Rebbe

1. Right Way to Play

2. It All Comes Back

3. Sister Sarah

4. Junkman's Son

5. Freedom Jazz Dance

6. Avinu

7. Shame, Shame, Shame

8. Bim Bam

9. Shake!

10. You Don't Have to Like Me

11. While It Rains

Tracks:

Ha'aderet Veha'emunah/LeKhay Olamim - Yemen
Le'El Adir Neranenah - Afghanistan
Bati Legani - Eastern Europe
Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden - Eastern Europe
Sephardi Yerushalmi Khatsi Kaddish - Jerusalem/Spain
Navah Tehilah - Afghanistan
Hayoshevet Baganim - Yemen
Eyn Keloheynu - Morocco
Modeh Ani/Elohay Neshamah - Salonica
Eli Shema Koli - Morocco
Reb Nachman's Niggun - Ukraine
Hishtapkhut Hanefesh - Belarus
Niggun of the Alter Rebbe - Belarus
Ve'erastikh Li - Salonica
El Mistater - Poland
Ashrey - Eastern Europe/Spain
Yemeni Shema - Yemen
Grandfather Sang a Song - Eastern Europe

Amazon.com

The modern-day traditional Jewish music revival is filled with artists exploring klezmer's Eastern-European roots, but you'll hear no clarinet and little violin on cantor/educator Richard Kaplan's Life Of The Worlds. Although these are traditional songs, there is a broad range of the Diaspora represented on his second album, including Afghani, Spanish, Moroccan, and Algerian traditions. Kaplan dives into the sacred and the secular, the prophetic and the exultant, finding commonalities amongst different tribes and fusing them together. Musical accompaniment comes in the form of an occasional flute, piano, and violin as well as Moroccan clay drums, oud, dumbek, and other pre-modern-era instruments, but the instrument at the center of each song is Kaplan's voice--his high baritone majestically soars, quavers with sensitivity, and rings out with joy. To hear him sing solo versions of traditional Niggiun is to hear a world-class master savor the multifaceted nuance of each note and transcend the concept of song, turning it into religion and high art. --Tad Hendrickson

Album Description

A remarkable collection of vocal performances of Jewish sacred music from the Middle East, Andalusia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia - songs of exultation, longing, love, and Divine immanence - accompanied by an ensemble of masterful musicians.

Instruments include: oud, ney, kanun, Egyptian accordian, violin, mandolin, dumbek, doira, riqq, Yemenite can, tar, saz, clarinet, mey (Turkish duduk), tilinca (Rumanian shepherd's flute), piano, string bass, balaban (Klezmer drum set), cimbalom, and a chorus of voices.

Among many special songs, the CD features an 'eco-lament' (ecological lament) based on lament melodies for the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It is called "Lament on the Destruction of the Garden of Eden" (Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden), and updates the use of these tunes to mourn the wounding of our larger temple, Gaia - Mother Earth.

LIFE OF THE WORLDS contains 18 songs, 77 minutes of music, and contains a 32-page booklet which includes informative song descriptions; all texts are provided in transliteration, English translation, and in Hebrew or Yiddish.

Tracks:

The Jewish Mother (A Yiddishe Mamme)
When The Rebbe Elimelech becomes so very merry...(As der Rebbe Elimelech is gevoyrn asoi freylach)
Reyzele
At The Fireplace (Oif'n Pripetchik brennt a feier'l)
Doyna
Raisins And Almonds (Rozhinkes mit Mandelen)
By the Wayside Stands a Tree (Oif'n Weyg steyt a Boim)
A Song (A Dudele)
Where Shall I Go? (Vi ahin soll ich Geyn?)

Customer Reviews:

Good music.......2007-04-07

First of all I am not jewish, nor have I had any prior experiences with or knowledge of jewish music.
With that said, I have really enjoyed this album especially the song "As the rabbi (can't remember the name) becomes so very merry".

