Music

Below you will find my recommended Jewish/Israeli music and links to sites where you can listen to them (wish I could send you straight to Itunes to buy them but Itunes won’t allow for that. Also, I wish you could sample it hear but copyright issues are too complicated).

In addition you will find non-Jewish/Israel recommendations for individual songs which I believe are prophetic and, in many ways, our generations form of prophecy.

The Idan Raichel Project

The Idan Raichel Project burst onto the Israeli music scene in 2002, changing the face of Israeli popular music and offering a message of love and tolerance that resonated strongly in a region of the world where the headlines are too often dominated by conflict. With an enchanting blend of Ethiopian and Middle Eastern flavors coupled with sophisticated production techniques and a spectacular live show, the Idan Raichel Project has become one of the most unexpected success stories in Israeli music today. While he regularly fills large concert halls at home, the upcoming international release of his recordings on the Cumbancha record label promises to introduce the work of this inspirational collective to a wide global audience… Click here for more of the Biography

Albums:

The Idan Raichel Project
Out of the Depths

Though I would buy any and every recording Idan Raichel puts out, the truth of the matter is that the other couple of recordings out there (available on Itunes) are just compilations of the above two or live versions.

YouTube Clips:

Sheva (Seven)

Official Web Site / MySpace Page

The Albums: Five Albums To Choose From

“Day & Night” is a must and “Celestial Wedding” is where you will find “Sala’am” but all can be downloaded individually on Itunes.

YouTube Clips:

Rick Recht

The Rick Recht Band’s official site: http://www.rickrecht.com/
Rick Recht is the top-touring musician in Jewish music playing over 150 concerts a year in the United States and abroad. Recht is widely recognized for his appeal to youth and family audiences not only as an exceptional musician, singer/songwriter, and entertainer, but as a role model for involvement in Jewish life. He has become an icon for Jewish youth in the United States, elevating the medium of Jewish music as a powerful and effective tool for developing Jewish pride and identity among the masses. “We’re lucky because our fan base ranges in age from little kids to adults which allows us to do all kinds of different concerts,” said Recht. “We have the opportunity to constantly change things up and do what it takes to inspire Jewish youth and adults and make them feel connected to each other and their Jewish heritage. The teen rock concerts are sweaty, loud and exciting. The little kids concerts give us a chance to be goofy, but really educational at the same time. The family concerts are a little bit of everything and the Shabbat Alive! services have their own unique, powerfully spiritual feeling. Only in the Jewish world could we experience this wonderful variety of creativity, spirituality, and interaction.” Click here for more on Rick & The Band

Website / Albums (My recommendations are: “Shabbat Alive” & “The Hope”)

Reb Shlomo Carlebach

The single most important figure in modern Jewish music.
Website / Albums

Way too many c.d.’s to even begin to recommend one. My suggestion is first get a greatest hits collection.

Matisyahu

Few artists make an impact as complete as the one Matisyahu made with his Top 40 hit “King Without a Crown”: Here was a true original, the song announced-a Hasidic Jewish musician from New York City singing reggae songs about his religious devotion. Fans responded to this one-of-a-kind voice, too, driving Youth, Matisyahu’s Grammy-nominated 2006 studio disc, to the top spot on Billboard’s reggae albums chart. That album, as well as Matisahu’s previous recording Live at Stubb’s, went Gold.

MC Yogi

MC Yogi grew up painting graffiti & listening to hip hop. Inspired by artists like The Beastie Boys & Run DMC, he began writing raps and freestyling for friends at house parties. spending most of high school in a group home for at-risk youth hip hop culture provided both a soundtrack and a creative outlet. Then at age eighteen, he discovered yoga.

When he was 18 he joined his father for a meditation intensive with a spiritual teacher from India. Deeply moved by this powerful experience, MC YOGI devoted himself to learning everything he could about the ancient discipline. He began studying the physical forms of yoga, as well as meditation, philosophy, and devotional chanting. It was at a yoga teacher training at It’s Yoga in San Francisco that he met and fell in love with his wife, Amanda. After there first trip to India, they opened Yoga Toes Studio in Point Reyes, California.

By combining his knowledge of yoga with his love for hip hop music, MC YOGI creates an exciting new sound that brings the wisdom of yoga to a whole new generation of modern mystics and urban yogis.

Kirtan Rabbi

Kirtan Rabbi’s music is characterized by great energy, passion and melodic flow. His recent CD already, Kirtan Rabbi: Live! has a growing, devoted following. Forthcoming soon are two recordings: Amidah and Yamim Noraim, which will offer new avenues for religious seekers to participate in the traditional Jewish liturgical practices.

Joshua Nelson — Kosher Gospel

Cultural traditions typically change slowly, over the long arc of history. But occasionally a folk cultural innovation emerges that are startlingly fresh in its outward manifestation, although it remains deeply—even reverently—traditional at its core. You may have never heard of “kosher gospel” music before today, but the inspirational performances of Joshua Nelson, the creator of this style, will surely call out to your soul.

Kosher gospel is the marriage of Jewish religious lyrics and meanings with the soulful sounds of American gospel music. While the word “gospel” a Greek word meaning good news, is usually associated with African-American Christian churches, the musical styling is African, sounds that came from several African tribes, and developed as a tool to escape social injustice. This was the Spiritual, the Meter Hymns, Jubilee songs and ultimately, the coined “Gospel Music.” These African rhythms, pre-date the West Africans introduction to Christianity. These same sounds have been retained in the musical cultures of Black African Muslims and Jews, and such soul-inflected vocalizations filled the Black Hebrew synagogue Joshua Nelson attended as a child with his family, observant Jews who traced their lineage back to Senegal.

Neshama Carlebach

Neshama Carlebach, one of the leading superstars in Jewish Entertainment, is continuing the legacy established by her father Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. His deep spirituality and his love of all humanity, filled every song he wrote and touched every person he encountered as he changed the face of Jewish music.

Like her father, Neshama’s talent and charisma captivate and endear her to people of all ages and backgrounds as she performs in cities all over the world. Together with her incredible band and often with collaboation with Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir, she continues to both deeply move and entertain as she sings her father’s incomparable melodies, and inspiring original compositions. An event with Neshama will uplift you and bring you the gift of songs that are danceable, singable, and unforgettable.

Danya Uriel and Eyal Rivlin – Hebrew Chanting

Eyal and Danya are dedicated to revitalizing Hebrew chanting as a form of meditation and ecstatic prayer on the path of the heart. They create and share their music in the service of inspiration, community building, and devotion. Drawing on the power of the repetition of ancient sacred phrases, they use Hebrew chants to create an experiential connection to the One.

Celebrated as both “fresh and hip” and for being “true and shining mystical leaders,” Danya and Eyal bring a thrilling fusion of ancient texts and modern sound to their original music.