JDub was never supposed to be just a record label, and as JDub records celebrates its fifth anniversary with a free concert on July 27 downtown at California Plaza, it is more clear than ever that the organization\’s founders have greater ambitions than merely putting out good Jewish CDs
Not much Passover music arrived in this year\’s mail so it\’s difficult to speculate on the ebb and flow of certain kinds of Jewish music recordings, but it does seem that fewer holiday-specific records are coming out of late. On the other hand, the flood of spiritually informed contemporary Jewish music shows no signs of abating, and this month\’s CD reviews focus on some of the most recent examples of that phenomena, including some tasty Pesach treats:
It is estimated that 4.2 million closed-circuit TV surveillance cameras are operating in Great Britain, one for every 15 residents of the country. Don\’t worry, though, the United States is rushing to catch up. Baltimore, for example, already has 400 such cameras in place, and, as filmmaker Adam Rifkin notes, \”Mayors Villaraigosa and Daley [of Chicago] and Bloomberg [of New York City] all want to put in more cameras.\”
It is commonplace that the best comedy is essentially serious. Of course, clichÃÂ(c)s often have an underlying truth, so maybe that explains why Rob Tannenbaum, one half of the comedy-music duo, Good for the Jews, playing at the Knitting Factory on Dec. 14, is both a very funny guy, and nevertheless someone who discusses his work in surprisingly sober terms.
The buzzword in business circles is synergy. That\’s what JDub Records was looking for when it began to think about its third annual Chanukah event.
And when Daniel Brenner, vice president for education at the Birthright Israel Foundation, told JDub heads Aaron Bisman and Jacob Harris that he was interested in doing a project with the nonprofit music label, the buzz of synergy filled the air.
CD reviews, Metropolitan Klezmer, \”Traveling Show\”, The Polina Shepherd Vocal Experience (featuring Quartet Ashkenazim), \”Baym Taykh\”, Blue Fringe, \”The Whole World Lit Up\” , Gail Javitt, \”Like a Braided Candle, Songs for Havdalah\”, Klezamir, \”Warm Your Hands\”, Romashka, \”Romashka\”, Chana Rothman, \”We Can Rise\”, Slavic Soul Party, \”Teknochek Collision\”.
In its own oddball way, \”I\’m Not There\” is among the best pieces of music criticism I\’ve seen or read on the subject of Bob Dylan. It is a jigsaw puzzle, with its various pieces scattered around the table by a deft, if quirky hand. It\’s a film that rewards close attention and deserves repeated viewings. The film\’s one significant omission is the place of Judaism in Dylan\’s life.
The Chasidic reggae singer\’s success has bred a whole new kind of dream among Jewish music acts. Even if most of them won\’t say it, one suspects that every one of them wants to be \”the next Matisyahu.\” Here are three gifted candidates for crossover success:
The records reviewed here are not all (or even mostly) High Holy Days music, but each of them is focused on their spiritual content as much as on the music itself. As a result, they seem an unusually apt group for this time of year.
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