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Playlist: Favorites

Compiled By: M. K.

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JFK items

Return to Camelot, pt. 1

From Boyce Lancaster | Part of the Return to Camelot: Music in the Kennedy White House series | 29:01

Celebrating the beginning of John F. Kennedy's presidency

Kennedt_inaugural_small Return to Camelot, pt. 1 takes us through the inauguration and into the early days of JFK's Presidency. 

Return to Camelot PT. 2

From Boyce Lancaster | Part of the Return to Camelot: Music in the Kennedy White House series | 29:00

As the Kennedy presidency begins, a veritable Who's Who of artists, writers, and composers visit the White House.

Kennedy_1_small It seems as though nothing is impossible with this administration leading the country.  Artists, writers,  and composers are revered and respected as never before.

Return to Camelot, PT. 3

From Boyce Lancaster | Part of the Return to Camelot: Music in the Kennedy White House series | 29:05

In a matter of moments, hope and joy turns to despair and sorrow.

Kennedy_limo_small As the reality of the events in Dallas sink in, a stunned public watches in silent grief as Jackie Kennedy leads her young family through a very public grieving process.

Return to Camelot, PT. 4

From Boyce Lancaster | Part of the Return to Camelot: Music in the Kennedy White House series | 28:58

In the months following President Kennedy's assassination, musicians and composers the world over expressed their sorrow through music

Kennedy_4_small The world begins to find a voice for it's grief through artists, composers, and performers.


Singles

Good Friday, 1865: LINCOLN'S LAST DAY

From Craig Wichman | 58:23

The character of a country, and its President, are revealed -- as a traumatic war winds down, and eerie events presage Abraham Lincoln's own end...

Lincolncrop_small Produced before a live audience at The Museum of Television and Radio (Paley Center for Media) in New York, this original audio docudrama by producer Craig Wichman is the recipient of a National Audio Theatre BEST SCRIPT "GRAND PRIZE." Mr. Wichman plays the 16th President, and Katie Nutt is Mary Todd Lincoln, in a cast that includes John O. Donnell, Emma Palzere, Vito LaBella, Derek Lively, Dan Renkin, Bernadette Fiorella, and John Prave. Directed by Jay Stern (Independent Feature, THE CHANGELING); Music by TONY AWARD-winning Composer Mark Hollmann, with Kathy McDonald and Darren Wilkes; Sound Effects by Sue Zizza and David Shinn (Sue Media); Engineering by Dominick Barbera, with John Kiehl (Soundtrack NY.) And it's all true. ************************************************* "A pleasure... best radio... in some time... subject matter among the most dramatic..." -Arthur Anderson, The Mercury Theatre "A great job... really first rate, just as your last... keep up the wonderful work..." -Leonard Maltin "I suspect that Quicksilver... will be racking up another "Best Production" (Award) for this... splendid radio..." -Max Schmid, WBAI, NY "...Quite fine..." -Andy Trudeau, National Public Radio QUICKSILVER RADIO THEATER has earned awards from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and the National Audio Theatre, and has performed by invitation at the Museum of Television and Radio (Paley Center for Media) where its shows are in the Collection.


Stories

THE BLUE CARBUNCLE (A Christmas Adventure of Sherlock Holmes)

From Craig Wichman | 54:58

During Yuletide, Holmes and Watson face several Dickensian Londoners, a dusty hat, a famous gem - and a goose! (One of Arthur Conan Doyle’s rare comic tales.)

Quicks_carb__08_jpg  
Authorized by the Estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
 
"The best American portrayer of Sherlock Holmes that we have today." -William Nadel, BAKER STREET IRREGULARS

As in Quicksilver’s award-winning production of THE SPECKLED BAND, Craig Wichman (Independent Film, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW) plays the Great Detective, and John Prave, the Good Doctor. The cast features Emma Palzere, Joseph Franchini, Dan Renkin, Clyde Baldo, and Soprano Soloist Bernadette Fiorella (New York City Opera). Original music by Frank Spitznagel. Sound effects by Sue Zizza, Mr. Baldo, and the cast. Engineers, Chip Fabrizi and Dominick Barbera.

Adapted and Produced by Mr. Wichman.
Directed by Jay Stern (Independent Feature, THE CHANGELING).


