Embracing cultural diversity

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

This Chanukah's CD roundup shows off the wide range of musicianship in the world Jewish community. Diverse cultures come together in this year's offerings, which all focus on the festive, either of the holiday itself or the fellowship that the season encourages.

Welcome innovations

"When I'm good and ready, dreidel I will play." That's attitude. And Songs in the Key of Hanukkah (New Line Records) has lots of it.

It's rare that a CD of Chanukah music impresses, either with its musicality or its originality. But, although every song on Erran Baron Cohen's most recent endeavor isn't a complete winner, his takes on oft-sung songs are refreshing, fun and, most importantly, eminently singable.

Baron Cohen has scored original music for film, TV and even the Turan Alem Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra. He has released two records with the band Zohar, which fuses Hebrew and Arabic samples, electronic soundscapes, dub and drum and bass rhythms. With Songs in the Key of Hanukkah, he uses this expertise and a superb cadre of vocalists to reinterpret such "classics" as "Dreidel" and "Maoz Tzur" and bring the music of Chanukah, as the CD cover says, "kicking and screaming straight into the 21st century." The CD also features five original melodies.

Songs in the Key of Hanukkah includes klezmer, reggae, electronica, hip hop, tango, pop and other genres, sung in English, Hebrew, Yiddish or Ladino (Judaeo-Spanish) by Baron Cohen, Jules Brookes, Y-Love, Yasmin Levy, Idan Raichel, Avivit Caspi and/or Dana Kerstein. While the rap elements of "Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah" and "My Hanukkah" may not appeal to all listeners, they are well performed and the driving beat and lyric chorus lines more than compensate. To hear selections of the CD, go to www.songsinthekeyofhanukkah.com.

A freylach sound

Not at all related to Chanukah, but festive, is Shawn's Kugel's Odyssey.

Shawn's Kugel was formed in 1997 and, in 2007, was voted Seattle's best Jewish band by the readers of JT News. The group has released three previous CDs: Simcha!, Most Precious of Days and Finger Play. While the recordings focus on klezmer, jazz and Sephardi music, the band, led by Shawn Weaver, also plays Chassidic, reggae and some rock and roll. Their website (home.jps.net/~shawnsax/index.html) promotes their availability for simchot, even the possibility of a personal composition for some events.

In addition to Weaver (woodwinds, mandolin, guitar and vocals), Shawn's Kugel's core group includes Steve Rice (accordian, keyboards), Andy Zadrozny (bass and vocals) and Will Dowd (drums and percussion). Joining them on Odyssey are Allen Keith (trumpet), Bill Anthony (trombone), Nathaniel Paul (baritone sax and alto) and Murl Allen Sanders (accordian, keyboards) on "Freylakh for Eve." Two of the best songs on the CD – "Assemblez mes amis" and "Eishes Chayil" – feature the rich vocals of Wendy Marcus.

Shawn's Kugel make the complexity of klezmer seem simple. They play with apparent ease and would likely be a lot of fun to hear live. To hear some of the songs on Odyssey, visit cdbaby.com/cd/kugel3. For information about hiring Shawn's Kugel for a simchah, contact Weaver at [email protected] or 206-523-9298.

Klezmer with an edge

On the more formal or classical end of the klezmer spectrum is Alex Kontorovich's Deep Minor (Chamsa Records). A clarinetist, saxophonist and composer, Kontorovich is a founding member of the Klez Dispensers and he has added his sound to many klezmer groups. Joining him on Deep Minor are bassist Reuben Radding, drummer Aaron Alexander and Brandon Seabrook on banjo and electric guitar.

Russia-born, New York-based Kontorovich's approach is purposeful; somehow every song has a very deliberate, controlled sound, despite the improvisation present. Kontorovich melds the traditional with the contemporary, combining a range of cultures and time periods with imagination and creativity. Deep Minor is an incredibly expressive CD, communicating sheer frustration in its opener, "Transit Strike Blues," and manic joy and exhaustion in "Sirba," for example. Seabrook on the banjo and electric guitar (which adds a definite edge) is a highlight.

To hear snippets of or buy songs from Deep Minor, go to www.alexkontorovich.com.

Heritage to celebrate

Singer-songwriter Elisete was born in Brazil, but has lived in Israel since 1991. She has Indian, Sephardi and African roots and her CDs, Luar e Café and Gaagua, reflect that diversity. Her third CD features remixes of songs from her first two recordings.

Elisete continues to celebrate her heritage with "Black is Beautiful," in collaboration with South African producer Mzilikazi Wa Afrika and released by the Belgian label Selecta Beats. According to its publicity material, "The song was originally created to morally support the Ethiopian Jews living in Israel who are not yet totally integrated in the society, but the song is also for everyone who is proud of the contribution that black people have had in all aspects of the world's culture, music, arts, etc."

Though the title of the song is in English, the song itself is in Portuguese. It is part of an international project of electronic music and it has remix versions by Hot Hands from Switzerland and by Brazilian music producer Eddie Valdez. There are five versions of it, which are sold in more than 400 virtual stores worldwide, including www.soulseduction.com, www.play.com, www.nuloop.com, www.amazon.com, shopbase.finetunes.net and www.musicload.de.

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