Average customer rating:

Voice of Klezmer: the Violin
Excellent music
Brilliant, Sweet, Masterful

Fidl: Klezmer Violin

Manufacturer: Trad. Crossroads
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Jewish & Yiddish Music | Folk | Styles | Music

Klezmer | Folk | Styles | Music

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The King of the Klezmer Clarinet
Mikveh
In the Fiddler's House
Klezmer King
Jewish Klezmer Music

ASIN: B0000031GM
Release Date: 1997-09-09

Tracks:

Kale Baveynen
Baym Rebns Sude
Dem Tsadiks Zemerl
Romanian Fantasy No. 1
Kallarash
Dem Trisker Rebns Khosid
Kale-Kale Mazl Tov:A Heimisher Bulgar/L'hu Neroneno/Beckerman Honga/Romanian Bulgarish
Sha, Sha, Di Shviger Kumt
Binyomele's Kholem
Glazier's Hora
Ternovker Sher
Shver Un Shviger
Romanian Fantasy No. 3
Naftule Shpilt Far Dem Rebn
A Heimisher Sher
Binyomele's Vig-lid

Customer Reviews:

Voice of Klezmer: the Violin.......2003-01-10

In the hands of Alicia Svigals: the violin sings, weeps, laughs, cries, and otherwise mimics the human voice ... Alicia has shown the klezmer fiddle to be of equal value to the clarinet in this genre. The Jewish tunes are haunting, lively, energetic and beautiful! She has mastered her instrument & uses multiple playing styles and techniques: a virtuoso. Although klezmer is *most* often dominated by the sounds of the clarinet: there is no playing "second fiddle here"!!! She is a "primas" or "first fiddler" in every sense of the words!!! :-) Other instruments which are the 'supporting cast' to the violin: are the tsimbl (cimbalom), accordion, occasionally a second fiddle, a bass, and drums. Most of the music is traditional & orginates from Romania, the Ukrainian, Turkey, Greece, Moldavia, & Bessarabia (former Soviet Union). There is a tremendous composition that Alicia herself created for a musical play: it fits all the criteria for great klezmer. Most of the tracks are her interpretations of originals from 78 records of the 1920s - 1950s. Some tracks are wedding music, others are of Hassidic origin, others are music for the Sabbath. There are bulgars, doinas, horas, freylekhs, a zmiro (hymn), a hora batuta and a hybrid "bulgarish-frelekh". The liner notes state the Greeks adapted the last one into a hassapiko. The liner notes are very extensive and helpful. They explain technical details related to the typical musical scales used in klezmer: the "Ahavo Rabo" and Ukrainian scales. The latter resembles the music of the Aegean coast from Greece & Turkey, going all the way up the Balkan peninsula to the Ukraine. This is very special cultural music that allows for a wide range of improvisational capability by the right musician: Alicia Svigals has proven to be among the best! This CD is magnificent! Erika Borsos (erikab93).

Excellent music.......2000-03-19

I love this CD. The music is very enchanting. Several songs have an intriguing simple syncopated rhythm, and others have a nice plucked background rhythm from a stringed instrument. Pieces range from very _normal_ klezmer, to interesting new melodies, even one or two that are reminiscent of Celtic melodies.

The audio samples here can sound a bit squeeky, but on a real audio system, Svigal's violin has surprising voice. Similar to Giora Fiedman's clarinet.

Brilliant, Sweet, Masterful.......1998-10-12

This is one of my favorite CDs. I listen to it almost every day, and my seven week old son loves it, too!

Tracks:

A Yiddishe Mamme
As Der Rebbe Elimeclech Is Gevoyrn Asoi Freylach
Reyzele
Oif'n Pripetchik Brennt A Feier'l
Doyna
Rozhinkes Mit Mandelen
Oif'n Weyg Steyt A Boim
A Dudele
Viahin Soll Ich Geyn?

Customer Reviews:

Itzhak Perlman at His Best.......2006-07-19

Violinist Itzhak Perlman has used his formidable talent in expressing the pathos and joy of traditional Yiddish tunes and the result brings the listener to both tears of sadness and tears of delight. Mr. Perlman's deep empathy with the Jewish soul is manifested in every note, every nuanced phrase of his performance. A wonderful listening experience for every "ehrlicher yid" - and those who appreciate the history of a people portrayed in sound.