*As an added treat, Quicksilver presents the rarely produced short farce by famed Holmes portrayer William Gillette, THE PAINFUL PREDICAMENT OF SHERLOCK HOLMES.*

 
Recipient of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters' "AWARD OF SPECIAL MERIT."  Quicksilver has also earned the National Audio Theatre's "BEST SCRIPT" Award, and has performed by invitation at the Paley Center for Media (Museum of Television and Radio) where its shows are in the Collection.

THE SPECKLED BAND - An Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

From Craig Wichman | 56:39

The Great Detective and The Good Doctor are pitted against a psychotic villian in a race against time to stop the bizarre murders in an eerie country manor.

Quicksbandprxgraph_small "Ingenious adaptation... Fine performances... A skillful production that will delight mystery fans." -Rich Fish, LodesTone Media ************************************************* The most terrifying of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes! Directed by Jay Stern (Independent Feature, THE CHANGELING), and adapted by Producer Craig Wichman from Arthur Conan Doyle's own favorite story, and on his rarely produced play "The Stonor Case". Mr. Wichman as Holmes; John Prave as Watson; with Katie Nutt, Vito LaBella, Joseph Franchini, and Ghislaine Nichols. Music by TONY AWARD winner Mark Hollmann (performed by "Musical Chairs" & Bernadette Fiorella); Sound Effects by Sue Zizza & David Shinn; Engineered by Dominick Barbera and John Kiehl of SoundTrackNY. Authorized by The Estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ************************************************** "The best American portrayer of Sherlock Holmes that we have today." -William Nadel, Baker Street Irregulars Produced live at the Museum of Television and Radio (Paley Center for Media) in Mew York City. Recipient of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters' "GOLD REEL." QUICKSILVER RADIO THEATER has earned awards from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and the National Audio Theatre, and has performed by invitation at the Museum of Television and Radio (Paley Center for Media) where its shows are in the Collection.


Jewish themes

The Witches of Lublin

From Sue Zizza | 58:30

(this 58:30 program is the final version) Lublin, Poland, 1797: While they prepare for Passover, a family of Jewish women klezmer musicians struggles for survival, but when music and love prove not enough, only the unthinkable can save them. Starring Tovah Feldshuh (and hosted by Sound & Spirit's Ellen Kushner).
For information on scheduling Passover programming visit http://www.thewitchesoflublin.com/stations.html

Lublin_240x240_small

Set in the Passover season, "The Witches of Lublin," is directed by internationally acclaimed and award-winning Sue Zizza, with script by Ellen Kushner, Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom.

Featuring haunting vocals and an original high energy klezmer score by Yale Strom, "The Witches of Lublin," offers a glimpse into the lost Jewish women's lives of Eastern Europe.

With a story as ancient as myth, and as modern as every family that struggles to hold its center in a world of strife and conflicting loyalties, it's the perfect Spring holiday programming.

01 Shtayn Gart's

From Sue Zizza | Part of the Music from The Witches of Lublin series | 09:55

This lively dance is a bulgar. It is exactly the sort of music one would hear at one of the market fairs held in Easter Europe during the late 1700s. While the customers and merchants from the Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish communities would haggle over their wares, this is the music that would rise above the din.

We have two versions of this feature, the longer one includes composer Yale Strom discussing how he came to learn about women klezmer musicians and what types of music, and who would be performing the music which one would typically hear while strolling through a market.

Cdcover_small This lively dance is a bulgar. It is exactly the sort of music one would hear at one of the market fairs held in Easter Europe during the late 1700s. While the customers and merchants from the Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish communities would haggle over their wares, this is the music that would rise above the din. We have two versions of this feature, the longer one includes composer Yale Strom discussing how he came to learn about women klezmer musicians and what types of music, and who would be performing the music which one would typically hear while strolling through a market.

02 Sofia's Song

From Sue Zizza | Part of the Music from The Witches of Lublin series | 03:44

In the audio drama “The Witches of Lublin,” Sofia is a teenaged girl in love – all that matters to her is that the object of her affection shares her feelings. In this original tune based on traditional melodies, Sofia sings of making a great match for her self. But in the 18th Century, love alone did not a marriage make. Even the poorest Jewish family was expected to provide a dowry for their daughter, and if they could not, her choices were few.

Playing
02 Sofia's Song
From
Sue Zizza

Cdcover_small In the audio drama “The Witches of Lublin,” Sofia is a teenaged girl in love – all that matters to her is that the object of her affection shares her feelings. In this original tune based on traditional melodies, Sofia sings of making a great match for her self. But in the 18th Century, love alone did not a marriage make. Even the poorest Jewish family was expected to provide a dowry for their daughter, and if they could not, her choices were few.

