Gershom's Book Shop:
Jewish Music section

(NOTE: Most of this music is sung in Yiddish, Hebrew, or Ladino. We are looking for good Jewish CDs with a traditional sound but sung in English -- if you know have any recommendations, please e-mail me at rooster@pinenet.com). If you have your own Jewish CDs you would like me to review, see my review info page. (For main bookstore menu, Click here).)

With Every Breath:
The Music of Shabbat at BJ

Click here to hear read my review and order the CD

Jewish Chants for Meditation -- a new CD of Jewish mantras (some in English, most in Hebrew) with a New Age sound, chanted by a Seattle area group called Tiferet. Click here to read my indepth review and order

Spirit of the Holidays

Click here to hear sound clips and order the CD

Klezmer

The word "Klezmer" is derived from the Yiddish word for "musician," and is a form of Eastern European Jewish music that has recently become very popular among non-Jews as well. Klezmer has been described as "Jewish Jazz," because the musicians improvise on their instruments -- usually violin, clarinet, bass, mandolin, horns, accordian, etc. There are literally hundreds of klezmer CDs out there -- those below are only a few titles that we happen to like, and which have audio samples online that users of Reb Gershom's Hasidism FAQ can listen to. The link to any of these will take you to more suggestions.

Songs of Our Fathers:
Traditional Jewish Melodies

While you are there, search for more Andy Statman Klezmer albums. The Andy Statman Klezmer Orchestra CD has online sound clips of some of the more traditional Yiddish songs.

The Heart of Klezmer By Ot Azoij Klezmerband. This group has a traditional acoustic sound that evokes the Jewish villages of Old Europe --- one of the best in klezmer! Click here to order the CD

Jewish Klezmer Music Re-release of an album recorded in 1980 by Zev Feldman and Andy Statman, back when the klezmer revival was just getting started. Like fine wine, this one gets better and better with time. Click here to read my review order the CD

Hasidic

There's a lot of overlap between Hasidic music and Klezmer, since they both come from Eastern Europe. The selections in this section are mostly nigunim, which are mantra-like tunes that are repeated over and over around the Sabbath table, for dancing, or for personal contemplation, etc. Many nigunim have no real words, but simply use sounds such as "oy-oy-oy" or "ai-ai-ai" to express the full spectrum of human emotions and boundless love of God. (Those that do have words are in Yiddish or Hebrew.)

Shlomo Carlebach: At the Village Gate

Between Heaven and Earth: Music of the Jewish Mystics by the Andy Statman Quartet. Nine of the slower, more contemplative Hasidic tunes (dvekus niggunim), performed in a cross between klezmer and modern Jazz.
Click here to hear samples and order the CD

Chabad Classics II-- Andy Statman again, this time playing instrumental arrangements of classical niggunim (wordless mystical tunes) from the tradition of the Lubovitcher Hasidim. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

Jewish Folk Music

What's a Jewish music collection without Hava Nagila? These CDs have the old favorites for dancing at weddings, crying your heart out, or just listening.

Traditional Jewish Songs -- Just what it says, including "Hava Nagila." A nice choral sound with orchestra. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

Dancing in the Aisles -- by the Klezmer Conservatory Band. Click here to hear samples and order the CD, and while you are there, check out the rest of the CDs by this great Klezmer group, too!

Shalom: Jewish Folk Music -- by Ilya Stupel. Some would say not all of this is true folk, since it includes show pieces from Fiddler on the Roof and the theme from Exodus, but it certainly is a collection of tunes well-loved by Jews. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

The Soul of Israel -- by 101 Strings Orchestra. Not just elevator music, this is a re-release of a marvelously-done instrumental album that was a hit on vinyl and even better on CD! Click here to hear samples and order the CD

Jewish Sephardic songs in Ladino

(Need a Ladino dictionary? Yes, there really is one -- it just came out in January 2000. The Ladino-English, English Ladino Concise Encyclopedic Dictionary not only defines words, it gives a lot of valuable Sephardic cultural background, too.)

Wandering Jew -- Klezmer Sephardi by Klazzij Strom. Just released in Nov. 1999. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

The Sephardic Experience -- in three volumes by The Renaissance Players. This link takes you to Volume I, where you will find links to the other two volumes. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

Jewish Songs from Bulgaria -- mostly Sephardic selections in Ladino, with a few sung in Hebrew and Yiddish, performed by various artists. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

20 Popular Folksongs from Israel -- has "Yerushalyim shel zahav" (Jerusalem of Gold) and other well-known favorites, all sung, of course, in modern Israeli Hebrew. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

Jewish Holidays

There's a lot of overlap between Jewish folk music and the holiday music, since the words of many songs are taken from the Torah or the liturgy. The CDs in this section focus on one or more specific holidays, or cantorial pieces, etc.

The Birthday of the World II (Yom Kippur) by the Western Wind Vocal ensemble. High Holy Days liturgical music for Yom Kippur.
Click here to hear samples and order the CD

With Every Breath: The Music of Shabbat at BJ Superb performance of Shabbat music, with quite a few Sephardic selections. Inspiring anytime. Click here to read my review and order the CD

Haggadah for Passover is just what it says -- all the songs you need to know for conducting the home Passover service. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

The Real Complete Passover Sing-along Seder by David and the High Spirits. Go beyond the Four Questions and Dayenu to learn those songs in the Haggadah that you never heard (or wish you knew!) Click here to hear samples and order the CD

A Taste of Passover with Theodore Bikel and others. This is the CD that accompanies the PBS-TV concert special, "A Taste of Passover." It has a great program of artists and songs, including some in Ladino (Sephardic). Click here to hear samples and order the CD

A Taste Of Chanukka -- another great PBS concert hosted by Theodore Bikel. Click here to order the CD

Mysteries of the Sabbath -- classical cantorial pieces from the Sabbath liturgy, sung by a wonderful collection of cantors. If you like opera, you will love these voices! Listen to this during the week to get inspired for the Sabbath. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

Jewish Liturgies of Ethiopia -- A very different sort of sound from the usual Eastern European music, from an African Jewish community that claims ot date back to the time of King Solomon. Click here to hear samples and order the CD

Chanukkah: Festival of Lights by Ot Azoj Klezmerband. Go beyond the "Dreidel Song" for some real old-time Chanukkah songs you've probably never heard before! Click here to read my review and order the CD

A Reggae Chanukkah -- from the same group that brought you Reggae Passover. Play something different for Hanukkah! Click here to order the CD

Soundtracks

Some people would argue that movie soundtracks aren't really "Jewish music," they're pure Hollywood -- and who are we to say? But a lot of people first get into Jewish music through hearing these soundtracks, and we like 'em. So, for your convenience, here they are in one place.

Prince of Egypt -- from the 1999 Disney film soundtrack.

Schindler's List -- the orchestral background music. (That's Itzak Perleman on violin.)

Fiddler on the Roof -- all the original movie soundtrack songs.

Yentl -- Barbara Streisand's soundtrack is better than the movie itself, some say....

The Ten Commandments -- orchestral soundtrack from the Cecile B. DeMille classic.

Ben Hur -- This 1959 movie was subtitled "A Tale of the Christ" and, like The Ten Commandments above, it was really more Protestant than Jewish -- but the score is still great orchestral music.

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