J-ARTS

We have just returned from New York, where very exciting things are happening. I was there speaking at Last week’s Sidney Krum Conference, which explored the state of cultural and the arts in American Jewish life. I attended dozens of Jewish performances as part of the 3rd annual Oyhoo! New York Jewish Hertiage and Music Festival.I also sat in on the NFJC’s conference to veiled the findings of important its study on the link between Jewish Arts Events and Young Adults. Tee New York UJA-Federation has just unveilved a $1 milliion investment in an exciting incubator for Jewish artists living in NYC. These are vibrant times for Jewish arts and culture, especially if you live in New York City.

Most of us, however, do not. And we sometimes feel left out on the trends or unaware of them at all. As presenters, educators, clergy members, institutional leaders and foremost as cheerleaders and grass-roots organizer of this “stiff-necked people,” our attentions are already stretched by budget reviews, board meetings, and endless demands by our constituents. We’ve got to stay hip with the times, too?

(more…)

Pithi Li

With her dazzling free improvisational style, brilliant compositional facility, global music palette and her ability to sing in her native Hebrew, in English and with no words at all, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb is unlike anyone you’ve heard before. Only 27, Ayelet has a level of musical sophistication, daring and curiosity that enables her to seamlessly meld her many influences including Ornette Coleman, Laurie Anderson, Egyptian chanteuse Oum Koulthm, Eastern European melodies and Middle Eastern scales all in a breathtaking improvisational approach.

(more…)

(more…)

Yom Hadash is one of the top Jewish recording and touring groups in the United States. Formed in 1997, Yom Hadash fuses world, rock, pop and funk-based music with Jewish ideas and liturgy. Led by the original songs and exciting performance style of Jon Nelson, Yom Hadash’s performances and celebrated recordings have brought the band international acclaim from the reform, conservative and orthodox Jewish communities. Performances at the USY, NFTY, and BBYO national conventions, the Wexner Foundation, Steven Spielberg’s Genesis Program, the CAJE Conference, and countless synagogues, camps and community centers across the US have cemented the band as a central figure in the Jewish musical renaissance which has swept the diaspora during the past decade.

Boi Kallah
Elohai Nishama
Lcha Dodi
Adon Olam
(more…)

Chana Rothman uniquely fuses Lilith-esque singer/songwriter folk mentality with progressive worldbeat in two languages. Like an eclectic ‘07 Rickie Lee Jones/Joni Mitchell, her politics, her obvious bohemianism and her delicate vocal phrasing push her sound into a delicious mix that also incorporates Jewish teachings, reggae and hip hop.

This is a strong young woman—a classically-trained Canadian living in Brooklyn—who trekked around America, Italy, Israel and Nepal with a guitar strapped to her backpack… A pied piper of the Himalayas, making friends and playing music along the way with kids from Kathmandu back to the Lower East Side.

Rothman’s eclectic musical taste finds its roots in her equally diverse upbringing. From Colorado mountains to gritty New York City subways, from world travel to exploring her own neighborhood, she builds bridges between people and create songs out of shared experiences. Although Rothman sings about her life, her music is for something much larger than herself.

Befriending audiences of all stripes across the country, she recently shared a stage with and Lou Reed and DJ Shadow and was named one of New York’s Best Emerging Jewish Artists. Through packed shows in New York - The Knitting Factory, Makor, the Mercury Lounge - radio and festival appearances, Rothman’s music, live and recorded, has begun to create a culture of its own. “People deserve fresh, original, thoughtful music that reflects our changing world. And if it’s done well, it becomes universal,” says Rothman. More than just a form of entertainment, she crafts her music to be relevant and meaningful.

Michael Dorf, founder of New York City’s famed Knitting Factory, agrees. After hearing Rothman’s demo, Dorf invited her to record an album on his new label, Oyhoo Records (nationally distributed through Allegro Distribution Co.) He paired her with recording artist and producer C Lanzbom, who brought on legendary drummer Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow, Kelly Clarkson) as well as other talented musicians and together they recorded Rothman’s debut, “We Can Rise.”

Ultimately, Rothman’s message is unity through music. Her poetry demands thought, and is provocatively accentuated by her genre-crossing style. “We Can Rise” manages to be both fun and compelling. It is infused with Rothman’s dynamic presence, one that shows both promise and determination. Clearly, Chana Rothman is an important new voice who cannot be ignored.

Ana Lay Down Your Swords
More than one way
Yisrael Ani Shelach

Coming Soon.