Re: Shmuel Brazil

[Jordan Hirsch <trombaedu...>]

on 10/6/02 6:01 PM, Bob Wiener at wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com wrote:

I've came across the name Shmuel Brazil as the composer of a setting for
Shalom Aleichem.  
 
Can any list member comment on the following post to this list about 10 (!)
years ago?  
 
"Rav Shmuel is a Rebbe in Far Rockaway NY at the Yeshiva Sha'ar Yoshuv.
I've been going to his Friday night tishes for Baruch H' Yisborach, over ten
years, thank G-d.  Rav Shmuel is also a composer of nigunnim - you may have
sung his Shalom Aleichem melody many times without knowing who's it was.
His CDs are under the name "Regesh", 1 - 9 and his latest,
"Shuvu El Hashem" is Chasidus/Deveikus par excellence and under his name.
It just came out this year."

Any recommendations for his recordings or compositions?  Any recommendations
for sources of his recordings?  None came up on searches for "Brazil"  (or
"Regesh", with which he was apparently involved) at either the Hatikvah
Music or Tara website.
 
BTW, versions of this Shalom Aleichem appear on "Shabbat for Starters" by
Mayer Davis and, apparently, "Songs for the Soul -- Nefesh" by Merri
Lovinger Arian (which I haven't heard).
Bob


Rabbi Brazil is indeed a Rebbe at Yeshivas Shaar Yoshuv. He is still
composing actively. His earliest compositions can be found on the old "Or
Chodosh" records, which I am sure have not been re-released on CD. He wrote
Shmelkie's Nigun, which many dance class aficionados learn as a line dance.
The Regesh series feature his compositions. I am surprised nothing turned up
at Tara. Probably an Email to Velvel will help, as Velvel knows him for
sure. In fact, I will probably see Rabbi Brazil tomorrow night, as I am
performing at a wedding of a Shor Yoshuv student. His compositions are very
popular at Orthodox weddings, just after Shlomo Carlebach and on a par with
people like Yossi Green or Baruch Chait, although Green has a lot of pop
oriented dreck as well as his more classic nigun style compositions. Avraham
Fried also recorded Brazil's Sholom Aleichem.

Jordan Hirsch