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Interview Shua Kessin Lo Lihitya'eish

2009-09-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

Interview originally appeared in Country Yossi Magazine.

Interview Conducted & Written by Kol Isha of the JewishMusicReport.com

It’s hard to call Shua Kessin a new artist. It’s true that his debut CD hasn’t hit the stores yet. But how can you call someone a newcomer when they have performed at hundreds of weddings, done shows and kumzitzes all over the world? If you haven’t been privileged to hear Shua’s special brand of magic, prepare to be dazzled by his upcoming album, Lo Lihitya'eish, due out just in time for the Yomim Tovim.

With many years experience in the music business, producer Ozer Babad has teamed up with Shua to put together one of the most anticipated releases of the year, which is sure to take the Jewish music world by storm. The amount of talent on this album is just staggering. Nine out of eleven songs composed by Shua, a prolific composer in his own right. Arrangements by Yisroel Lamm, Yanky Briskman, C. Lanzbom, Ruli Ezrachi. And of course, Shua himself, who was involved in every aspect of this project from day one, as he put his very heart and soul into this CD.

To see Shua perform live is to really see him at his best. Shua doesn’t just sing. He has the unique ability to connect with the audience as he reaches out and becomes one with the crowd, making everyone in the room really feel the emotion in his music. His enthusiasm is infectious as the crowd is drawn in and uplifted by Shua’s energy. He continues to enhance people’s lives through music, one performance at a time.

Perhaps it’s Kessin’s versatility that makes him so unique. He doesn’t just sing. He composes. Plays a number of different instruments. Is as comfortable doing a song in English as he is in either Hebrew or Yiddish, with all the proper nuances and inflections. He can do an intimate kumzitz. A full scale concert. Daven for the Amud. In short, if it’s musical, Shua can do it. And he does it so well.

Despite his hectic schedule, Shua was kind enough to take some time to let us know a little more about who he is, how he got started in the music business and what we can expect from Lo Lihitya'eish.

How did you get started in the music business?

SK: Music has always been part of my life. I started playing around on the piano at age three and composed my first song at age six. I started playing keyboard at simchos at age eleven. By the time I was a teenager I was composing songs, singing in public and davening for the Amud. I also taught myself how to play guitar.

How many years of music lessons did you have?

SK: None. I play keyboard, guitar, drums and harmonica and have never taken a music lesson in my entire life. It’s all self taught. I have a natural ability for anything musical. Some of it I was able to do by ear. Other things I learned from books and by watching people.

How did you start getting more involved in music?

SK: When I was in 10th grade, I became very interested in the music of Shlomo Carlebach. I listened to every album I could find. It didn’t take long before I had devoured all of the well known Carlebach albums and I started looking for some of the more obscure ones. I came across an album called “The Hidden Songs of Shlomo Carlebach” by Yisroel Travis. I listened to the album and it seemed to me that some of the songs were sung a little differently than Reb Shlomo had sung them. I decided to contact Yisroel Travis and tell him what I had noticed. We just hit it off and had a long conversation, where I mentioned to Yisroel that I had written a number of niggunim of my own. I happened to be in Toronto, where Yisroel lives, a few weeks later and I sat down with my guitar and we sang together for a while. Some time later, Yisroel invited me back up to Canada where I sang at a number of different locations. And that was really the starting point of my career.

What happened next?

SK: I sang in so many different places. Florida. Eretz Yisroel. LA. Montreal. Toronto. When I was in Eretz Yisroel as a bochur, I had the opportunity to sing at so many weddings. Some were typical Ashkenazi weddings. Others were Yerushalmi weddings, with just drums. I spent time helping out in recording studios and I got to meet many different people in the music business. One of the people that I met at that time was Eli Slomovitz, who runs E&S tours to Europe with the help of Miriam Schreiber, led by Rabbi Pesach Krohn. My first job with him was about six years ago, where I went along as the entertainment on his Eastern Europe tour. We visited so many Shuls, cemeteries and yeshivos. We saw old villages, even Auschwitz and Birkenau. And everywhere we went, there were songs. Some more upbeat. Some more hartzig and inspirational. It was such an unbelievable experience.

The following year, I joined Eli again on his Central Europe tour. One of the songs on Lo Lihitya'eish, called Aneini, was actually composed in Prague on this tour. It was such a positive experience that I even went on the Eastern Europe tour a second time. Each tour had well over a hundred people from all over the world and was truly memorable. You can actually see me in the video and I am featured
in the book as well.

You said that you never took any music lessons. How about voice lessons?

SK: I started voice lessons as a bochur in Israel, when I was 20 years old. My first vocal coach was Cantor Dan Hendrickson. Over time I have also studied with Cantor Nussen Glick, Cantor Hersh Einhorn and Cantor Yoel Goldstein. The experience I have gained performing over the last five or six years has taught me so much. Knowing my own voice and my own strengths has helped me grow tremendously as a performer.

What was your first big concert?

SK: Shabbos Nachamu 2007 at Monticello Raceway with Yaakov Shwekey, Srully Williger and Michoel Pruzansky. It was the first concert I ever went to.

You had never been to a concert before?

SK: No. I have so many friends in the music business and always had people offering me concert tickets. But I promised myself that the first time I went to a concert I was going to be onstage, not in the audience. I only sang for about ten or fifteen minutes at that concert but the reviews were amazing. Since then I’ve sung in many concerts with so many of the big names in Jewish music including MBD, Avraham Fried, Ohad, Yeedle, Piamenta and Miami Boys Choir.

What other memorable performances can you tell us about?

SK: There have been so many. I have done hundreds of weddings and Bar Mitzvahs. I’ve headlined at Gateways and done quite a few Pesach and Succos programs at hotels all over the world. I’ve done dinners, kumzitzes, shows and even a Shalom Zachor. Sung for both HASC and Mekimi. This summer alone I performed at several bungalow colonies and most recently sang at the Music on the Bay Cruise. Maybe the most memorable show I did was an online kumzitz on Reb Shlomo’s yahrtzeit this past November.

An online kumzitz?

SK: It’s something that had never been done before. The 2 and a half hour long concert was broadcast live on matzav.com, a very popular innovative Jewish news website and was produced by Ozer Babad and Yossi Zweig, with music by Yanky Briskman, Yonatan and others well known musicians. Over 40,000 people logged in to hear the concert!

That is truly amazing. Let’s go back to HASC and Mekimi. What do you do for them?

SK: Let me backtrack a little. My father, R’ Mendel Kessin, is a renowned speaker and has touched the lives of thousands of people. I saw, firsthand, the way he affected so many people’s lives. I hope that with my musical abilities, I can connect with people and affect their lives as well. I have spent countless hours volunteering my time with many organizations, including HASC and OHEL.

Not only did I sing in Camp HASC this past summer, but last summer, when Avraham Fried had to cancel an appearance at Camp HASC, I stepped in and filled in for him.

This past Lag B’Omer I sang for over 700 people at a HASC concert. I have sung for people in hospitals, nursing homes, private homes, doing whatever I can to bring simcha into people’s lives. Refoeinu, one of the songs on my album was composed in memory of the people I used to visit on a regular basis.

And now you’re almost ready to release your first CD?

SK: Not quite. It may be the first full length CD that I am releasing but I composed a song for my wedding in 2006 called Im Ata Maamin which I recorded and gave out at the wedding. I wanted our guests to have something to take home with them. The song has actually been renamed Maamin and was rearranged for Lo Lihitya'eish.

We’ve already heard an a capella version of your song Nishmas, which was the first of four a capella releases this past summer, during the three weeks.

