Jewish music - S/D

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Connie_Francis_Sings_Jewish_Favorites.jpeg

This impressive 1960 LP has some fine orchestral arrangements by Brian Fahey recorded at Abbey Road in London by Geoff Love and his Orchestra. Always starting in Yiddish but sometimes switching to English, Connie delivers trademark tearjerking performances on such tunes as "My Yiddishe Momme" and "Mom-E-Le (Mother Dear)." One of the uptempo highlights is "Shein Vi Di L'vone," which was also once recorded by Lainie Kazan (who btw turned 75 yesterday). Connie's speedy version of "Havah Negilah" contrasts with the more slow-burn rendition she recorded in 1965 as a medley with "Exodus" - I think I prefer the later version.

http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/481/MI0001481448.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

For years I've loved this 1961 record of Jewish songs done in full-on Latin arrangements - pachanga, samba, merengue, etc. - by real NYC Latin musicians such as Ray Barretto and Charlie Palmieri led by an Italian-American whose real name was John Cali. Track one, "Beltz, Mein Shtetele Beltz" as a pachanga, grabs your intention immediately.

Looking for any other records, songs, or singers anyone can recommend.

here are 10 /jewish/ albums i like:

Naftule Brandwein - King of Klezmer Clarinet
Ofra Haza - Greatest Hits
Jewlia Eisenberg - Trilectic
Orphaned Land - Mabool
Pharaoh's Daughter - Out of the Reeds
VA - 23 Most Famous Israeli Folk Songs (this one)
Pitom - Blasphemy and Other Sins
Chabad Melodies: Niggunei Chassidei Chabad Vol. 1 (this one)
Debbie Friedman - And You Shall Be a Blessing
Ayelet Rose Gottlieb - Mayim Rabim

Thanks, I've ordered the Jewlia Eisenberg and Ayelet Rose Gottlieb ones

those are probably the best :P the jewlia one is letters (political + love letters) between walter benjamin + asja lacis set to like post-meredith monk vocal stuff, eskimo chanting, throat singing influences, etc. one of my top 10 albums of all time probably.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4n2LVyMy1Q

this is like my field (what i studied about in grad school + wrote primarily about journalistically for many years) and i could probably generate a list of like top 100 jewish albums. there are a few different genres of jewish music - there's historical and post-historical stuff. so klezmer, ladino, shashmaqam, etc music, and more contemporary artists updating those sounds (dave tarras + brandwein on the more traditional side of klezmer, klezmatics more contemporary, golem is a yiddish klezmer punk band, etc). there's orthodox jewish music (sometimes called shiny shoes music) and even there, there are traditional community artists (avraham freid, MBD, miami boys choir) and then more 'modern orthodox' artists (c lanzbom from soul farm, blue fringe, moshav band). there are like avant garde jazz + klezmer influenced stuff which is a lot of the material on Zorn's Radical Jewish Culture label (and I'd include the Masada projects in that). there is liturgical music, chassidic niggunim music, cantorial music. there is maybe a tradition american jewish artists who don't generally (but occasionally do) have jewish musical or lyrical influences (bob dylan, leonard cohen, al jolson?). lots of great collections too of american jewish music you should check out, esp from reboot - http://www.rebootstereophonic.com - like Songs for the Jewish-American Set, Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black Jewish Relations, Jewface (one of my alltime favorite archival releases), Barry Sisters - Our Way...

all of this doesn't even get into Israeli music which has a few distinct genres + eras of music. and i'm sure i've leaving plenty out above.

for a few more days it is sefirah when many orthodox jews won't listen to music w/ instruments, only to a cappella music, and an entire cottage industry has emerged of jewish A cappella music for ppl to listen to during the sefirah, like this band which is on spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/2R9bPr33846W6Ose7keQmI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAroGKbMZEA

Thanks a lot, it seems that this is a very big box to open. I'll start with some contemporary stuff and see where it leads.

I'm enjoying the Ayelet Rose Gottlieb CD, Mayim Rabim (lyrics excerpted from King Solomon's Song of Songs). Good recommendation.

Do you know Rossi's Songs of Solomon music?

No