03 Simkes Hanefesh

From Sue Zizza | Part of the Music from The Witches of Lublin series | 03:53

This is a more spiritual tune. In 18th Century Poland, the Jewish mystic philosophy of Khasidism was born. The Khasidim believed that singing songs while praying, particularly wordless melodies called nigunim, was an essential way to attain dveykes, or adhesion with God. By singing with great ardor, they strove to remove the barrier between themselves and God. How better to do this than with “Simkhes Hanefesh”, the Joy of the Soul?

Cdcover_small This is a more spiritual tune. In 18th Century Poland, the Jewish mystic philosophy of Khasidism was born. The Khasidim believed that singing songs while praying, particularly wordless melodies called nigunim, was an essential way to attain dveykes, or adhesion with God. By singing with great ardor, they strove to remove the barrier between themselves and God. How better to do this than with “Simkhes Hanefesh”, the Joy of the Soul?

04 Lustig Zayn

From Sue Zizza | Part of the Music from The Witches of Lublin series | 05:24

Sometimes, klezmer songs borrowed from popular folk melodies. “Lustig Zayn”, also known as “My Yofes” came from Polish peasants. But the more klezmers played this melody, the more Jewish nuances they added. The composer Frederic Chopin felt this melody had become so “Jewish”, he urged his fellow Poles to stop playing it.

But there were other Poles who encouraged klezmers to play this melody. They were wealthy Polish gentry, who would hire klezmers to play at their lavish parties – where at least one of the musicians would have to wear a bear costume when playing this song, so the party guests could have a good laugh with lyrics like:
The rabbi says everyone should be happy drinking whiskey, not wine.

But the rabbis were not happy. In fact, they were horrified and told the klezmers to stop playing this song and subjecting themselves to such derision. Those klezmers who continued to don the bear suit to play this song became known as “My Yofesniks” – by sacrificing their dignity, they also sacrificed their innate Jewishness. My Yofesniks were Jewish only on the outside.

Playing
04 Lustig Zayn
From
Sue Zizza

Cdcover_small Sometimes, klezmer songs borrowed from popular folk melodies. “Lustig Zayn”, also known as “My Yofes” came from Polish peasants. But the more klezmers played this melody, the more Jewish nuances they added. The composer Frederic Chopin felt this melody had become so “Jewish”, he urged his fellow Poles to stop playing it. But there were other Poles who encouraged klezmers to play this melody. They were wealthy Polish gentry, who would hire klezmers to play at their lavish parties – where at least one of the musicians would have to wear a bear costume when playing this song, so the party guests could have a good laugh with lyrics like: The rabbi says everyone should be happy drinking whiskey, not wine. But the rabbis were not happy. In fact, they were horrified and told the klezmers to stop playing this song and subjecting themselves to such derision. Those klezmers who continued to don the bear suit to play this song became known as “My Yofesniks” – by sacrificing their dignity, they also sacrificed their innate Jewishness. My Yofesniks were Jewish only on the outside.

05 Lubliner Nign

From Sue Zizza | Part of the Music from The Witches of Lublin series | 03:16

At the Sabbath table on a Friday evening, the Khasidim of Eastern Europe sang tish nigunim, “table songs” praising God . . . seeking to get closer to the Divine through joyous singing. Before dinner, after dinner, when the wine flowed and the prayers were recited . . . their ecstatic singing brought them closer to the world to come as can be heard when the rabies sing this song in The “Witches of Lublin.”

Cdcover_small At the Sabbath table on a Friday evening, the Khasidim of Eastern Europe sang tish nigunim, “table songs” praising God . . . seeking to get closer to the Divine through joyous singing. Before dinner, after dinner, when the wine flowed and the prayers were recited . . . their ecstatic singing brought them closer to the world to come as can be heard when the rabies sing this song in The “Witches of Lublin.”

The Passover Story

From William Zukof | Part of the The Western Wind Judaica Series series | 58:27

The Passover Story Sung by The Western Wind, Narrated by Theodore Bikel

Pass_small Renowned actor Theodore Bikel and The Western Wind, America's pre-eminent vocal ensemble, present 25 eclectic selections that, along with an inspring narration, serve as musical documentary of Passover. Music includes Hebrew folk melodies, classical European liturgical music, ancient Sephardic chants, Klezmer-style improvisations, and traditional songs from the Seder. This program is designed for listeners of any religious background and provides a good introduction to a holiday whose lessons of redemption and faith are universal. "The music is an eclectic compilation of songs and compositions from many sources reflecting the tremendous diversity of Jewish cultures. Selections include Hebrew folk melodies, classical European liturgical music, ancient Sephardic chants, Klezmer-style improvisations, and traditional songs from the Seder, including the 'adopted' song of slavery, the Negro spiritual "Go Down Moses"--all sung with the superb musicianship and zest that are hallmarks of Western Wind performances." Miami Jewish Journal.