SK: I wanted to give people a taste of my album and during these difficult times, I wanted to remind people that Hashem is always there for us. Obviously the version of Nishmas on Lo Lihitya'eish will have full musical arrangements and will sound absolutely amazing.

Let’s talk a little more about Lo Lihitya'eish.

SK: Sure. Lo Lihitya'eish will feature eleven songs, nine of which are my compositions, carefully selected from the over 300 songs that I have written. While many singers just do the vocals and hand the song over to whoever is doing the arrangements, I was intimately involved in the arrangements. And I worked with some of the best in the business. Yanky Briskman, Ruli Ezrachi, C. Lanzbom. And, of course, Yisroel Lamm.

Who wrote the other two songs?

SK: One of the songs was written by the one and only Country Yossi, who happens to be one of my very good friends. I actually did a show for him up in the mountains this past summer. The song is an English song, a classic style, very emotional and I’m sure people will have very strong feelings about it. The other song, composed by David Kaufman is an electronic style song, kind of like something you’d hear from the Chevra. The words come from Brich Shmey, and it really ended up being something special.

What can we expect from this album?

SK: Everything. I don’t just limit myself to one musical style. Whatever I do, I do with a full heart and I want it to be authentic. There are no filler songs on this album. Before I decided to use a song I asked many people for their opinions. I asked Yisroel Lamm what he thought. Yossi Green. My friends. Even people on the street. I wanted to make sure every song was a quality song that people would love and be able to sing for themselves. I was intimately involved in every single step of this album, from the music, to the lyrics, to graphics to the arrangements. This album is all about Shua Kessin and my being able to connect with the listener. This is an album you’re going to want to listen to over and over and over again.

Clearly, Shua is a guy who realizes just how powerful music is. It gives him the ability to connect with people, to convey emotion through his music. Just visiting his website, shuakessin.com, gives you a taste of who Shua is and how much he has already accomplished in the world of music. There are dozens of pictures of Shua performing at varied events: Hachnossas Sifrei Torah, Pesach, Succos and Shavuos hotels, Lag B’Omer and Chanukah concerts, the list goes on and on. In just a few years he has established himself as a formidable talent in the Jewish music business and there is no question that music lovers everywhere are eagerly awaiting the release of his debut CD.

A new artist? Not Shua Kessin. With a fan base so big and a following so strong, I’d say Shua Kessin has already made it to the big leagues. One thing is for sure. Shua Kessin is here to stay. JMR

"Al Tidag Gilad" – artists sing to gilad shalit.

2009-08-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

"Al Tidag Gilad", a song produced by "dos music" and zachi bar-chen, is dedicated with lots of love to the abducted soldier gilad shalit, who has been in captivity for over three years.

"dos music" in cooperation with singer zachi bar-chen succeeded to recruit the finest of Israeli artists, both religious and non – religious to come together in song and express the deep feelings all Israelis have and stress the fact that gilad has been in captivity for "more than a thousand days", witch is the first line of the song they all sing together.

"don't fear gilad you are not alone" , so sing avi sinvani, udi habri, itzik orlev, eliran tavori, beni brada , hezi fanian, haim moshe, yuval tayeb, tzedi or, zachi bar-chen, "pirchey yerushalaim", ruben "the angel", shahar sela and shimi tavori.

David bend avid, one of the projects founders: "in this song and project we are all hope for gilad to return to his home and loving family".

'Hadoch Kamai' - Effi Rosen's first single

2009-08-05T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is the story of a music artist, not just a 'singer', who decided to produce his own albumthe hard way. To record his debut album, Effi Rosen needed to set up a new studio, fromthe very beginning, explains Menachem Safra his manager, "At first we went to a famousrecording studio, like everybody does, but we felt 'this isn't it', so we started our own studio.In the meantime, Michel Michaeli, formerly CEO of the company Earth Wind & Fire andcurrently owner of 'Grande Chose Productions", a well known face in the general musicscene, joined the team. He was enthusiastic after hearing some of the material andencouraged them to take it seriously, like the top name artists around the worldThe best way to showcase the material for the album was the one they chose using thepurpose built studio. However, in the meantime,

with siyata dishmaya word of the studio gotout and it began attracting famous names (Lipa Shmelzer – A poshiter Yid, the MenagnimOrchestra, and others). This way the producers were able to gather together the bestprofessional musicians to create a totally different atmosphere and consequently a differentresult. "With much siyata dishmaya and good planning, we managed to create thismasterpiece", says SafraEffi Rosen,

aged 30, married and the father of five, lives in Ashdod. In his youth he was thesoloist in youth choirs under the direction of Yishai Lapidot, but that was only the beginning.Having performed on stage for years, Effi Rosen now presents his own "Hadoch Kamai",giving you a taste of his first awesome album..In this,

"Tachlit Raayon" (Purpose of Concept) his debut album various musical styles whichare different from the norm are used. Rythms that don't usually appear in hassidic musicappear, such as samba, bossa nova, metal, and more. The music was composed by EffiRosen, Menachem Safra, R. S.M. and Hanochi Falk, and arranged by Menachem SafraTachlit Raayon is distributed by Greentech,

roky Zeigler & Aaron Razel | Shamor ve Zochor

2009-06-12T00:36:00.000-07:00

Yerachmiel ('Rocky') Zeigler & Aaron Razel sings "Shamor ve Zochor"
Two colleagues, or actually two friends, have started a new path. Each morning, the two friends study together, however, with time; Aaron Razel has discovered that his companion has composed many songs for the Shabbat. Yerachmiel Zeigler who is better known to his friends as 'Rocky' has played for Aaron a few songs ¬'Songs of the Shabbat' from the recent time, and the two have decided to take on a way towards a new album. However, as time has passed, an absolute musical fact became clear: two are better than one. 'Rocky' has brought the music, Razel composed, designed and added a few pieces of music of his own, and the duets have accumulated into a full length album. There are fifteen songs planned for the album, 'Raza De Shabbat' andin Englidh 'Secrets of the Shabboes'. As an opening to parts of the songs, the couple has added pensive thoughts regarding the songs of the Shabbat.

Yerachmiel is a young (26) and talented composer who grew up in Muncie in New York City, where he also had studied in various yeshivas. He came to Israel on his own because of his love of the land of Israel. For him, it's not his first attempt in music ¬two of his previous solo albums have received accolades. Today he performs with his band and they play Jewish rock on happy event and occasions. At the rest of the time, he accompanies the best of the Jewish music artists in Israel in singing and playing the guitar.The music is varied as well as the composition. Razel has adjusted the composition to the charming character of Yerachmiel Zeigler. Aaron Razel celebrates in these 'days a decade to his first album 'The Burning Bush

לעוד בנושא:
ירחמיאל (רוקי) זיגלר ואהרון רזאל מזמרים: "שמור וזכור"
רוקי זיגלר: 'בלי עצב'

Jewish Soul Music in the Religious Zionist

2009-06-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

מאת: יאיר פלד, עוז אלמוג - אנשים ישראל
Contemporary Jewish music was first played in Israel at music festivals catering specifically to the religious Zionist community. By the mid-1990s, this style of music began to cross cultural lines and to appeal to music lovers outside the community of religious Zionists. Even prior to the heyday of this musical genre, young religious Zionists, in particular those of the knitted kippot (skullcaps) variety, enjoyed a mixed musical diet that included popular Israeli music targeting the general public, as well as classical Hasidic music. Among the most popular Hasidic musicians were Avraham Fried, Mordecai ben David, and the Pirchei Miami Boys Choir.

