Chassidism are of the mystical branch of Judaism. Besides Talmudic study, a key vehicle is song with dance, which are essentially breathing, sound vibration, and movement meditations. From an encounter with the Lubavitcher order and Reb Meanchem Schneerson and participation with folksinger Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, Mike Tabor carries on the musical tradition, particularly the nigunim, [...]

Matisyahu initially seemed a novelty: a Lubavitch Hasidic Jew rapping and singing over a reggae groove. Except it became clear under further inspection that his music was not a novelty, but a careful construction of the various elements that had influenced the young man as much as his religion. His first volume of recordings from [...]

David Grisman and Andy Statman have made two previous duet albums: the free form Mandolin Abstractions (1982) and Songs of Our Fathers (1995), a tribute to the two musicians’ Jewish heritage. New Shabbos Waltz is a follow-up to the latter, a set of all-instrumental recordings drawn from traditional Jewish repertoire, some quite ancient, some more [...]

World-renowned Brave Old World has set new standards in creating, performing and teaching klezmer and New Jewish Music since 1989.  Combining the soulfulness of Yiddish tradition, the finesse of classical music and the vitality of jazz, the music of  Brave Old World is unique and unforgettable. Klezmer music traces back to the dance music played [...]

David “Dudu” Fisher (born November 18, 1951) is an Israeli cantor and stage performer. Dudu Fisher is known throughout the world for his stirring performance as Jean Valjean in the hit show “Les Miserables,” but his career began in his native country Israel many years before. After three years of service in the Israel defense forces, Fisher [...]

Jewish Roots Music is the traditional music of the world’s oldest, most primal and funky people. Unadulterated Jewish jams and undiluted Jewish tribal sounds; music true to the sensibilities and tastes of the traditional Jewish community. Jewish Roots Music is in no way timid or afraid. It is music from the more intense side of [...]

Elazar Lipa Schmeltzer is an American Hasidic singer and composer. He is a headliner within Hasidic and Haredi communities worldwide and has released 10 solo albums as of 2011. Schmeltzer, a Skverer Hasid, grew up in the Hasidic enclave of  New Square, New York, a village in Rockland County, New York. His grandfather, a Jewish [...]

Sephardic Roots: Jewish Music from Spain A new generation of singers from Israel, the U.S., and Europe has rediscovered these ancient cantigas and reveals their haunting beauty. Gerard Edery (Morocco) and Yasmin Levy (Israel) play up the Spanish roots, folkies like Judy Frankel (U.S.) explore the poetry, and ensembles such as Sarband and the Sephardic Experience [...]

During a time when some Jews refrain from listening to live music – famous Orthodox rapper Y-Love and beatbox superstar Yuri Lane (who has over 9 millions hits on Youtube) create all their music non-instrumentally. The album “Count It (Sefira)” is an all vocal hip-hop record with over seven tracks to correspond to the seven [...]

This CD features Mark Dresser (bass), Marty Ehrlich (tenor sax, clarinet), Diane Moser (piano), Benny Koonyevsky (percussion), Elizabeth Schwartz (vocals) and Yale Strom (violin, viola). Strom has composed all the tunes on this CD. He has pushed open the klezmer umbrella even wider, taking klezmer nuances and weaving them through pieces that range from avant-garde [...]

Jewish Travels is the only recording of the Massel Klezmorim, a small impromptu outfit of musicians collected together by German cabaret performer Lutz Cassell (aka Lutz Elias) and guitarist Peter Wolfgang Fischer for a concert in the Hamburg Music Hall for a Hanukkah festival in 1986. The basic attempt is to collect music from throughout [...]

Disc “Iraqi Jewish and Iraqi Music by Hakki Obadia” contains music of Iraq’s Jewish population and of its “general,” i.e. Muslim population. The artist, Hakki Obadia was a prominent Iraqi Jewish musician who emigrated to the U.S. in the late 40s. (Most Iraqi Jews emigrated to Israel after its founding.) He had a long career [...]

Here’s what the renowned Dutch daily paper NRC has to say about the Amsterdam Klezmer Band: “This group has very little to offer to ‘Klezmer-purists’ since Klezmer was never meant to be polished and perfected for concert halls. With their festive approach they take the music out of the conservatory corridors into the street.” It [...]

“Yearning” is an extraordinary collection of thirty original piano solos based on or inspired by Jewish folk and liturgical melodies. The pieces were composed and performed by Lilia Valitova and are grouped into five suites. Each piece has a descriptive title, most of which deal with everyday events. These suites are part of Valitova’s attempt [...]

The Maccabeats, noted for their 2010 Hanukkah song “Candlelight” just released a new music video for the upcoming Purim, called “Purim Song,” this time spoofing P!nk’s 2010 song, “Raise Your Glass“. The Maccabeats are an all-male college a cappella group from Yeshiva University. The Maccabeats were founded in 2007 by Michael Greenberg (though the group did [...]