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By Recorded Sound Archives, August 25, 2011 12:21 pm

It was the “last box packed.” Now it was the last box to be unpacked. After going through 156 boxes of Cantorial, Yiddish and English-language recordings from the collection of Chicago record producer Barry Serota we stared at this box and knew that once it was opened our job of unpacking would be complete.

However, our work organizing, describing and investigating the music was just beginning!

Barry Serota, had devoted his life to collecting great Jewish music and producing high-quality recordings. Although we knew that this was a wonderful donation to the Judaica Sound Archives, we really couldn’t be sure what treasures we would find. As it turns out, we couldn’t be more pleased!

Of the 1,513 LPs that were unpacked we found at least 100 that were still in their original cellophane wrappers. There were also a few 45 rpm records, over seven hundred 78 rpm discs, 101 digital tapes, and 1,443 audio reel-to-reel tapes.

Benedict Stambler, founder of the Collector’s Guild recording company, had been Barry Serota’s mentor and friend. We were delighted to uncover several test pressings from the Collector’s Guild Archives Limited Edition series. There were numerous other test pressings as well, a few of them acetate.

Test pressings include: an acetate pressing of a synagogue service  radio broadcast led by Cantor Dale Lind made in 1941, a live concert by Cantor David Kousevitsky that was recorded in 1968, and a concert of folk songs by Rosenblatt.

The JSA has now been able to create a special collection of about 60 albums on the Musique Internationale label. This rare collection of recordings by a dedicated lover of Jewish music can now be enjoyed around the world on the JSA website.

The Judaica Sound Archives has greatly enhanced its already extensive collection of Judaic music with this acquisition and we are delighted to be able to share it with you. Recordings that cannot be played on the website due to copyrights will be made available on the JSA Scholar’s Research Station.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, July 5, 2011 12:47 pm

In 1990 Jacquie Sussholz produced Yiddish Is Forever, a 3-CD album composed of 48 songs. From songs of praise to songs of love, from songs of heartbreak and sorrow to songs of celebration, Yiddish songs have a special quality that pulls at the heart-strings.

Jacquie Sussholz honors his heritage and recreates an authentic yet up-to-date sound with his music. “My style is soul with passion – I express the spirit of traditional songs, but in arrangements that are modern and exciting.”

Chassidic nigunim and Yiddish popular music often provided a sound track for the lives of Jews who were born in the 20^th century. Now fans of Yiddishkeit can enjoy listening to the music of Jacqui Sussholz.  The days of a vibrant Yiddish culture may be gone but the music can be preserved for the future so that it will never be lost.

Click here to listen to all 48 songs.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, May 31, 2011 10:50 am

Coming from a long line of distinguished cantors it probably should be no surprise that Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray has devoted her life to the cantorial arts. Her understanding of the special challenges for female cantors, along with a desire to encourage others, resulted in her organizing the Women Cantors’ Network in 1982. At that time there was a great need for mutual support as female cantors generally faced exclusion from the cantorial community. Although women cantors, today, are accepted into all liberal cantorial schools and organizations the WCN continues to offer encouragement and support for women who want to participate in cantorial music.

Today Cantor Katchko-Gray carries on her family’s tradition at Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield, CT, where she has been cantor since 1999. Incredibly multi-talented Cantor Katchko-Gray has a repertoire that ranges from traditional liturgical solemnity to light-hearted songs for children and comedy.

Cantor Katchko-Gray honors her family heritage by adding her voice to those of Cantor Theodore Katchko and Cantor Adolph Katchko on the album Three Generations of Cantorial Art.

The Judaica Sound Archives features five of Cantor Katchko-Gray’s albums. Please click here and enjoy them all.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, May 5, 2011 9:18 am

In celebration of Israel’s Independence Day (May 9, 2011) the JSA has compiled a special Israeli music mix to honor the spirit of the pioneers.

During the 1960s and 1970s the State of Israel produced Vistas of Israel, a series of original half-hour broadcasts which were aired on local radio stations throughout the USA. The programs featured popular Israeli performers of the day, topical discussions, and interviews with prominent government officials and academics.