Both the hesder yeshiva programs for young men that combine advanced Talmudic studies with IDF military service and the ulpana academies for religious young women resonated with the hit songs of the young Shlomo Artzi. Indeed, religious Zionist youth, like their secular counterparts, listened to the songs of popular groups such as Kaveret and Mashina, attended live performances, bought every record or cassette tape of their favorite singer they could get their hands on and in general exhibited the behavior typical of young fans and admirers everywhere.

Over the years, religious Zionist society came to the realization that the time had come to provide its own original response to the songs coming out of the secular popular music industry. This awareness was fueled by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s Hasidic soul tunes, music which made everyone want to get up and dance. Indeed, the music of Carlebach—who was known as the Dancing Rabbi—took synagogues, yeshivas and Sabbath tables by storm and inspired many musicians who had returned to their religious Jewish roots to "convert" their music rather than to abandon it altogether.

The religious journalist Jackie Levy believes Rabbi Carlebach is the founding father of contemporary Jewish music. According to Levy, when you put Carlebach’s music together with his appearance and hairstyle, you get the Jewish version of the flower children of the 1960s in America, for Carlebach’s Judaism appears to derive more from spiritualism than from Jewish law, Jewish learning or contemporary politics. Alternative Jewish music has taken up Carlebach’s mantle and has carried it to the distant hilltops of Judea and Samaria, where it now flourishes alongside the meditations of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.

Among the settlers in the outposts and among the habkukim - an acronym used to describe the disciples of Chabad, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and Rabbi Kook - in the more established settlements, the legacy of Carlebach and of the 1960s blends together with the rebellious spirit of the young religious Zionists and the hilltop youth, a name used to refer to nationalist youth groups influenced by religious Zionist ideals. With the exception of free love and pacifism, the hilltop youth have a great deal in common with the flower children: they are turned off by the establishment and by their parents’ materialist and bourgeois values, they shy away from bookishness, and they embrace nature, spiritualism and freedom.

Some people believe Rabbi Carlebach’s influence extended beyond music, claiming the Dancing Rabbi’s legacy transcended his tunes and melodies to include, among other things, books inspired by his teachings. In effect, Carlebach inspired the development of a traditional Jewish way of life in Israel and abroad that eventually became known in the literature as hasdalut (religious Zionist Hasidism) and more informally and commonly as habkuk.

In contrast, there are those who claim that Adi Ran is the founder of the neo-spiritual genre in Jewish music. Ran, who was born in 1961, was the first secular musician to become a hozer betshuva and adopt a Jewish religious repertoire in his music. (A hozer betshuva is someone who has rejected secularism and adopted a religious lifestyle.) Ran’s debut “Jewish” album, HaAharon SheBaAm (The Last One), released in 1998, includes personal texts about Judaism and about his feelings as a hozer betshuva.

At the same time, another hozer betshuva singer, Yosef Karduner, began to gain popularity as an entertainer at weddings and other occasions in the religious Zionist community. Karduner composed music for Shir LaMaalot (A Song of Ascents - Psalms 121). The song, a hit among religious Zionists, encouraged other religious musicians to compose music and sing songs based upon biblical verses. One example is Aharon Razel’s album Hasneh Boer (The Burning Bush). Until then, the field had been dominated by the melodies Rabbi Carlebach had made famous.

Adi Ran and Yosef Karduner were followed by hilltop singers from settlements in Judea and Samaria, such as Sinai Tor and Shivi Keller and later Udi Davidi, who gave the genre new momentum. Concurrently, Rabbi Carlebach’s style also gained renewed esteem, thanks to artists such as Aryeh Naftali, Aharon Razel and the Reva LeSheva band.

Original Jewish music: not just a passing fancy
In recent years, an innovative form of “secular” New Age music gradually developed in a variety of genres—folk, rock, jazz, reggae and others—with words from biblical sources or personal texts about drawing closer to God. This music set the stage for the wave of creativity leading to what is now known as “original Jewish music.”

Incidentally, in 2008 this genre was more popular in religious Zionist circles than was classical Hasidic music. Composers and artists identified with the religious Zionist camp slowly began pushing Hasidic music stars such as Avraham Fried and Mordecai ben David out of the limelight and positioning themselves to set the musical tone for the religious Zionist public. In a discussion marking the end of the Jewish Music Year 5768, the board of Tevat Hanigunin (webcast for Jewish music) assembled a panel of experts to discuss the status of Hasidic and alternative music in the community.

A music broadcaster on Arutz 7 (a media network identified with religious Zionism) sees a relationship between the musical taste and the political leanings of most of the artists popular in the settlements and of their freaky fans, many of whom live on the hilltops of Samaria. He states that “the music is monotonic, with a simple melody, a guitar in two chords, a darbuka, not too terribly complicated. The idea is to make do with what you have—a few goats, a loaf of bread—to pick hyssop in the hills, to dress simply. The truth burning within them is much more extreme than the truth for someone who lives in Tel Aviv and listens to Tel Aviv pop. Not by chance is this the music of the hilltop youth.”

While this analysis is somewhat logical from a sociological perspective, there are those who would disagree with it, particularly when it comes to music. They believe simplicity is not necessarily synonymous with a lack of depth or sophistication. In fact, a simple melody can often turn out to be a great piece of music. One example is African-American blues music, which is also to a large extent monotonic.

The hozer betshuva musicians and musical composers, together with other artists from Samaria and other regions in Israel, consider themselves to be no less than religious missionaries who use music to reach the very hearts and souls of Jews everywhere. Quite a few of these composers insist they have no need for a muse to be creative. They are guided by divine inspiration, and it is the hand of God that brings forth the words and the melody.

To a certain extent, these musicians see themselves as successors of the Levite tribe. The Levites were responsible for the religious rituals in the Temple, including the songs and the musical instruments. Every day a choir of at least a dozen Levites stood atop a platform in the Temple and sang a special song for the sacrifice and hymns to the Creator of the Universe. Others played instruments, including the harp, flutes, stringed instruments, trumpets and cymbals. A young woman resident of the Jewish settlement in Hebron described this very nicely in an interview for the Haaretz newspaper: “We, the religious faithful, have one goal in life—to draw close to the Creator of the Universe. There are many ways to do this, and for us music is the way. It is more like praying than singing.”

One of the basic tenets of Hasidism is to serve the Creator out of joy, for "the Divine Presence does not rest [upon man] through gloom . . ." (Tractate Shabbat 30b). This tenet led to the development of the tisch tradition. The word tisch means table, and the term has come to designate a gathering of Hasidim around their rebbe that includes singing, dancing and a great deal of joy. The religious Zionist community has begun to draw closer to the principles of Hasidism, but they lack a Hasidic court where believers can communicate with the Creator by singing and dancing to the point of losing control of their senses. Hence, Jewish soul music appeared at precisely the right time to fill this need.

This widening trend, which has gained sweeping rabbinical support, has attracted broad segments of the religious Zionist public, primarily among the younger generation. Today Jewish soul music is considered to be a legitimate cultural, religious and spiritual outlet, with fans idolizing the artists (depending, of course, on the extent of their religious devotion and the content of their songs), rushing to attend performances and purchasing the latest disks of these new music idols.