Fate is our mate in life.......2005-11-28

Those music pieces are definitely Jewish and yet they are at the crossroads of bohemian, gypsy and yiddish styles and they make the violin cry in beauty and weep in enthusiasm. The tears of the bow are dancing and sprinkling all over the place and our smiles are enjoying this voice of paradise on earth some spring Sunday afternoon . And yet deep deep under we can hear and feel some vague and yet perfectly distinct menace surging from the night and looming high over the unconscious people who ignore that danger is in the back of every minute and should be at the back of every mind. And suddenly the racing notes accelerate their flight across the air and the sky as if a whole hive of aggressive wasps were arriving and charging. Get lost, get hidden away from the landing of the charging cavalry of danger, any danger : be ready for it, never forget it may come at any time. This music is the voice of the immense cosmic void that fills our minds when we forget life is a struggle against death. It reminds us of our duty to remember that the future cannot be forgotten as if it did not exist. The future is already here, in our back and pushing us to the days to come and the years that will arrive soon, too soon probably for us to be able to change anything. There is a deep sense of fatality in this music : no matter what may happen, we will live it through, and in a way or another survive it. No need to foresee danger it would not help us to face it.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne

Average customer rating:

Disappointment!

I'm a Slave to Your Beauty

Manufacturer: Hungaroton
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004S90X
Release Date: 2000-03-15

Customer Reviews:

Disappointment!.......2006-11-03

I am a fan of Sephardic and Yiddish music, so I was looking forward to listening to this. I was specifically looking for Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem the Gold), and yes, this album contains that song, but I had to stop the CD before the song ended. About half of the songs on this album are sung rather well, but THIS was not one of them. Perhaps mezzo-sopranos have trouble controlling their pitch at high volume and/or slow tempo and I should just be more understanding. Perhaps I am completely spoiled by the perfect tenor I can hear each Shabbat -- Hazzan David Propis. (If you can find his CDs, you will be glad you did.) Whatever the "handicap," today I was looking for a good soprano voice in this genre, and it seems I must continue the search....

Average customer rating:

Step Into My World
Common Tongue
Manufacturer: Rebbe Soul Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Africa | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Africa | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004T2VO
Release Date: 2000-03-30

Tracks:

Step into My World
Open Market
Open Window
Radio Man
White Rabbit
Old City
I've Seen God
Ain't This Enough
Give It Up
Eliyahu
Lewis Carroll
White Rabbit [Dance Mix]

Album Description

Eclectic World Beat. Contains a riveting world music version of the Jefferson Airplane hit, White Rabbit. The title track, Step Into My World is about the mystical Kabbalah. Most of the tracks are world beat and rave.

When the Rabbi Danced: Songs of Jewish Life

Average customer rating:

A must buy
When the Rabbi danced
You must own this CD!
A superb collection of songs!
This CD is a must-have!

When the Rabbi Danced: Songs of Jewish Life
Gideon Klein , Viktor Ullmann , Counterpoint , and Robert De Cormier
Manufacturer: Albany Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Jewish & Yiddish Music | Folk | Styles | Music

Klezmer | Folk | Styles | Music

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General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

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El Danzon de Moises

ASIN: B00029LNCI
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

Un Az Der Rebe Zingt
Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen
Partizaner-libe
Chassidisch
Bachuri Le'an Tisa
Tavo-u El Ha'arets
A Geneyve
Sha Shtil
Der Rebe Elimelekh
Dortn, Dortn
Tumbalalayka
Du Zolst Nit Geyn
Troyer Past Nisht Unzer Ponim
Eliahu Hanavi
Nit Ayer Mazl
Yome, Yome
Di Mezinke
S'Brent
Hala Yarden
A Gib Zhe Khaver
S'Dremlen Feygl
Tsum Besern Morgn
Shtil Di Nakht
Yiddishe Brigades
Zog Nit Keynmol