The Judaica Sound Archives has been fortunate enough to acquire an extensive collection of these Vistas of Israel radio broadcasts. Over 400 of these recorded programs will eventually be available to you on this website.

The music and topics on these recordings represent an important time in the history of Israel and remind us of the eager pioneer spirit that founded the country.

This special JSA collection of songs from Vistas of Israel features the voices of Hendl and Eliran, Shoshana Damari, Theodore Bikel, and Yafah Yarkoni. Unfortunately, the specific dates of these broadcasts are not known.

The songs in this Israeli Music Mix are from the following Vistas of Israel broadcasts:

VZL 2: Folk Music of Israel

VZL 6: Folk Music of Israel

VZL 7: Folk Music of Israel

VZL 8: Folk Music of Israel

VZL 12: Folk Music of Israel

VZL 26: Folk Music of Israel

VZL 76: Songs of Israel

VZL 166: Folk Songs of Israel

VZL 172: Folk Songs of Israel

VZL 173: Folk Songs of Israel

VZL 199: Folk Songs of Israel

VZL 236: Songs of Israel

VZL 280: Songs of Israel

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By Recorded Sound Archives, April 8, 2011 8:37 am

What makes this holiday different from all other holidays?

Growing up in a Jewish home has given me wonderful memories of the Passover holidays we celebrated when I was a child.  Weeks before Passover my mother would start liberating the Pesach tableware from the nooks and corners where they had been stashed since last year. The whole house had to be cleaned. When we were done, of course, not a crumb of chametz remained. And the cooking and baking!  I can still close my eyes and imagine the wonderful aromas that emanated from my mother’s kitchen. Matzo meal cookies were my favorites.  It was my job to stick a finger in the center of  the cookie mixture and then fill the indentation with a bit of strawberry jam.

Now my grand-daughter helps her mother make the cookies. The cast has changed but the play is the same. One generation passes customs and traditions on to the next.

Music helps us to remember the past  while celebrating the present. The JSA has compiled this special mix of holiday songs for you to enjoy. Many of this year’s tunes were on last year’s Passover Music Mix, but there are also a few new  ones.  These songs were selected from albums on the JSA website.  They are for your listening pleasure only.  They may not be copied, reproduced or sold.

All of the songs in this music mix can be heard on the JSA website all year long. Selections from the following albums were used to create this 2011 Passover Music Mix.

Around the Table – A User-friendly Haggadah by Gadi Elon

Celebrate with Cindy by Cindy Paley.

Haggadah Songs by Chaim Parchi.

Psalm Songs from Rock Creek by Cantor David Schneyer.

Mostly Matzoh by Fran Avni.

The Passover Collection by Safam.

Passover Seder Service by Cantor Samuel Malavsky and the Family Choir.

Passover Sing-a-long can be found in the Children’s Village record label collection.

A Singing Seder by Cindy Paley.

Songs My Bubbe Should Have Taught Me by Lori Cahan-Simon can be found in the JSA participating performers collection.

Songs of the Haggadah by Cantor Benjamin Maissner.

Canciones de Pesah/Passover Songs by Gaston Bogomolni can be found in the JSA participating performers collection.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, March 25, 2011 10:20 am

Separated from other Ashkenazic Jews in 18^th and 19th century Eastern Europe, the Chassids developed their own distinctive music traditions, which included chazzanuth, folk songs and nigunim.

Nigunim are unique musical expressions of Chassidic religious thought and grew out of the belief that the experience of exuberant joy was a religious duty.

Since it was felt that words interrupted the pure stream of emotion, most early nigunim were wordless. Instead they employed special syllables to carry the tune (like ‘bim bam’, or ‘yadi-da-di’). Often these syllables became distinctive signatures which allowed musicologists to specify the region that a particular nigun had come from.

The nigun has inspired secular Israeli music, klezmer and even Chassidic jazz. Please explore the world of Chassidic music with the Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries.

Click here to listen to this special JSA collection of Chassidic music.

Click here to browse JSA’s online collection of Chassidic music.