It is worthy of note that the secular public does not stay away when the artists of this new genre perform. Aharon Razel, who together with his brother Yonatan is one of the leading artists in this genre, noted that “many secular people from Tel Aviv are in our audiences.” This encounter between religious and secular Jews has created a new reality, according to Yonatan. “The religious composers have developed a professional and polished style. Their music has become mainstream, while secular music has begun to be infused with elements of spirituality and the search for Jewish identity. The secular world is searching for itself in the religious world, and the religious world is influenced by the secular world. It’s like a whirlpool in the middle of the ocean.”

Anyone who still naively believes that this is the passing fancy of a handful of crazies trying to create a new musical trend should pay a visit to any music store specializing in Jewish Hasidic music, where the shelves are crowded with an impressive number of disks by religious singers, composers and musicians. These disks can also be heard on Jewish music stations on the radio and on Internet webcasts.

In 2008, top Israeli music performers began to notice that the Bible and the familiar prayers of their childhood could serve as an inexhaustible source of lyrics, and they began releasing albums based on the Jewish sources. They claimed this “tradition offensive” was not coordinated and that each was unaware of what the others were doing. Most of them point to the cultural and artistic shallowness that has taken over Israeli society and has paved the way for a return to biblical sources and Jewish tradition.

Jewish soul music performed by secular artists
The list of artists and composers who have begun to draw from the inexhaustible well of original Jewish music is growing. It includes many of Israel’s most renowned singing stars: David D’Or, Ariel Zilber, Meir Banai, Ehud Banai, Shlomo Gronich, Shuli Rand, Ovadia Hamama, and Erez Lev Ari. A clip of David D'or

Trendsetters in the new Jewish music genre
Pioneering artists
New religious singers and composers seem to pop up on the Jewish music scene every other day. Though they may not yet be familiar to the general public and their music is not played in the “secular” media, their songs are still in great demand, and they are widely admired in their own camp. Following are some of the stars among them:

Yosef Karduner: Karduner, a hozer betshuva singer and composer born in 1969, is known as the sweet singer of Breslov. His music is marked by its melodic simplicity and its many repetitions, thus to a certain extent following in the tradition of Rabbi Carlebach. At the same time, his music has assimilated diverse influences, ranging from rock ‘n roll to jazz and Latin American music.

Adi Ran: Born in 1961, this singer and composer began his career as an angry secular Jew. In the mid-1990s he became religious and joined the Breslov Hasidim. He performs rock and Hasidic music. Adi Ran - website

Aharon Razel: Razel was born in the United States in 1974 and is one of the founders of this new music genre. His parents immigrated to Israel in the 1980s as secular Jews, became religious, and set up a family music ensemble known as the Razel Family Ensemble, with Aharon as keyboardist. Aharon often performs at concerts in memory of Rabbi Carlebach. Aharon Razel - website

Sinai Tor: Tor is a singer, composer and songwriter of Jewish soul rock. A member of the famous Tor family from Kiryat Arba, Sinai began his career in the settlement of Bat Ayin, where he recorded his debut album, Darashti Kirvatcha (I asked you to draw close). Many consider this album to be a milestone in the Jewish music revival. A clip of Sinai Tor

Yehuda Glantz: Glantz is unique on the Jewish music scene. He was born in Argentina and by age five had already been discovered as a musical whiz kid. He immigrated to Israel in 1979. Glantz plays 14 different musical instruments, and he is the only Jewish music star to perform Hasidic South American music. Yehuda Glantz - website

Yitzchak Fuchs: Fuchs, a singer and composer, has been on the Jewish music scene since the 1980s and is considered one of the founders. A clip of Yitzchak Fuchs

Gabriel Chason: In 1994, long before anyone had even thought about alternative Jewish music, Chason had already recorded his debut album, Ma’aseh Etsba’otav (Made by His Hands). His newest album, Hechal Hagevanim Hamishtanim (Chamber of the Changing Colors), was released in 2008. This exceptional album comprises four unusually long instrumental segments, each representing a different world according to the Zohar (the most important book of the Kabbalah): Emanation, Creation, Formation and Action. Chason’s advice to his colleagues: “Don’t play from the notes, play from the soul.” A clip of Gabriel Chason

Udi Davidi: A singer-songwriter, was born in 1978 and now lives in the settlement of Maon in the Judean hills, where he raises sheep and writes songs. His hit songs, Tachsov Tov Yehiyeh Tov (Think Positive, Things Will be Good) and Azeh Tov Hashem (God is Good), have won unprecedented popularity, and his performances draw standing-room-only crowds. During Hanukkah 2008 he appeared in the musical production of Hershele in Chelm (a “kosher” and educational alternative to the secular Hanukkah extravaganzas), for which he wrote the title song.
Udi Davidi - website ; A clip of Udi Davidi

Shivi Keller: Keller is a singer and songwriter whose work combines song and prayer. His third album, Ani Nahar (I Am a River), released in 2007, includes six songs with lyrics directly from Jewish holy sources and four written by him and inspired by the sources. He borrowed the name of his album from a statement by Rabbi Nachman of Uman: "I am a river who purifies all stains.”

Yonatan Razel: A year and a half older than his brother Aharon, also acquired his love for music at home. In an interview he stated: “We grew up with two religions, music and Judaism.” Ynet Jewish World surfers voted Yonatan vocalist of the year and selected his song Zion as song of the year.

Aryeh Naftali: A leading song writer in the Carlebach style. He was born in 1961 in San Francisco, and at age 20 immigrated to Israel on his own. He studied education and began drawing closer to religion, while at the same time developing his love for music. By 2008 he had produced five albums, which he describes as “alternative Jewish music that is not religious.”

Reva LeSheva Band: This five-member band is led by soloist Yehudah Katz, a resident of Moshav Meor Modi’in. Located in the Ben Shemen area and formerly called Mevo Modi'in, this moshav was founded by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and his followers. The band’s repertoire consists of original songs along with new renditions of Carlebach’s songs, and their primary messages include loving the Creator and aspiring for inner peace and world peace. The band’s most well-known song is Ahavat Yisrael Banishama (The Love of Israel in the Soul). Reva LeSheva - webpage on the RNY / Tight Rope Productions website

Madregot Band: This band was founded towards the end of the 1990s by two hozer betshuva musicians, Hod Dayan and Ilan Damari, who is known for his high and distinctive singing voice. Though their music is far from mainstream, they have received good reviews, and some of their songs have even been played on Galei Zahal, the military radio station, among them Shirat Ha’asavim (Song of the Weeds) and Shefel Ru’ach (The Ebbing Wind). A clip of Madregot Band

The Vach Family: This religious Zionist family has many children, all of whom are endowed with remarkable vocal talents. The family lives in the settlement of Eli in the Binyamin Regional Council. Golan Vach, one of the children, composes the songs for the group.

The Moshav Band: This band is among the best in the new Jewish music genre. The quintet’s six albums helped them establish their preeminent position as leaders in creating original and special renditions of Rabbi Carlebach’s songs. Their original works in both English and Hebrew have made their mark on the Jewish music renaissance. After achieving great success in the United States, they moved to Los Angeles, traveling from there to perform around the world: in Canada, Australia, South Africa, Europe, South America and of course in Israel. A clip of Moshav Band

Other artists
Tal HaLevi: Tal began his career as a sound technician and owner of the Gaia recording studio in the north of Israel, where top Israeli stars recorded their songs. After becoming religious, he founded the Ori’ya recording studio, where he recorded his debut album Halleluyah in 2008. The album’s varied content includes reggae beat, rock, Mediterranean music and music from around the world. Most of the texts are taken from Jewish sources, while others are inspired from within. A clip of Tal Halevi

Netanel Hershtik: The youngest son of world famous cantor Naftali Hershtik, was discovered as a musical talent at an early age. When he was only eight years old, he appeared with his father at concerts in the United States and Europe. In Israel he has performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra, and the Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir.

