Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Jewish music, including klezmer and other traditions.
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The Schmooze Johannes Heesters, Hitler’s Favorite Singer, at 107
It seems evil people can live a really long time. Now 107(!) years old and still singing, Hitler’s favorite singer Johannes Heesters recently discovered his native Netherlands still regards him as a traitor. German chancellor Angela Merkel was recently hosting a formal state dinner for the visiting Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and invited Heesters,…
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Culture Chilik Frank Brings Soul of Hasidism to Klezmer
For my bar mitzvah, my great-uncle gave me a cheap GPX stereo system. Despite the fact that it was a piece of junk from the bargain retailer Jamesway (remember Jamesway?), given by a self-proclaimed audiophile who had promised to get me something good, that stereo had a huge impact on my musical life. That year,…
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The Schmooze With ‘Jews on Vinyl’ You Can Have Your Kitsch and Eat It, Too
“Jews on Vinyl,” an unusual museum exhibit focused on the recent Jewish past, has arrived at the Yeshiva University Museum after touring the West Coast for two years. The exhibit is a project of the Reboot Stereophonic non-profit record label, and is based on the 2008 book “And You Shall Know Us by the Trail…
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The Schmooze The Forty Thieves of Rock and Roll
Crossposted from Haaretz Elisha Banai & The Forty Thieves, a rock group formed a year and a half ago, is trying with all its might to crowd into the compact Israeli rock hall of fame. To that end, it is diligently observing all the unofficial regulations for establishing a successful band in Israel. The ensemble…
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The Schmooze No Sting in the Tail From Cale
Crossposted from Haaretz I wish the opposite had been the case. I wish John Cale’s show Tuesday had been lukewarm at the start, and then picked up momentum until the fabulous end. But in fact, exactly the opposite occurred. The performance started out fabulously, became less exciting and ended just okay. While leaving the club,…
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The Schmooze Israeli Punk Band That Didn’t Forget Its Roots
Crossposted from Haaretz Useless ID is undoubtedly the most successful Israeli punk rock band in the world. Formed in 1994, it set out to try its luck abroad and became a respected member of the international scene, establishing itself within just a few years. The band signed with an American record company and gathered a…
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The Schmooze When It Comes to Gay Rights and Klezmer, the Musical Is Also Political
Photo by Angela Jimenez. At a July 26 concert at 92YTribeca in celebration of New York’s first legal same-sex marriages, the singer-guitarist Nedra Johnson struggled to find the words to describe the relationships between love, politics and the blues. In an age in which sex and marriage are subjects of legislative debate, she reasoned, performing…
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The Schmooze Monday Music: Awesome Tapes From Africa? Yes, Please!
Where do you go if you want to find Tanzanian bongo music? What about Tsongi disco? South African synth-pop? Unless you happen to be an ethnomusicologist or visiting Africa, the answer is likely the website Awesome Tapes from Africa. Brian Shimkovitz, aka DJ Awesome Tapes from Africa, an ethnomusicology scholar and avid music collector, started…
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