| All Artists: Various Artists Title: Music From The Yiddish Radio Project Members Wishing: 1 Total Copies: 0 Label: Shanachie Release Date: 3/12/2002 Album Type: Soundtrack Genres: Folk, International Music, Pop, Soundtracks Style: Jewish & Yiddish Number of Discs: 1 SwapaCD Credits: 1 UPCs: 016351605726, 803680471159, 0163516057262, 001635160572 |
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Search - Various Artists :: Music From The Yiddish Radio Project
 | Various Artists Music From The Yiddish Radio Project Genres: Folk, International Music, Pop, Soundtracks The dual assault of TV and rock & roll in the 1950s caused many casualties, among them swing music, radio, and a vital Yiddish-American culture. This wonderful project (and its companion 10-part National Public Radio... more » |
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Amazon.com The dual assault of TV and rock & roll in the 1950s caused many casualties, among them swing music, radio, and a vital Yiddish-American culture. This wonderful project (and its companion 10-part National Public Radio documentary series) celebrates a time when those three institutions joined together to form a powerful force of their own. Producers Henry Sapoznik and Yair Reiner re-create Yiddish radio's golden age of the 1930s through the 1950s with a combination of klezmer music, "Yiddish swing," and commercial jingles culled from vintage 78s as well as radio transcriptions (once the property of longtime TV host Joe Franklin). It's a fascinating story of a time when Jewish culture thrived in its new home, but within is buried a different story: one of assimilation. The once-beloved traditional klezmer sounds of Eastern Europe (represented here in the work of Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein) were slowly replaced by "Yiddish swing," a mostly successful attempt to update traditional Jewish pop and folk songs in the fashionable swing style--or, as Sapoznik puts it, "playing downtown Jewish music in an uptown style." The need (or perhaps desire) for acceptance is revealed in both performer names (the Bagelman Girls became the Barry Sisters) and in "nonethnic" product spots for essentially "ethnic" products. Tellingly, it was the Midwestern Andrews Sisters' 1937 hit reading of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" (originally from a Yiddish play) that set off an explosion of Yiddish and American cultural cross-pollination. It represented the peak of Yiddish cultural influence in America--and as it turned out, the beginning of that culture's demise. For most, Music from the Yiddish Radio Project will be an endearing and enlightening history lesson, but for many others, it will be a bittersweet nostalgic journey through a time that remains so vivid in memories, yet feels like 1,000 years ago. --Marc Greilsamer Similarly Requested CDs
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CD ReviewsHeaven Alyssa A. Lappen | Earth | 07/25/2002 (5 out of 5 stars) "This swing and klezmer collection combines many forms of mastery, not least the kitschy commercials and jingles. Between numbers, listeners are enticed (in Yiddish, as they would have been on an hour-long Yiddish radio show) to buy everything from Adler's elevator shoes and Manischewitz Matzo to Joe and Paul's clothing and Ajax. Of course, many products and stores hawked here have long since bit the dust. But the music is timeless right down to a couple of Chasidic niguns--nonsensical words sung as prayer--one doubling here as a station identification. --"Ya ba ba, ya ba ba bye, WBVD."My favorite piece is Dave Tarras' rendition of Second Avenue Square Dance, a piece of divine klezmer, braiding alto and soprano clarinets into musical silk. But Abe Ellsteins's Orchestra rendition of Die Goldene Khasene comes a close second. And one cannot but smile at the Barry and Andrews Sisters' jazzy but melodious harmonies. Each of the 34 cuts on this disc offers a kind of elegance, whether peddling the most pedestrian products or gliding through a Naftule Brandwein serenade. Treat yourself to a small piece of heaven. Alyssa A. Lappen" Brings back my chlidhood S. Michael | Conyers, GA USA | 04/21/2003 (5 out of 5 stars) "Listening to this make me feel 12 years old again." Mazel Tov !!! Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 11/19/2007 (5 out of 5 stars) "Yiddish radio programs were heard coast to coast in our nation for decades on many radio stations. The music was often very appealing and this CD gives us both traditional Yiddish music along with another type of Yiddish music clearly designed to assimilate Yiddish music into a more Americanized "swing" culture.
Sam Medoff and The Yiddish Swing Orchestra perform "The Bridegroom Special" so well; love that swingin' beat! You can hear traditional Yiddish music being mixed with elements of American swing on this very good track. "Second Avenue Square Dance" by The Dave Tarras Orchestra has a lot of surface noise but it's still a good track anyway. Again you can hear traditional Yiddish music mixed with American swing. Great! In addition, The Barry Sisters sing "Oh Mama, I'm So In Love" with Sam Medoff and the Yiddish Swingtet. The Barry Sisters were young when they recorded this; and they never sounded better! The Andrews Sisters, who were certainly not in the Yiddish community, scored a major, major hit with their fantastic "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen." The Andrews Sisters really make this number swing and the overall effect is pure electricity! "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" uses the brass well to enhance the beauty of this melody. "Dona Dona" is a classic older Yiddish number and we get it here by Moishe Oysher and Shalom Secunda. The tempo is faster than normal but the song retains its beauty just fine. Moreover, there's also "Yidel mitn Fiedel" sung again by The Barry Sisters with Sam Medoff and The Yiddish Swingtet. "Dayenu" by Sam Medoff also sounds great in his competent hands. Something I really find interesting is the collection of radio commercials also on this CD. Listen for them all; but the "Manischewitz Matzo Commercial," the "Hebrew National Meats Commercial" and the "Barbasol Commercial" stand out in my mind. Henry Sapoznik contributes an informative essay for the booklet of liner notes; and we get the song credits, too. I really like the black and white photos in the booklet. Overall, Music From The Yiddish Radio Project is practically a necessity for anyone who wants to study early ethnic radio programs in our country; and many Jewish people will find this CD to be interesting as well. I myself enjoyed this music very much--it's very, very well done." |