Nadav Bachar: Originally a secular singer and guitarist, Bachar was a member of the Parva Chama (Hot Fur) progressive rock band. After becoming a hozer betshuva, he joined the Hasidic rock band A Groyse Metzia (A Real Find), most of whose members, like him, are newly religious.

Naftali Abramson: Abramson, a young singer and songwriter, was born in the United States in 1983. His works are influenced by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and by a mixture of American rock and Celtic music. For his second album, he recorded a duet with Ehud Banai.

Yood Power Rock Trio: This exceptional rock and blues trio has taken Jewish rock to new heights. The trio writes and performs original music influenced by the Kabbalah and by Hasidism, together with stirring renditions of such classic rock artists as Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Bob Dylan.

Aharit Hayamim Band: This band, whose name means End of Days, plays an eclectic mixture of rhythms and styles: reggae, rock, punk, international, Middle Eastern, Hasidic and Black music. The band’s members come from all corners of the globe: Yehuda Leuchter, the band’s lead singer, hails from New York, father and son Shmuel and Moshe Caro were born on Reunion Island near Madagascar, Avraham Shurin is from Marseilles, France and Raphael Barkatz grew up in Jerusalem. In 2008, the band launched a countrywide tour of street performances, going from city to city and from northern to southern Israel.

A Groyse Metzia: This ensemble of seven musicians and singers merges the contemporary music of gypsy punk, reggae, jungle and rock with Hasidic and Kabbalah melodies.

Blue Fringe: Blue Fringe is one of America's favorite Jewish rock bands. Its four members—Dov Rosenblatt, Avi Hoffman, Danny Zwillenberg and Hayyim Danzig—live in New York and study at Yeshiva University. Their diverse musical style mixes pop, rock, punk and R&B.

Para Aduma: The six musicians of the Para Aduma (Red Heifer) band got together in 2003 for the annual Safed Klezmer Music Festival. They were so warmly received they decided to continue playing together. They play a wide variety of music: Hasidic, Carlebach, Irish and Israeli. Their debut album, Bidrachim (On the Road), released in 2008, combines passages from Jewish sources with rock, rap and joyous music.

Matisyahu, ‘One Day’ Song Premiere

2009-06-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

Matisyahu has explored a number of musical styles over the course of a relatively short, whirlwind career, but his universal message of peace and unity has always remained the same. The reggae MC is continuing his pursuit of positivity on ‘One Day,’ the first single of his third studio album, ‘Light,’ due in late August.

“‘One Day’ is the song I’ve been wanting to make since I started my career,” Matisyahu tells Spinner. “It is an anthem of hope with a big beat—the kind of song that makes you bob your head and open your heart at the same time.”

AVRAHAM FRIED - Yankel Yankel

2009-05-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

Its been nearly 3 years since Avremel released a new album. His last being the smash album "Bein Kach U’Bein Kach", which you can find a number of songs on every wedding album coming out today across the globe. This album is #4 in the series Nigunei Chabad. This album will feature some well know nigunei chabad as well as some you might not know. All the arrangements were done by the master Avremi G. The album boasts 12 masterful tracks among them are some medleys. Be it hartzig, horahs, freliach, yiddish medley, or just a blend of chassidishe nigunim this album has it all. The album will be available through Sameach Music sometime in the middle next week.
[source: thejewishinsights.com]

'Rocky' Ziegler: "Bli Etzev"

2009-05-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

These days Yerachmiel 'Rocky' Ziegler barely finds time to sing his ownsongs, now that he is joining Matisyahu's world tour as second vocalist,starting in Japan and spreading out all over the world. Whilst awaiting therelease of his new album "Raza Deshabbat", Rocky introduces another songfrom the album "Bli Etzev". The song was written by Ziegler, arranged by Aharon Razael who sings in many of the songs on the album.

The two started working together after Aharon Razael discovered that hismorning chavrusa had written numerous shabbos songs. Yerachmiel Ziegler,known to his friends as "Rocky", played his songs from "zemirot shabbat" forAharon which led them to embark on the creation of a new album together.Using Rocky's music, Razael arranged and added embellishments of his own,towards a unique album featuring their duets together.

Yerachmiel (aged 26), an up and coming creative talent from New York,learned in various yeshivot prior to making aliyah by himself out of his greatlove for Eretz Yisrael. He made his musical debut with two previous soloalbums which garnered critical acclaim. At present he plays rock with his band at simchas and events, as well as accompanying top artists in thecountry, as guitarist and vocalist

The complete album of Raza Deshabbat is expected to be released sometime this summer, iy"H

Yizhar Shaabi:"A Tear"

2009-05-11T03:46:00.000-07:00

The journey to the recording for the lyrics to "A Tear" has been a long and windingroad. Lag BaOmer 5752, Yair Medina Levy finds himself for the first time on the roofof Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai's grave in Meiron.The charged and upliftingatmosphere move him to tears of joy and the words of an other wordly song are born.Nine years later his cousin, Shlomo Medina, sets the lyrics to music. The song ispassed to Yizhar Shaabi who occasionally plays it on stage, but neverrecords it. Now, 17 years later, Yizhar Shaabi and Yair Medina Levy are dedicatingthis project "in honour of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and in honour of Am Yisrael".Lag BaOmer falls this coming Monday, till then Jews refrain from playing or listeningto music during sefirat haomer. The night of Lag BaOmer, is the hilula (yahrzeit) ofRebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, which gives the sign that music can be heard once more.Yizhar Shaabi invites you to share tears of joy at this new song, released here. Justweeks ago Shaabi brought out his first official album "Lev Tahor".The album has already sparked great interest.An exciting clip has been produced of "A Tear".Solo, guitar, oud: Yizhar ShaabiBass: Dan AyalonVocals and percussion: Yair Medina Levy Piano: Dan SivanDrums: Tamir YeminiVocals: Adir BeharArrangement: Yizhar ShaabiProduction: Eyal Yechiel & Dan Ayalon

האזנה לשיר דמעה.

לצפייה בקליפ דמעה

Just in time for Yom Hazikaron: Efraim Golan - "Hatzvi Yisrael"

2009-04-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Efraim Golan, a 51 year old kibbutznik from Kibbutz Saad, is an amateurcomposer. For him music is not a profession, but something that occupiesmost of his time. His work in the media entails extensive traveling, longjourneys which he fills by composing unique Jewish music.He discovered his talent for musical composition almost by accident. Copiousamounts of time spent listening to radio broadcasts during the expulsion fromGush Katif and the Northern Shomron gave him quality time. In addition themood of melancholy and heartbreak prevalent at the time filled him withmusical inspiration. He began humming to himself, translating his thoughts and feelings into sounds. "When I have a new tune going round and round inmy head, I rush to Yoni Shaham and introduce him to the son,." explainsGolan. "Yoni transposes the music into chords, then we begin the task ofproduction in the studio." Shaham, a member of Kibbutz Gevim, who workedwith "Lahakat Saad" in the 60's, puts the finishing touches to the songs.Close family members are involved throughout in the composition process and serve as an internal quality control team for each and every song. In timethe songs will be sung at home, at shul, sometimes even throughout thekibbutz..To date Efraim has composed dozens of songs, mainly lively, upbeat musicrelating to Shabbat. Now with Yom Hazikaron on the horizon, Efraim Golan isreleasing his first official single performed by him – "Hatzvi Yisrael, AlBamoteicha Chalal". The style of the song is unique to Golan and the music echoes our longing and pride in the State