Click here to listen to this special JSA collection of Chassidic music.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, February 3, 2011 12:42 pm

Rouhama Danto, long-time friend of the JSA, stopped by the Wimberly Library during a recent visit to South Florida. Mrs. Danto told me how pleased she is with the work that the Judaica Sound Archives is doing to preserve her husband’s legacy and how much it meant to her to be able to share his extraordinary and beautiful voice with those who were not fortunate enough to have heard him during his lifetime.

She reminded me that she had recently donated a two-disc DVD of many of her husband’s public appearances. “Is there any way you can put video on the website?” she asked.

The Judaica Sound Archives collects sound recordings exclusively, so we do not usually have access to videos or permission to use them.  During her visit, however, Mrs. Danto chose three excerpts from the DVD to share with you. We are grateful to Mrs. Danto and very pleased to be able to share these clips with you.

Prayer for Queen Elizabeth, Toronto (1984)

Mi Par Dudir Ancora, Moscow (1989)

Dos Yiddish Lid, Budapest (1989)

Click to browse the JSA collection of Cantor Louis Danto’s recordings.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, January 13, 2011 1:38 pm

The Judaica Sound Archives at FAU Libraries joins the rest of the worldwide Jewish community in mourning the death of Debbie Friedman.

Friedman, a beloved Jewish composer and performer, died on January 9th at the age of 59.  Her singable, folk-inspired music combined lyrics in Hebrew and English to make Jewish prayer uniquely accessible. She was deeply committed to Jewish spiritual values and bringing them to us in ways we had never heard before.

Her music is not featured on the JSA website due to copyright restrictions. However, the following 18 of her albums are in the JSA Collection which is available for researchers, scholars and students. These albums are widely available commercially.

Related articles:

Forward: Friedman’s legacy seen in her music, and her message

Daily News: Jewish folk singer Debbie Friedman, 59, dies in California

AOL Music: Jewish folk singer Debbie Friedman dies

Washington Post: Jewish folk singer Debbie Friedman dies

Billboard: Debbie Friedman, Jewish folk artist, dies at 59

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By Recorded Sound Archives, January 4, 2011 5:13 pm

Harry Kandel was one of the pioneers of modern Klezmer music. His orchestra consisted of a variety of instruments including the clarinet, trombone, tuba, xylophone, cornet, violin, flute, viola and piano.  Kandel studied at the Odessa Conservatory of music before moving NYC in 1905. In New York he performed in vaudeville as clarinetist with the Great Lafayette Band and also appeared in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

After moving to Philadelphia in 1913 he played with John Philip Sousa’s Band and started his own orchestra in 1916. The 34 songs in this collection were digitized from the original 78 rpm recordings produced by Victor Records from 1917 through 1921, at the height of the Kandel Orchestra’s popularity. Volume one contains their original rendition of Der Stiller Bulgarish which was later recorded by Benny Goodman as And the Angels Sing.

Although most of Kandel’s recordings were with Victor Records he also produced recordings for the Brunswick and Okeh labels. He retired in 1924 spending the rest of his life running a music store, making only occasional live and radio appearances.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, December 10, 2010 5:31 pm

The world of music has been enriched beyond measure by the efforts of Jewish performers, conductors and composers.  Today we highlight the talents of one of the great violinists of the 20th century, Mischa Elman.

Famed for his passionate style and beautiful tone, this world-famous virtuoso was the grandson of a violin-playing klezmer performer.  By the age of six he was already understood to be a prodigy and when he was 11 he was admitted to the St. Petersburg Conservatory for further training.

He made his Berlin debut in 1904 at age 13 and his London debut a year later. While still in his teens he traveled to the USA to appear at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Fifty years later, in 1958, he celebrated this occasion with a wonderful return performance.

Elman’s recorded legacy spanned over 60 years. His first 78 rpm discs were made for Pathe, in Paris, in 1906.  He continued recording until shortly before his death in 1967.

The Judaica Sound Archives has created six digitized “albums” from Elman’s 78 rpm discs produced by Victor/Victrola between 1906 and 1921.

Click either record label to hear any of the 77 songs in this collection.