Album Description

You might still hear Yiddish songs today, in concert or at social gatherings of Yiddish speakers. But their natural venue was the village or shtetl of Eastern Europe or America where you could hear them through open windows in courtyards, or from busy people humming their way from place to place. They were born and flourished in a world that is no more. They represent the joys and sorrows, dreams and aspirations of ordinary folk, the Jewish mother's dreams for her child, the poverty of the rebbe, the Jewish teacher, the freshness of young love and revolution, the joy of Jewish holidays which provided a welcome respite from the drudgery and hardships of daily life for Eastern European Jewery. Yiddish song reflects the richness of Jewish folklore, as old, vast and varied as the numerous regions which the thousand-year-old language and culture inhabited. It reached its greatest artistic expression in the latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. There are songs of work, love and lullabies; songs about great Jewish heroes and parodies about the same, songs about Hassidic rabbis, pogroms, the Messiah, the longing for redemption and the return to Zion, and of revolution. Political parodies abounded in the 20th century as did Yiddish theater songs in various genres: operetta, art song and Vaudeville. There were writers, poets and musicians throughout the ages who created this treasure trove, much of it still waiting to be culled. The Yiddish street singer was a common sight in the cities and towns of Eastern Europe, well into the 20th century. The broder zinger from Galicia heralded in an age of Yiddish folksong creativity that reached every continent on which Jews lived in the 19th and 20th centuries. The poet Itzik Manger and, of course, Mordechai Gibertig, the most famous and popular of the Yiddish folk-poets, were heirs of that tradition. Gibertig "S'Brent," a vision of burning cities and a call to arms, written in 1938, proved to be all too prophetic. During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jews were confined in ghettos across German occupied Eastern Europe. In the ghettos and even concentration camps, members of the terrorized Jewish population engaged in remarkable, organized acts of defiance. Determined to leave a record of their history for posterity, they secretly created archives, diaries, drawings, photographs and songs to document Nazi crimes against their communities. During the same period many European Jews defied their Nazi oppressors by actively taking part in an underground war of resistance. This partisan warfare, carried out by clandestine, irregular forces operating inside enemy territory, was particularly widespread in the dense forests and nearly impassable marshlands of Eastern Europe. In 1942, the Supreme Partisan Headquarters in the Soviet Union extended its authority over the majority of partisan units in Eastern Europe and young Jewish fighters who escaped the ghettos joined the Russian partisans. Jewish partisan units were established in 1943, and the Yiddish language was now used for military communication, as well as for cultural and folkloric expression, such as poetry and song. This is a delightful album, full of energy and wit. The singing is magnificent and infectious. The CD booklet contains full texts of each song in English.

Customer Reviews:

A must buy.......2005-06-09

We love this album! The songs are soothing but not saccharine, invigorating but not forced. Our four year old loves to dance to it and I can't get the songs out of my head so it ranks ten/ten on our scale.

When the Rabbi danced.......2005-06-04

This wonderfully performed collection of familiar songs from the once vibrant Yiddish culture of Eastern Europe is a great addition to my music library. While many of the songs are classics which I remember well from my childhood, the sweetness and elegance of the presentation by Counterpoint add significantly to their impact. Even though most of the European Jewish community was destroyed in the holocaust, these wonderful melodies survived to inspire us today, and to remind us that all was not lost. The arrangements, harmonies and solos are marvelous, and the Yiddish and Hebrew pronunciation are flawless.
It's obvious that a lot of work by some very talented people went into creating this album. Listening to it brings back many bittersweet memories that stir my emotions - It is my sincere hope that Counterpoint will continue to perform such music in the years to come.

You must own this CD!.......2005-02-22

What makes this collection of melodies unique is the marriage of traditional tunes with the less frequently heard songs of resistance and longing from the dark time of the Holocaust.
The beautifully arranged and performed vocals are, by turns, haunting and spirited, mournful and whimsical, taking the listener through the full range of emotions. To hear Counterpoint in concert is an unforgettable experience. This equally stirring CD will leave you feeling just as proud and uplifted, as expressed by the closing words of the final song (Zog Nit Keynmol)..."We are here!"

A superb collection of songs!.......2005-01-03

This collection of Hebrew and Yiddish songs, arranged by Counterpoint conductor Robert de Cormier and Viktor Ullmann, offers a unique view into Jewish life of the shtetl to the Nazi-used Czech town of Terezin and the underground Jewish resistance of WWII. From the "young widowed mother sitting by the cradle" in "Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen" ("Raisins and Almonds"), to the uplifting "Zog nit Keynmol" ("Never say that you are on the Last Road"), the 25 songs on the CD are superbly performed by Counterpoint. Skillful instrumentals accompany a first-rate choral group, and the stylistic arrangements retain the flavor of the genre. "When the rabbi danced" deserves a place in any collection.

This CD is a must-have!.......2004-12-27

I don't speak Yiddish. I am not a child - or relative - of Holocaust survivors. But this CD resonates for me in a unique way. I keep it in my car CD player and play it over and over. The evocative cumulative effect of the quality of Counterpoint's voices, the arrangements and the obvious poignancy and humor of the lyrics is hypnotic. I've given the CD as gifts to friends- to both Jews and non-Jews -and have not only received enthusiastic thanks and praise for the CD, but requests for information on how to buy more for their friends and family!