Ovadia Hamama:"Keshehaneshama Meira"

2009-03-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Ovadia Hamama, a rising star in the world of Jewish music today, brings us his secondalbum of religious songs – "Keshehaneshama Meira" – which is his seventh collection ofsongs."Shamayim Vaaretz", the album which introduced him to the religious public, back in5766 won widespread acclaim, selling over 30,000 copies.Hamama's musicalinterpretation of "Ana Bechoah" touched a cord amongst religious and secular peoplealike, and made an amazing breakthroughThe inspiring story of emunah on the disc's cover holds hidden and open miraclessparking great faith that carries the characters in his songs through times of trouble:David Friedman – a holocaust survivor who rescued a holy niggun from the inferno.Tzur Kozick – the barmitzvah boy badly wounded in a terror attack who miraculouslyrecovers.Shoshana Basri – granddaughter of the tzadik and mekubal Rav David Basri, is mortallywounded but is brought back to life by the power of prayer.Keshehaneshama Meira brings together songs of faith and tales of miracles sung by GadElbaz, Hemi Rodner, Shlomo Bar, Gil Akivayov, Shuli Rand, Erez Lev Ari, Ehud Banai, IlanDamari, Barry Sacharof, Shlomi Shaban, the Wach Family, Itzik and Avishai Eshel andHaim Yisrael and other impressive combinations, that could only be achieved due toHamama's rich musical outlook.In Hamama's music two worlds blend – oriental piyutim and western rock – to create aspellbinding musical experience that is not just another means of distraction orentertainment but the expression of a soul seeking spiritual heights.The album will be distributed by Greentech, Israel's foremost music company.

Asaf Leibovitz: "Mituvcha"

2009-03-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hard on the heels of Tipul Tefilla, a social protest which aroused wide-spread interest,Asaf Leibovitz presents Mituvcha, a song in a more traditional Jewish style. Leibovitz is 41,born in Haifa, married and the father of three children, he now lives in Hod Hasharon andsees himself as a Hassid and a musician, in that order. Besides being a guitarist andcomposer, Leibovitz has semicha (and served as a reserve army chaplain). "Jewish musicand Torah learning both come from the soul and both become a way of life", he says toexplain the connection between two apparently contradictory interests.The melody of Mituvcha, written by Asaf and his wife Pazit, creates the sublime shabbosatmosphere that descends on Friday afternoon. "Kulam Yitangu Mituvcha" Asaf sings of allthose who know how to enjoy the unique gift given to Am Yisrael which is Shabbat. At firstthe music is soulful then the beat picks up and builds up to become a true celebration ofthe day of rest.Asaf's musical career began long before he became a baal teshuva, when he studied at theRimon Music School and worked with entertainers such as Aviv Gefen who even wrote oneof the songs on the album. Following this, Leibowitz came back to his roots and in recentyears he has devoted himself to learning and spreading Torah, and has become a soferstam. At present he combines both worlds, giving lectures on Jewish subjects and makingmusic.Asaf's first album, shortly to be released, expresses his worldview as one who is familiarwith both the secular and the religious world and who tries and succeeds in finding whatboth worlds have in common in a quest for spirituality which brings both ends together andcreates a musical bridge between them in an album called iy"H Tipul Tefilla. The albumfeatures topnotch artists such as Avi Singolda, Musical production is by Dudi Tamir.The album is distributed through 'Greentec' , the largest Hassidic music company in Israel.

2008-09-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

David Daor represented Israel in the "Trash" contest that took place in Turkey, dealing with problems on the set behiend it about the choreography issues, yet his mind wasnt there , his mind was in his home with his father Vitorio(65 at the time ) who delt with diabetes.

we discovered it in a routine medical examination "at the begining we thoguht it was something small" daor says , yet again his father passed out 2 years ago , at the time he preformed in the eurovision his condition got worst and the doctors emputated both his legs.
the days afterwards were terrible , Vitorio couldnt go to the bathroom alone , being a macho as he was back before , it was hard for Daor to think his father needs him in any action he does.

From דוד ד'אור - צילום יחסי ציבור

From ההזמנה להשקת האלבום

From שלומי שבת וציון ברוך מ"מה קשור" עם דוד ד'אור בערב השקת האלבום

From דוד ד'אור צילום - יחסי ציבור

Ken Burgess with a new amazing single "G-d help the helpless man"

2008-09-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ken Burgess is an English composer and editor who borned into "The Sixties " age . he editted songs and produced albums for successful rock bands and his songs climbed to the top in England, USA and even Canada .

Later on in his career he got an offer he couldnt refuse , the French artist Francis Lei asked him to be a musical producer for an album of a talented Israeli singer Nava Bruhin. when Ken got to know Nava he could tell it wasnt the music notes putting them together soon enough he converted to judaism by the famous rabbi Laou .

After they came up to Israel Burgess was still connected to the music industry , and 5 years ago he founded "United Studio " where he creates till this day, many known artists these days record at his studio , artists such as : Mordehai Ben David, Yaacov Shwekwy, Yedel Verdiger, Yeshay Lapidot and many more .

The attached song " God Help the helpless man " is a first single out of his new album , the song is basically a plea to god to help all the needed and the poor .

Happy Listening!

From his new single cover

Roei Jacob with a new single before his uppcomming album !

2008-09-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

Roei Jacob is a singer and a poet who has a rare exciting voice . Roei is working these days on his new album but before putting out his new aldum he brings us a new single called " Zug Me'Ashamaim"
the song became very popular after it was revealed in the local radio stations .

The melody is Greek, the words are by Rami Lev and Shir Lev, the editor is Moshe Abraham, Guitar : Avi Singolda, Bass : Moshe Mizrahi

To hear the song hit the Play button:

Tal Alevi with a new album interviewed to "The Jukebox"

2008-09-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

The new album by Tal Alevi " Halleluya" came into the world's air and is now available on our site and soon in the publishing company Greentek.

Yair Peled from "The Jukebox" program which is broadcasted on channel 7 has interviwed Tal Alevi About his past, him becoming religious and about his sickness.

To hear the song "Hodu " from his new album press Play :

summary of his interview :
Tal Alevi is arriving to "The Jukebox" having his new album " Halleluya ", Tal Alevi once owned a recording studio that recorded best of the musicians in Israel has became religious and has published a varied album from reggae ,rock to mediterranean music and world music .
having text from holy sources and from self inspiration. Mirav Levi his wife is incharged of the melodys .

To watch the interview :
http://media.a7.org/inntv/08/aug/talalevi.wmv

Haim Israel with an interview to "The Jukebox"

2008-09-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Haim Israel is publishing his 9th album !

"We have someone we can trust " . he tells "The Jukebox" about the casting,about the connection of the music to all parts of the nation .

Haim Israel his publishing his 9th album "We have someone we can trust " this album contains 12 tracks with original texts written by the best song-writters today .

the first single that was realeased was "Shar Veaoev" , it was a first thrilling taste from the upcomming album which got alot of crowd arround it .

The Israeli media which got exposed lately to the holy songs and poems with text based on jewish holy and literary sources is lately bieng openminded to the religious music .

Haim Israel is one of the obvious singers in the eastern-orthodox music community, he has published 8 albums so far and he is considered one of the elite singers who is welcomed on all the public parts .

In his new album there are musicians and editors from the top row , the producer is Avi Guetta, the team arround him included the musicians Tal Segev and Jacob Lamay, the "Dusul " Pair who is resposible to the rich casting .