Old World Beat

From With Good Reason | 29:45

The sounds and history of Klezmer music, once rooted in the Jewish religious tradition, now played on festival stages, nightclubs and concert halls throughout the world.

Default-piece-image-2 Klezmer music, once rooted in the Jewish religious tradition, is now being played on festival stages, nightclubs and concert halls throughout the world. Many of the roots of American Jazz and Broadway music can be traced to Klezmer. Joel Rubin is both a historian of Klezmer music and a clarinetist who has just released a new CD. Also: Kevin J. Stees talks about the rich history of American and British brass bands.

Taste of Eternity, A Musical Shabbat: Part 1 - Friday Night Service and Table songs - Sung by The Western Wind; Narrated by Leonard Nimoy

From William Zukof | Part of the The Western Wind Judaica Series series | 59:41

Taste of Eternity
A Musical Shabbat
Part I: Friday Night Service and Table Songs

Sung by The Western Wind and Guest Chorus
Matthew Lazar, Guest Conductor

Leonard Nimoy, Narrator
Narration written by Rabbi Gerald C. Skolnik

Cantors: Alberto Mizrahi, Robert Paul Abelson, Benjie Ellen Schiller

Taste1_small

Taste of Eternity presents some the most profound and exalted music from the Friday night synagogue service as well as rousing table songs (Z'mirot) which are sung at the festive Friday night meal.    Musical selections include lush, a cappella arrangements of Yedid Nefesh, Shalom Aleichem, Ein Adir and Sephardic Songs ; cantorial gems from the elaborate cantorial tradition; as well as composed works by Rossi, Lewandowski, and Zilberts. 

Joining the Western Wind vocal sextet are guest singers and cantors: Alberto Mizrahi, Robert Paul Abelson, and Benjie Schiller.  Guest conductor Mathew Lazar, provides inspired leadership for the assembled forces and Leonard Nimoy explores the spiritual dimensions of this day of rest.

 

Brooklyn According to Kalish

From Jon Kalish | 58:53

Veteran public radio reporter Jon Kalish's 16-year journey into the Orthodox Jewish community of Brooklyn.

Default-piece-image-1 In 1983 New York-based radio reporter Jon Kalish started covering the Orthodox and Chasidic Jews of Brooklyn for NPR. In 1999 he produced "Brooklyn According to Kalish" for WNYC. The hour-long documentary utilizes recordings Kalish made for pieces he produced for "All Things Considered," "Morning Edition," "Weekend Edition," as well as WNYC and other outlets. Rich in sound and featuring the extraordinary access Kalish gained in the close-knit Orthodox world, this program explores all aspects of the lives of religious Jews as seen through the eyes of Kalish, who is Jewish but grew up outside the realm of Torah-observant Jews. From the yeshivas of Flatbush to the bungalows of the Catskills where Brooklyn chasidim summer, "Brooklyn According to Kalish" explains the mysterious world of the black hats to secular Jews and Gentiles alike. Broadcast on WNYC, WBUR, WBEZ and KCRW. Ideal for Chanukah and Passover programming. Some animals were harmed in the preparation of this program.

Barrack 18

From Jon Kalish | 27:39

The trues story of the Jews who counterfeited for the Third Reich.

Playing
Barrack 18
From
Jon Kalish

5er_small This is the story of the Jews at Sachsenhausen concentration camp who produced near-perfect forgeries of the British pound for the Nazis. We hear from veteran American journalist Lawrence Malkin, whose “Kreuger's Men” is widely regarded as the definitive non-fiction work on the saga. The doc also contains excerpts from an oral history recorded in 1991 by Paul Landau, a French Jew who was one of the counterfeiters. Archival audio includes sound from the 1952 feature film "Five Fingers," which tells the story of a Nazi spy paid with counterfeit pounds, and "Private Schultz," a BBC mini-series in 1981 that told the counterfeiting story as a comedy.

