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By Recorded Sound Archives, February 14, 2012 3:25 pm

Sam Greene was the first volunteer at the Judaica Sound Archives.

Sam Greene

Jan. 11, 1923 – Feb. 8, 2012

It saddens my heart to think that Sam will no longer be here at the Judaica Sound Archives. Sam Greene was a dedicated JSA volunteer who began offering his assistance in 2002. He unpacked recordings, examined them and checked databases. Because of his language skills he was often called upon to provide English translations of Yiddish, Hebrew  or German songs and text.

Sam was a wonderful singer and would often spontaneously serenade us with songs. Always upbeat, pleasant and fun to be around, the JSA volunteers and staff  looked forward to his visits. Sam made me smile. As a survivor of the Holocaust he was very familiar with difficult times.  Yet, he cherished life and  and enjoyed sharing his good humor with all those around him. Sam was especially fond of this song, Der Rebbe Elimelech.

Here is how JSA sound technician, Ben Roth-Aroni, remembers him.” Sam was already volunteering at the JSA when I first got here in 2004. I liked him right away. He was warm and friendly and there was something about his voice that welcomed you. I especially looked forward to the days that he would volunteer so I could speak some Hebrew with him which was great. He loved to help me with translations and I was always happy for the help. It was obvious how much he enjoyed his work – always singing along with songs that needed to be identified. I will miss him terribly and remember him with love.”

Sam Green is survived by his daughter, his son, three grandchildren and three great grandchildren. He brought smiles to so many.  He will be very missed.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, February 7, 2012 2:43 pm

The Judaica Sound Archives is proud to feature the beautiful voice of Judy Caplan Ginsburgh.  Although much of her work is geared towards children’s music and holiday songs,  her  clean, clear, lyrical voice performs beautifully when singing cantorial songs,  romantic ballads, and folk songs.  She is a nationally recognized and multi-award winning performer.  She travels extensively to perform at a variety of different of events, appearing in concerts, educational workshops and sing-alongs .

Judy obviously has a passion and a talent for childhood education. She has innovated a number of educational performances and events which engage school-age children with music and song. One of my favorites from her collection is the  iParenting 2007 Award winner, You’re Amazing.

Judy has had great success as a recording artist since 1981. Her award-winning, best-selling recordings for Jewish families feature familiar songs which have been sung for years in Jewish schools and homes. Her interactive and educational recordings of music for general audiences have received the highest praises from teachers and parents around the globe.

The Judaica Sound Archives has 11 of her albums in our collection. I know that once you start listening to them you will be emailing me to ask where you can buy the CDs.  So before you have to ask.  I will tell you.

The Judaica Sound Archives does not sell CDs. If you are interested in purchasing this music please visit Judy Caplan Ginsburgh’s website: www.judymusic.com .

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By Recorded Sound Archives, January 18, 2012 3:03 pm

The multi-talented Laura Wetzler is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, lecturer, and recording artist. Her professional singing career began when she was only 15 years old.  Influenced  by her love of Jewish music and the famous folk singers of the 1960s, she became a popular performer at NYC clubs, synagogues and college campuses.

After her graduation from Hofstra she became a protégé of the legendary Joe Elias, master of the Ladino folk song genre. Her first CD was released to critical acclaim in 1999 and was re-issued in 2011.

A sought after concert performer, Wetzler’s popular music/lecture programs (Jewish Women in Jewish Song, Songs of the Lost Communities, Adventures in African and Asian Jewish Music and Jewels of the Diaspora, and Kabbalah Music: Songs of the Jewish Mystics ) highlight not only her talent but also her extensive knowledge of and interest in music history.

Wetzler is not only passionate about her music, she is also a passionate humanitarian. Working with Kalanu.org, she has been helping economically challenged African Jewish farmers to find health, education and basic services since 2002.

In her own words: “Music is my way of exploring the world, celebrating my heritage, and sharing with others.”