Meydad Tesa with a new Slichot album !

2008-09-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

Meydad Tesa the "Wonder Kid " of the eastern orthodox music community, is putting out a new album of slichot prayers especially for the mercy month. "Adon Aslihot " is available for listening here (powered by Ynet)

Yoav Fridman

after David Daor published his new album " Adon Aslihot " with his unusual awsome supran voice , Meydad is now giving out a new version to this poem also with a special supran voice .

apart from "Adon Aslihot" the are more poems in this album such as : "Benadam Ma Leha Nirdam?" , "Al Nora Alila " , " Anenu " and the special one " Shma Israel ".

Tesa, only 14.5 years old, isnt resting at all , he is publishing albums at a speed pace . On his new album he worked with his personal manager Aviad Gill between the shows,events and in the hotel rooms he stayed .

"My goal is that every jewish house can enjoy from this disc, containing the tradition of the slichot prayers " says Gill . "we didnt rushed nor spared money for this casting to be as its best form ".

Gill gathered along Meydad Tesa the editor David Bitan, the guitarist Eric Cohen the artist Haim Gerby and the drummer Yaniv Balas. Meydad still isnt resting and already working on a new album !

Gad Elbaz in Ceaseria as it was in the TV and Newspapers

2008-08-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

Some might say Gad Elbaz lost to many rabbis in Ceaseria, others may say the bring this amount of crowd into Ceasria with that amount of fee being charged is miraculous. but who cares when we see everything is possible, the combination of orthodox religious and Ceaseria . Gad Elbaz ,son of the singer Benny Elbaz became this week to the first religious-orthodox singer who preformed in Ceaseria . beside him preformed : Shlomo Gronih, Ovadia Hamama and Harel Moyal Yet Gad was the one who shined on the stage . too bad third of the seats were empty. Audi Gefen And Gabby Noyman Published : 28/08/08 17:49 A friend of mine ,religious like me , asked me on saturday "have u heard ? Gad something is hosting Shlomi Shabat and Harel Moyal and Shlomo Gronih in the famous Amphitheatre in Ceaseria. ok lets go it's gonna be fun , but who the hell is this Gad Elbaz dude ?

The Show in Ceaseria( Photographer : Gabby Noyman,Editor : Gabby Noyman )

If he was sitting beside me that evening although our diffrent musical opinions i would have told him that all the top row singers who preformed along to gad were just a decoration to the real deal Gad Elbaz .

although the show was big and well invested which officialy published gad's new album "Bein Atipot" , the amphitheatre in Ceaseria was at 60% of its capacity, well yet again "Kohav Nolad 6 " a successful Israeli Program was on the air too at the same time .

Gad opened the evening along with the famous singers Shlomi Shabat and Harel Moyal who dedicated a song to God, afterwards he said "Erev Tov Ceaseria" ,asked for a cup of water, trilled the blessing "Shekol niaya bedvaro " and then he drank it .

later on he preformed with the singers Shlomo Gronih Yeshai Lapidot and Itzik Shimly, and for the final preformance he preformed with Ovadia Hamama and his father Benny Elbaz singing the song " Ana Bekoach". The show casted by Shalom Tweeto will be broadcasted in the Israeli channel 24 !

First Gallery from Gad Elbaz Show in Ceasria !

2008-08-28T02:56:00.000-07:00

We have been waiting for this moment for more then a year, it got cancelled 2 times but now it happened, the 26/08/08 is gonna be remomber as a historical date in the religןious community .

Gad Elbaz is one of the successful eastern singers whos casted by Rody Perez and being published by a mound of advisers,publishers and casters from the top row . Gad for the first time in the religious , orthodox community made a full show in Ceaseria.

we will cover the all event later on .

For now the first gallery from his show :

Yedel Verdiger has landed and its time for pictures

2008-08-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yedel Verdiger has landed in Israel to promote his new amazing album

Yedel Verdiger was spotted on his way while singing at the wedding of the daughter of the chairman of Kfar Habad Committe, which took place at the village garden.
Being on the stage with Namuel Harush who has earned the nickname of " The King " and the orchestra of Gershon Frishtt.

after alot of sweat and singing to all of his fans he managed to have some pictures by the amazing photographer Ronen Shteltzer in an exclusive photo with Davidi Krombi and Namuel Harush .

Directly from Turkey Yaniv Ben Mashiach with a new song out of the upcoming album

2008-08-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

"Get ready to the musical hit of 2008", This was the strange SMS that our editorial staff recieved !

with a little investigating we found that one of the greatest eastern singers Yaniv Ben Mashiach will be publishing in the next couple of days an amazing single called "Rak Elokim" out ofhis new total album .

a song with a modern rhythm combined with a concert of violinist from the top class of Turkey.
and like other times before Yaniv Ben Mashiach is going to amaze with his musical casting like you never seen before !

The melody is turkish and the words were written by Itzik Eshel, soon you will be able to hear it on our site.

Yakir Vena with an additional single "Eloka", before his new album

2008-08-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

The upcoming singer of the religious community Yakir Vena is publishing a new single right before publishing his album,

After leading the hit parades of the religious radio stations with his songs " Nabit El Amarom ", "Malah Mishamaim" and "Artzi Anehederet" Yakir Vena publishes the single "Eloka", written and composed by Guy Yahud and nevertheless Yakir Vena feels so related to this song .

In an interview to the show of Yossi Eizental ( who was replaced by Yehuda Shukrun due to a heart failure he had 2 weeks ago ) he stated " This song is dedicated to the broadcaster Yossi Eizental and although I didn’t wrote nor composed it, I feel related to the song and to the incident that Yossi had experienced ", as the songs says : "another person's heart stopped without a reason", " God your always beside me, in good times and in bad you protect my heart "
When Yossi got on the air for the first time after the incident he was joking: "When I heard the song I was afraid of getting another heart failure".

The song truly is special with the feeling of a rock song combined with the special trills of Yakir Vena made a special mix which you can hear in this site .

Written and composed by: Guy Yahud
Editing: Arik Shahar
Musical Publishing: Shmuel Yona
Language Consulting: Yaron Ovadia
Studio Technician: Ezri Karavani
Mix Technician: Barak Hla
Guitars: Arik Shahar
Bass: Oren Ben Ziv
Piano: Tomer Matzri
Photographer: Zeaev from the newspaper "Mlabs"

For Listening:

type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="335" height="28">

The Kinderlach in Istanbul ( Gallery included )

2008-08-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

The Kinderlach band has landed last week in Istanbul, the capital city of Turkey, for a short trip to preform infront of the Jewish community in Turkey, the show was held on the seashore, between the sights and the preforming the kids enjoyed the trip arround the capital city of Turkey , Istanbul.

In the pictures you can notice the Shtibalach Cruise, the ship where the Kinderlach band preformed, there is also a video clip at the end of this page showing thier preformance.
Pictures are by David Fadida.

The video clip :

Tomer Hatuka with his new album " Eretz Shalom"

2008-08-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

The first piano he got in the age of 7 , the first song he made at the age of 14 , his creation come from inspiration and not influenced by other musical artists . therefore he left the university he was studying at , to break the consensus. All about Tomer Hatuka .

Tomar Hatuka is 33 years old and borned in Holon Israel his first album " Shabat Agadol " he published in the year of 2003 the album contained saturday prayers on the background of modern music .

" Eretz Shalom " his current album us basically the first milestone for Tomer , all the text and the melody is by Tomer .