Andy Statman's Journey

From Jon Kalish | 27:47

A profile of the Brooklyn-based bluegrass/klezmer virtuoso

Default-piece-image-0 "Andy Statman's Journey" takes listeners on a musicial and spiritual odyssey with the New York virtuoso who has been wowing bluegrass, klezmer and jazz audiences for 40 years. Statman is widely considered one of the most gifted mandolin players on the planet and has left audiences shaking their heads at his blistering bluegrass picking and poignant waltzes. But he is equally acclaimed as a clarinetist in the klezmer and jazz scenes. For more than ten years, Statman has been playing jazz versions of chasidic melodies on his clarinet. A chasidic Jew who lives in one of Brooklyn's religious neighborhoods, the 56 year-old musician has been the subject of several radio stories by Manhattan-based independent radio producer Jon Kalish, who utilized interviews conducted over a period of 13 years in tis doc. It also includes music from two recently released Statman CD's, as well as an un-relased album and field recordings at a New York synagogue where Statman's trio has performed for the last seven years. "Andy Statman's Journey" provides a portait of a brilliant but uncompromising artist who is more devoted to following his muse than navigating the commercial music world. Among those heard from in this half-hour documentary are the respected jazz pianist Kenny Werner and bluegrass standout Ricky Skaggs, who describes Statman as "John Coltrane and Bill Monroe poured into one person."

A Conversation with Andy Statman, Part Two

From National Endowment for the Arts | Part of the Art Works series | 37:49

In part 2 of our conversation with Andy Statman, we follow his musical path as he blends klezmer, jazz, blues, and bluegrass into a distinctive musical voice. [37:48]

Statman110b_small

Last week, we heard the first of a two-part interview with Klezmer clarinetist, mandolin-player, and composer Andy Statman. Andt ia receiving the 2012 National Heritage Award for his klezmer music. Klezmer music is the  traditional instrumental music of the Jews of Eastern Europe; Andy defines it as Hasidic vocal music played instrumentally. Andy Statman is one of the people responsible for its revival.  But as we learned in last week's podcast, it's impossible to put Andy Statman in any neat musical box. He cuts an extremely wide musical path, he followed his initial absorption into bluegrass and the mandolin with a  fascination  with jazz and the saxophone. Never content to sit still musically, Statman then took up the clarinet and studied Greek, Albanian, and Azerbaijani music. Yet, Statman doesn't drop one musical style for another, he just keeps adding  to his stockpot of knowledge and sensibility, moving effortlessly from genre to another. For example, he followed his pathbreaking album Jewish Klezmer Music, with Flatbush Waltz, a mandolin masterpiece of post-bebop jazz improvisations and ethnically-inspired original compositions.  However, in his last CD,Old Brooklyn, however, Andy Statman presents a real marriage of all his musical styles.  You'll hear strains of  bluegrass, klezmer, jazz and blues coming together in this brilliant work.

Statman has released 20 of his own recordings and has performed on close to 100 others. He's worked with the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Ricky Skaggs, Béla Fleck, Itzhak Perlman, and many others. He fronts the Andy Statman Trio which plays weekly gigs around NYC.

Last week, we heard about and sampled Andy's bluegrass and mandolin. He spoke about the importance of jazz, particularly Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Albert Ayler to his own musical evolution. 

But by 1975, Andy Statman had begun thinking of his own Jewish  musical roots. We pick up the interview with Andy meeting the man who would become his mentor:  the legendary klezmer clarinetist and NEA National Heritage Fellow, Dave Tarras. 

Rabbi Abulafia's Boxed Set

From Jon Kalish | 26:43

The story of a Lower East Side miracle

Default-piece-image-0 For more than two years in the 1950?s, avant-garde ethno-musicologist Harry Smith recorded a Lower East Side Rabbi?s cantorial music, folk songs and Yiddish story-telling. The Rabbi?s eccentric grandson, 82-year-old Lionel Ziprin, is hoping to re-release a condensed version of this material. It?s a holy mission for him. Ziprin is a Lower East Side legend who sounds uncannily like the late Lenny Bruce. But, unlike the comedian, Ziprin hangs out at a Lower East Side yeshiva and his life has been a lot wilder. Kalish first met Ziprin in 1998 when one of the reporter?s elderly Yippie friends introduced him to the man. Kalish did a short radio piece and a newspaper article about Ziprin?s rescue of the 15-LP?s his grandfather, Rabbi Nuftali Zvi Margolies Abulafia, recorded with the eccentric Harry Smith but knew the story would ultimately make a compelling radio documentary