The Judaica Sound Archives is pleased to welcome her as one of our featured performers.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, January 11, 2012 2:42 pm

Cantor Bruce Benson has been dedicated to composing liturgy for the contemporary Jewish world for more than 40 years. He is, perhaps, best known for his Jazz Service, written and recorded with smooth jazz saxophonist, Kenny G. His blending of modern sounds with traditional Jewish prayers earned him a place in Chosen Voices: The Story of the American Cantorate by Mark Slobin.

The Jazz Service,was the largest selling Jazz album in the Jewish market for well over 10 years. The Rock Service(version 1), a collection of original compositions, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002. The 2nd version, re-released in 2008, featured a now legendary performance of Cantor Benson’s The Healing Prayer with Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band.

Cantor Bruce Benson is currently Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Living. He is the former cantor of Temple Beth Am in Jupiter, FL. He has also served as cantor at the Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale AZ.

In his concerts and travels around the country, Benson strives to redefine the Jewish music landscape of our generation.  Whether performing alone, or with his band, T’zur Yisrael, Benson creates new perspectives and a fresh look at Jewish prayer.

The Judaica Sound Archives welcomes Bruce Benson to our list of featured performers.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, December 14, 2011 2:43 pm

The Judaica Sound Archives at Florida Atlantic University Libraries was delighted when our friends Josh Kun and Roger Bennett told us that they  were putting together an album of Tikva Records favorites!  As you may remember, the JSA provided many of the LP covers for their book,  And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl, which was published in November 2008.

Now, as part of the Idelsohn Society, they have released the album,  Songs for the Jewish-American Jet Set: The Tikva Records Story 1950-1973. To celebrate this accomplishment they have opened a 1950′s style record store right in San Francisco’s Mission District (3191 Mission Street). The store is open for business from December 1st  through the end of Hanukkah (December 28).

Of course, we wish them great success.  So the Judaica Sound Archives sent them seven cartons of Jewish LPs (many of them on the Tikva label) to be offered at their record store.

Click here to find out more about what they are doing.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, November 16, 2011 1:55 pm

Dr. William Miller (Dean of FAU Libraries) at the Center for Jewish History in NYC

I just spent two days in NYC at the Center for Jewish History . Over 125 scholars and librarians from around the world, including Dr. William Miller (Dean of FAU Libraries) and myself,  gathered to share our expertise using digital and internet technologies for the study and preservation of Jewish culture and history.

Coordinating such preservation efforts and minimizing duplication is a massive undertaking. The purpose of this conference was to create connections between the various institutions and projects in order to foster communication and partnerships.

Many of the presenters talked about projects which were enormous and diverse. Gunter Waibel, Director of the Digitization Program Office at the Smithsonian Institution spoke eloquently about the challenges of coordinating many and varied collections of items.

CJH is located at 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan

We listened to presentations about digitally reconstructing ancient sites in Israel, preserving ancient manuscripts, and the status of 3-D digitization efforts. As you would expect, most of the conference concerned itself with written materials and cultural objects.

At the Judaica Sound Archives our only concern is to rescue and preserve Jewish sound recordings. It was inspiring to realize that we are just one part of a larger world-wide effort. I was delighted to see Aaron Lansky of the National Yiddish Book Center who had been so important in our early efforts to create an archive of Jewish recordings. I also had the opportunity to meet with Lisa Rivo, associate director at the National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University.

This event provided a wonderful opportunity for us to share concerns and to learn from others in the field. I left the conference feeling honored to be a part of this historic effort and confident in our direction.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, November 3, 2011 6:07 pm

On Wednesday, November 2, 2011 FAU students and staff vistied the archives, checked-out the demonstration of obsolete audio equipment and browsed through vinyl LPs as part of the first ever Snap-shot Day at FAU Libraries!

The free record give-away will continue through the month of November on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 on Wimberly Library’s 5th floor.

Students also enjoyed demonstrations of the Recorded Sound Archives antique and obsolete equipment. Many had never seen a 78 rpm recording, a Victrola phongraph, an 8-track tape player or a 45 rpm record changer before.

