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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
March 2, 2004
/9 Adar, 5764
NEW PURIM PARTY MUSIC!
By Paul Wieder
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The main theme of Purim, says the Megillah, is "v'nahapachu," or "turnabout." And the main activity of Purim is… making noise! So what better time to explore some of the new Jewish music that is turning the (turn)tables and standing music's Hamans on their triangular ears:
The Rabbinical School Dropouts ear-popping CD, Cosmic Tree. The standout track is its irrepressible opener, "Dung Gate." The Arabic-tinged big-band sound is made by, well, a big band: 10 musicians on 18 instruments, ranging from a trombone to a tabla to a toy piano. Fun is the objective, as evidenced by the titles themselves: the swinging-in-the-shuk "Mosquito from Megiddo," the lounge jazz of "Nuclear Jet Set," and spacey tango "Warp to Level Three."
The Dropouts record on John Zorn's envelope-shredding Tzadik label. So does Paul Shapiro, whose album Midnight Minyan is interested in exploring traditional Jewish liturgy through jazz. There are no vocals, but you will find yourself doing mental karaoke to "Ma Lecha Hayam" from the Hallel, "Sim Shalom," and "Aitz Chaim He." Shapiro experiments more with these melodies than say, Jon Simon, but so ends up in more dissonant territory. He also plays some niggunim not often thought of as songs: Haftarah blessings, the Misheberach, and the Amidah.
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Back in 2000, a DJ known as Zoom Golly put out an elctronica-dance album called Let My People Go-Go. Along with Wally Brill's The Covenant from the previous year, it opened up the idea of laying Jewish vocals (in Brill's case, those of classic cantors) over electronica tracks. Go-Go features Golly's booming voice and is the more dance-able of the two. The songs on it are evenly mixed between Israeli folk songs and Jewish traditional; Golly weaves them with reggae, disco, Latin, and other rhythms and both acoustic and electronic instruments. The sound is that of a kid happily discovering which of his old toys work with the new ones he just got for Chanukah.
Somewhere between Brill's work and Golly's is that of Zohar's onethreeseven. Not to be confused with the American-Jewish band Zohar (from Putumayo's Jewish Odyssey), this UK outfit twines traditional cantorials like Yoselle Rosenblatt's with sophisticated electronica tracks. Where Zohar's work expands on Brill's is in the use of modern and non-Jewish singers like Zehava Ben and Oum Kalthoum, and in their cutting and pasting these vocal tracks themselves. The album is also more subtle than either Zoom Golly's or Brill's, but matches them in playfulness.
Still, in that area, few can match the rambunciousness of YIDcore, the Australian Jewish punk band. Their second release, The Great Chicken Soup Caper E.P. is more of their speaker-immolating desecrations of favorites from the Jewish holiday and campfire songbooks. The top-of-the-lungs delivery, the faster-than-speed guitars, the turn-that-junk-down drums… this is a Spinal Tap done by a Jewish doctor (in fact, the lead singer is a lawyer). The last track is a live cut of "To Life" done at the legendary CBGB's, so they have "cred," too.
If punk is "from" that club, then David Krakauer is from Krakow, and that is exactly where he cut his most recent album, called, simply enough, Live in Krakow. Krakauer, a veteran of the Klezmatics, plays klezmer clarinet. But his music is anything but old-fashioned; his band, Klezmer Madness!, features an electric guitar- and on this concert, he was accompanied by samples and beatbox provided by turntable prodigy SoCalled Krakauer switches between klezmer bulgars and street beats, and sometimes combines the two. Less than an hour's drive from Auschwitz, Krakauer summons up music ancient and anguished, futuristic and freylach. Am Yisrael chai, indeed.
Purim is a time when, as a great Jewish poet has said, "The first one now/ Will later be last… For the loser now/ Will be later to win." It is a day of masks, surprise endings and turnabout. So this Purim, surprise yourself and your guests with some of the endless supply of innovative Jewish music. You just may end up enjoying the whole megillah.
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JWR contributor Paul Wieder is a public relations associate at the Jewish United Fund and a columnist for
JUF News. Contact the author or the magazine by clicking here.
© 2004, Paul Wieder
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