This is the Forward’s coverage of Jewish music, including klezmer and other traditions.
Music
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Culture Top 10 Songs About Treyf
Popular music has a long and well-documented tradition of fomenting rebellion and social change, both overtly and covertly. Not as well documented, however, is pop’s embrace and endorsement of that ultimate Jewish dietary taboo: treyf. The consumption of meat, shellfish and other comestibles that do not conform to the laws of kashrut has long been…
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The Schmooze Hundreds Gather for Jewish Choir Festival
Hundreds of singers from across Europe have convened in Vienna for the first European Jewish Choir Festival. The festival will culminate on May 12 in a gala concert titled “Shir LaShalom — A Song for Peace” at the Austria Center Vienna, where 400 vocalists from Jewish choirs from 16 European cities will present their repertoires….
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The Schmooze Philadelphia Honors Grande Dame of Piano
Philadelphia’s classical music-loving community is coming together on May 11 at Centennial Hall in Haverford, Pennsylvania to pay tribute to the achievements of Nelly Berman, a Russian-Jewish immigrant who has touched the lives of hundreds of young music students over the past 30 years. Jonathan Adler, who has been studying piano at the Nelly Berman…
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The Schmooze Avner Dorman’s Unusual ‘Nigunim’
“They told me to go do my thing,” said Avner Dorman about a 2011 commission by pianist Orli Shaham, violinist Gil Shaham and the 92nd Street Y to write a composition for their Hebrew Melodies project. “They wanted something related to their project, but they didn’t want to impose any specific idea on me.” The…
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The Schmooze Leonard Cohen Wins Two Junos
Music legend Leonard Cohen was a double winner at this past weekend’s JUNO Awards held in Regina, Saskatchewan. The JUNOs, presented by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, are the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys. Cohen was named Artist of the Year, and he also received the JUNO Award for Songwriter of the…
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The Schmooze Blue Öyster Cult Explains the Umlaut
Long Island bands Soft White Underbelly and Travesty didn’t make much of an impact. But when they reformed as Blue Öyster Cult in 1971, the group grew into a global juggernaut, with earworm hits like “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” “Burning for You” and “Godzilla.” The band was also immortalized in an endlessly viral Saturday Night…
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The Schmooze Allen Sherman Sings About Lox
Next month, Brandeis University Press will release “Overweight Sensation: The Life and Comedy of Allan Sherman” by Forward contributor Mark Cohen. (You can read Cohen’s 2010 piece on Sherman for us here.) But there’s no need to wait for May to start immersing yourself in Shermanania (or is that just Shermania?). For the past few…
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The Schmooze Documentary Profiles Mamas Who Rock
Jackie Weissman’s documentary film, “Rock N Roll Mamas” premiered the same week that Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” was published. It was interesting timing. While Sandberg’s book sparked debate across the nation about working mothers in white-collar settings, Weissman’s film highlighted the very different challenges of struggling female indie…
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