FAU students hear 8-track tapes for the first time and learn about how this technology began and why it died out.

RCA Victor 45 rpm record changer circa 1948 – 1955

1924 RCA Victor Victrola 78 rpm player.

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By Alethea Perez, October 14, 2011 12:04 pm

Blanche Serota embraces a copy of the specially-created record label that honors her son, Barry Serota. Photo Credit: Alethea Perez

 BOCA RATON, FL (October 4, 2011) –Florida Atlantic University recently received a gift in memory of the late Barry Serota, an attorney, record producer and executive director of the Chicago-based Institute for Jewish Sound Recording. Serota was widely known for his deep knowledge of Jewish music and produced more than 100 recordings of Jewish sacred and secular music. His productions at the Institute for Jewish Sound Recording included choral,   instrumental, folk and art music.

Serota’s mother, Blanche, donated 1,500 LPs, more than 700 78-rpm discs, 100 digital audio tapes and 1,443 audio reel-to-reel tapes to the Judaica Sound Archives (JSA) at FAU Libraries in honor of her son. The collection includes rare record masters and pre-production one-of-a-kind recordings.

“Barry Serota devoted his life to collecting great Jewish music and producing high-quality recordings,” said Maxine Schackman, Ph.D., director of the Recorded Sound Archives at FAU Libraries. “Although we knew this was a wonderful donation to the JSA, we really couldn’t be sure what treasures we would find. Many of these recordings are legendary in the world of the cantorial arts.”

Blanche Serota became acquainted with the FAU Libraries when Ben Roth-Aroni, JSA’s sound technician, called to offer his condolences following Barry’s death. During his youth, Roth-Aroni worked for Serota as a tape editor and greatly admired his expertise in the field of Jewish music. Roth-Aroni encouraged Blanche to visit FAU Libraries, and during her February 2011 visit, she arranged to donate her son’s treasured collection to the JSA.

“She wanted to honor his memory,” said Schackman. “It comforted her to know that what he loved so much would find a warm welcome and a permanent home at the JSA.”

The JSA has digitized and compiled a collection of 56 albums produced by Barry Serota. The recordings can be heard on the JSA website at Musique Internationale.

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By Alethea Perez, October 6, 2011 9:20 am

Sometimes the unexpected comes with the daily mail. This recent addition arrived just in time for Yom Kippur. It  features Nicolas Jolliet a talented guitarist, sitarist,  and composer.

The Kol Nidre has fascinated composers for centuries. Now it has caught the attention of Guitarist and Sitarist Nicolas Jolliet. Using the sitar, surbahar, tabla, oud, dumbek and other exotic instruments, this CD was recorded on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia, and evolves from traditional ragas into a seductive Reggae beat. The subject of a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary, it was played at a Yom Kippur service held at a U.S. base in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The Jolliet Kol Nidre was written in two parts. The first,  although  innovative, closely follows the original. The second part is a freer interpretation using the richly textured sounds of the East.  Click here to listen to this beautiful rendition of one of Judaica’s most iconic songs.

The producer, Harold Levy, has made the piece available free of charge on Soundcloud’s website.  Information on how to purchase this album can be found at Kolnidre.org.

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By Recorded Sound Archives, September 19, 2011 4:05 pm

New for the Holidays! This recently added album features music composed especially for the High Holy Days by Cantor Meir Finkelstein who also conducts the orchestra. It features the voices of Cantor Udi Spielman and his wife Varda.

Cantor Spielman and Cantor Finkelstein have partnered many times in the past with great success. Together they create a distinctive cantorial sound that is at once modern and traditional.

A Still, Small Voice Is Heard was recorded about a year ago with restricted distribution, mostly to members of the congregation of B’nai Torah in Boca Raton. The title of the album refers to the story of Elijah who did not hear the voice of God in the wind that whipped him, the earthquake that shook the mountain he stood on, or the fire which raged around him. But, in the calm after the fire Elijah heard a still, small voice and knew that God was with him.

Click here to listen to all of Cantor Spielman’s recordings.