerges in front of the eyes of amazed viewers. 

This week she collaborated with the German klezmer band called Crazy Freilach in a very unusual performance of Adon Olam in a concert at the Kfar Saba Conservatory in Israel.

We have posted many variations of Adon Olam as performed around the world, but this one has to rank as one of the most unusual ones. We hope you find it as uplifting and entertaining as we did as we prepare for Shabbat.

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!

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Hava Nagila Around the World - Polish Violin Virtuoso Artur Banaszkiewicz

Today we're adding to our growing collection (numbering more than 50) renditions of Hava Nagila. We always thought of this song as a simple Israeli folk song. But in the hands of an accomplished violin virtuoso like Artur Banaszkiewicz it can be much more.

Banaszkiewicz is a violinist, composer and arranger. He has been performing on stage since he was five. In 1985 he won the first prize at the Young Violinists' Contest in Koszalin. In 1988-1990 he benefited from the Polish Ministry of Culture and Arts scholarship and studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. 

Apart from the classical violin repertoire, he performs virtuoso fantasias and renderings of some famous and very much liked pieces from various realms of music.

Especially popular with Polish and international audiences is a concert show called "THE GYPSIES ENCHANTING EVENING". It comprises pieces inspired by the Gypsy folklore on the one hand, and the Jewish musical tradition on the other. 

Enjoy and Shabbat shalom!

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Unexpected Traces in Jewish Places: Japanese Klezmer Band Jinta-la-Mvta Performs at KulturfestNYC

One of the most unusual bands to perform at KulturfestNYC, the week-long festival of Jewish music that ended its run on Sunday, was Jinta La-Mvta, a Japanese klezmer band. Yes, we said Japanese and klezmer in the same sentence.

The group was founded in 2004 by Ohkuma Wataru, clarinetist and bandleader of the groundbreaking Japanese experimental folk band Cicala Mvta and his partner and drummer Kogure Miwazo.

Considered as one of the few Klezmer experts in Japan, Wataru has also penned various pieces on Klezmer and Japanese liner notes of Klezmatics and Frank London.

We got a glimpse and sample of the band's music at the KulturfestNYC opening concert on June 14. The next day they performed at Joe's Pub at the Public.

We found a good sample of their Japanese klezmer style on YouTube and we're sharing it with you today.

Enjoy!

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