East of the River celebrates the release of its new album Ija Mia on AVIE records.
The album braids together the rich vocal and instrumental music of the Sephardic diaspora with the soundscapes of its people, from North Africa through the Ottoman Empire. Nina Stern and Daphna Mor are joined by acclaimed Armenian-American oud player and composer Ara Dinkjian, Silk Road Ensemble founding member Shane Shanahan, Palestinian multi-instrumentalist Zafer Tawil, and innovative Israeli bass player Tal Mashiach.
Photo a friend sent me of Wolf Shilkret (Schildkraut, ~1866-1925), #Klezmer violinist and father of Victor Records notable Nat Shilkret #violinist#fiddler#MusicHistory
Join the Workers Circle for a conversation on original Yiddish art with Mikhl Yashinsky, a bold new Yiddish playwright and actor. Also a co-writer of the Yiddish textbook In eynem, Yashinsky teaches Yiddish for the Workers Circle and at Columbia, and created our video series #YiddishAlive. Yashinsky's controversial drama Di psure loyt khaim (The Gospel According to Chaim), recently put on by New Yiddish Rep, was noted as the first new full-length, entirely original Yiddish play that had been professionally produced in America for a number of decades, and was hailed by the Forward for having "jolted the repertoire with a work that is both traditional and delightfully submissive." Yashinsky will discuss this latest piece and present excerpts from it...
In English with excerpts of work in Yiddish, given alongside translation.
Jewish Culture for a Just World
Sun Mar 31, 2024
1:00-2:00 PM
The event is sponsored by JIMENA.org, JCCSF and will be moderated by podcaster Asal Ehsanipour. About the Speakers:
Danielle Dardashti: ...is an Emmy award-winning documentary writer/producer, a former on-air TV news reporter, and a Moth StorySLAM champion who has been featured on NPR’s Moth Radio Hour. She is the co-author of the Jewish Family Fun Book (Jewish Lights) and co-founder & Creative Director of live storytelling show StoryBoom...
Dr. Galeet Dardashti: ...is a trailblazing vocalist, composer, and anthropologist of Middle Eastern Jewish culture. She is widely known as leader of the all-woman Sephardi/Mizrahi ensemble, Divahn. In her new award-winning release, Monajat, she sings and composes around remixed samples of her famed Iranian grandfather with an acclaimed ensemble of musicians...
Join East of the River, led by Nina Stern and Daphna Mor, to celebrate the release of their album, Ija Mia.
Ija Mia braids together the rich vocal and instrumental traditions of the sephardic diaspora with soundscapes from throughout North Africa and the Ottoman Empire.
Nina Stern and Daphna Mor are joined by acclaimed American Armenian oud player and composer Ara Dinkjian, Silk Road Ensemble founding member Shane Shanahan, Palestinian multi-instrumentalist Zafer Tawil, and innovative Israeli bass player Tal Mashiach.
Heading down to Seattle today for a 4 day weekend to participate in Seattle Yiddish Fest which seems rather expanded in scope this year. A few highlights for me are seeing Ilya Shneyveys, accordionist and multi-instrumentalist who'll be teaching and leading events, and Michael Wex, the Canadian Yiddishist and raconteur. #klezmer#Yiddish#MusicFestival#Seattle https://www.seattleyiddishfest.com/
I knew about this newly published book of old #Klezmer because two colleagues of mine helped typeset it, but it was going to be too expensive to ship to Canada. So I was glad to be able to buy a copy from Hoffman's great granddaughter Susan Watts who is teaching at the festival this weekend.🎺🎶 Great stuff!
Discover the vibrant and transformative music scene that defined San Francisco from the late 1980s–2000s with photographer Jay Blakesberg and Noise Pop co-founder and Reboot Network member Jordan Kurland. Presenting iconic images and trading insider stories of the city’s music history, Blakesberg and Kurland will revisit memorable concerts and musical moments, from legendary outdoor performances and festivals to shows at beloved lost music venues. Join Reboot with the CJM and Noise Pop to celebrate San Francisco’s creative spirit, unique musical identity, and electrifying history.
"Klezmer & Strings"
[Gil Aldema: In Chassidic Mood (Suite)/Allegro;
George Enescu: Romanian Rhapsody No. 1;
Peter Breiner: Le Grand Nigun;
Ora Bat Chaim: D'vekut;
Astor Piazzolla: Fear;
Sergei Abir: Nigun;
Boris Pigovat: Jewish Wedding;
Peter Breiner: By George...! (A Pastiche of Gershwin's Themes)]
(MACC Records GmbH 2009) https://songwhip.com/giora-feidman/klezmer-and-strings
Heard that Péter Éri, longtime member of Muzsikás Folk Ensemble, passed away (1953-2023). For anyone interested in #Hungarian#FolkMusic and the #Táncház scene this group has been one of the most important forces for decades which influenced countless younger ensembles to learn and play folk music from #Transylvania and other regions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc5d-6hv9Xo
The band also did field work and recordings around #JewishMusic in Transylvania, most famously released on their album Máramaros: The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania. By the time they were doing field work there were not really Jewish musicians in the region anymore, but they interviewed elderly Roma musicians about what Jewish repertoire they had played decades earlier, as well as recording some well-known Jewish pieces in a Hungarian string style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKI5xHLaM_s&list=PLVpceVBKRJ3c1Uk_A2j7IZMTkhhhjJN7K #FolkMusic#Hungary
In honour of #Blaugust (lol), I've decided to start a new blog focusing on #klezmer research that is a bit too niche for Wikipedia. Here's my first post, which I reworked from a draft article I wrote a few months ago when I was first looking over the klezmer materials listed in US copyright ledgers.
The #Yiddish singer Lori Cahan-Simon passed away this week. I never met her but we had many friends in common and have enjoyed her recordings for years.
My dear bubbe's favorite song was this ballad to the old country. The song is fun because of the heavy use of scat singing and a wide range of mouth noises. I don't know if it was ahead of its time or if that was common in Yiddish songs.