The song " Shar " was filling the radio stations this week when it was released .

To watch the videoclip of " Eretz Shalom " :

To hear the song " Shar " :

To hear the song " Bekol Toda " :

3rd day of the Kleyzmerim Festival

2008-08-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

The Third and the last day of the "Kleyzmerim " Festival in Tzfat has once again brought thousands of people and this time to watch Ben Snoof and Adi Ran with a rich preformance .

We got alot of pictures and 2 videoclips from the main evens of the festival , between Adi's and Ben's show was DJ Kukuriku, the guy with the tattos in the pictures .

Pictures are by Moshe Maman.

Ben Snoof

Ben Snoof Audience

Very excited

The Mayor Yeshay Maymon

DJ Kukuriku

Adi Ran's Audience

Adi Ran with his wife

Ben Snoof Show Part 1

Ben Snoof Show Part 2

Adi Ran Show Part 1

Adi Ran Show Part 2

Kleyzmerim Festival In Tzfat 2nd day !

2008-08-20T14:48:00.000-07:00

This is the 21 years in a row that Tzfat city is holding the Kleyzmerim Festival and like in any year it brings thousands of people into the city to see diffrent artist preform on diffrent stages.

At the middle of the event after Danny Hadad who produce and manage the Kleyzmerim Festival for 2 years now invited the mayor Yeshay Maymon to say afew words for the festival , it happened.
a stream of water bursted out of the sleepy fountain causing danger to all the audience arround the show was prosponed from 22:00 to 23:30 and it took place in the city's plaza.

The show opened with the song "Veani Amangina Shelahem " and continued with the songs "Ale Katan" , " Eshet Hail " , " Ale Tzadikim " and many more .

The show was covered by David.B.D
Photage: Moshe Maman

The Audience near the fountain

Yeshay before the show

Danny Hadad the manager of the Festival

Yeshay Maymon the Mayor

The audience right before the dountain bursted

Fountain bursts !

behiend stage

Show Part 1

Show Part 2

Exclusive discount for dos music surfers when purchasing the disc “am yisroel chai”

2008-05-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

Yossi Azulai's disc has already been published 4 years ago and was sold for only 30 shekels!
Today Yossi has decided to withdraw the disc in his renewed version to the songs “Am Israel chai”, “Time to dance has arrived” and “A Song to Hashem”. In addition he gives a bonus of viewing on computer parts of video that were taken in his concerts.
As we said the disc will cost 30 shekels so we have an achievement for our surfers. Send your details to mbd31@walla.com and say: “hi dos music sent us” you will be given a special discount!

Kinderlach on channel 2 for the independance day

2008-05-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

The kinderlach band appeared and was interviewed especially for the independance day of Israel in the afternoon on channel 2 by the directive of the children's star Moshe Datz and Sigal Sachmon.
The band appeared with the so israeli song "Elokim Sheli,my G-d" one of the famous israeli songs composed by the famous composer Uzi Chaitman

Evening show at the stage of ramat Gan and aproved by rabbis

2008-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

published by dos music

translated by Ayala Asseraf

The evening will take place at the stage of Ramat Gan on the occasion of the 106 th anniversary of the great rabbi of Loubavitch. With the production of Yossi Kahana ykg (supporter of Habad) and main hasidic singers as Mordehai ben David who will appear with Yaacov Shwekey-who has received the blessing of the great Rabbi Ovadia Yosseph (see displays), the choir "shira chadasha", Amir Benayoun, as well as rabbis and important people who will require against a division of Jerusalem, the entireness of our nation, and the announcement of redemption.

Of course this is the first time that an event of this kind is authorized by all the rabbis and with their support for a complete separation between men and women (an entire gallery will stay empty between the two for separation).

Part from awareness in the gain of the show

Rav Ovadia Yosseph writes to Yaacov Shwekey

"side B by nethanel hershtik

2008-04-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

published by: dos music
translated by: Ayala Asseraf
Nethanel is the young son of the universal cantor Naftali Hershtik, who made us discover his musical talent since his youth. When aged eight years old he made his apparition on scene in company of his father in Australia, in the United States and in Europe, and in the choir of the big synagogue of Jerusalem as a soloist.
Thereafter he studied Laws in "gate of law" and obtained a L.L.B. Today he continues studying at the law school of Miami university to obtain a L.L.M.
At the end of his military service, one discovered his tenor voice and he was invited to be a cantor in various communities in Israel and throughout the world for Jewish holidays or shabat. He even replaced his father in the big synagogue of Jerusalem. Within the framework in his concerts in Israel and around the world he appeared with the philharmonic orchestra of Israel, the symphony of Raanana, the big synagogue of Jerusalem's choir, as well as the London choir "pleasant singers" under the direction of Marc Temrelis.
Today Nethanel acts as a cantor in the big synagogue of Hempton-Beach in New York under the direction of the rabbi Marc Shneyer. In his new album, Nethanel expresses his second face and binds texts of biblical source to Israeli music. He surprises us with his different styles like the jazz, the rock'n'roll, country, gospel and more, and thus sees in that an importance of great value that is a manner of connecting the edge of our people.
Extract of the new album "side B", on sale in the stores.
Enjoy listening

Avraham Fried in a special disc: melodies from father's house

2008-04-04T03:49:00.000-07:00

Published by: dos music

Translated by: Ayala Asseraf

From: Shtoram net

A special disc, named melodies from father's house with the participation of the Fried family and with the prominence of Avraham Fried, was distributed to the participants in R' Isser and Haya Musha New's wedding that took place tuesday in Crown Heights.

As it is published by Shtoram, for the first time the disk include ancient melodies and among them melodies their father R' Yaakov Moshe Friedman that passed away four years ago taugth them. During the recordings, all member's of the Friedman family arrived to the studio, Avraham Fried's brothers: Manis, Joseph Boruch, Ben Tsion, Shlomo, Alter Eliahou, Avraham Fried himself and also his sons and nephews, who came to contribute their voice to the invested and special production.

The disk is completly executed with no musical instrument, only voices, and is suitable to listen on days of mourning, for example the count of the Omer when it is forbidden, according to religious law, to listen to music.
Enjoy listening!

ברוך א-ל עליון

מה ידידות

קא ריבון

Montreal Concert, Gabay, Shlomo Simcha, Spinner

2008-04-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Jewish Insights presents: An Evening with Dovid Gabay, Shlomo Simcha and Yitzy Spinner. The first night chol hamoed Pesach April 22nd, 2008. Show begins 7pm Sharp. Separate seating available. Music by the Nafshenu Orchestra (toronto). Tickets prices: $18, $25, $30, $35, $45 & VIP. To purchase tickets please visit www.ticketpro.ca or call 514.790.1111. For more information or questions please call 514.831.9670. A portion of the proceeds to go to Aniyim in Eretz Yisroel.

"festival of rock and jewish soul"

2008-04-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

From: Benyamin Ben Harroch

translated by: Ayala Asseraf
Passover's on the path and with it come's important events. Speaking about "festival of rock and jewish soul" in the dead sea that takes place for the third year successively and reputed to be central events on Passover. We heard of another festival that is entirety rock and Jewish soul but this time in the north! For the first time full rich festival with names from the first line but in the north!
The festival is divided to two days. 22-23.04.08 "Fortress of difference".
A few of prominent artists on the first day: Hamadregot, A Groyse Metsie.
On the seconde day "singing Carlebach": The Moshav band, Aharon Razel, Shlomo Katz, Haim David …

Production: RN"Y productions
Tickets: 04-6388760
052-6775751