Re: favorite recordings

[leo <leo...>]

Hi, Lenny Oppenheimer checking in.

My favorite Jewish Music is generally one of the following:

1) Old Hasidic Melodies, such as Modzitz, Ger, and Melitz.  The recording
quality of these songs is often very poor, but the music is usually deeply
inspirational and beautiful

2) SOME of the modern composers, such as

        a) Abie Rottenberg - Dveykus and Journeys Albums

        b) Ben Zion Shenker - His own compositions, (besides the Modzitz
        music that he has popularized)

        c) Shmuel Brazil - Mainly his older recordings.

        d) Mordechai Ben David - (Only when he is in non-kvetching mode),
        some of his  singing is truly beautiful.  My favorite - MBD &
        friends.

3) Some of the older German-Jewish composers, such as Lewandowski.
However, I it is hard to get any of it.  Notable exception - Beit Hatfuztot
put out a "masoret K'hilat Danzig" last year, that is absolutely beautiful.

4) Some jazz interpretations, such as Jon Simon, or Arkady - "The other
side"

5) The music of Peter Himmelman, which describes Jewish themes in a
hauntingly beautiful way.

I find it hard to relate to most klezmer music, but enjoy anything by Giora
Feitman.

I don't consider Israeli Music to be "Jewish Music" as such, other than the
fact that the artists are Jewish and the lyrics are Hebrew.  This may
strike some as strange, but I don't really see why that music is more
Jewish than that of Paul Simon, Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, Barbara
Streisand, etc.  It is the same sort of stuff, except that is in a
different language.

I would, however, consider the old Zionist songs, which sing about the Land
and the Nation, to be more Jewish.

Lenny

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