Journal of Synagogue Music Fall 2005 Issue on Congregational Singing

We've just received the library issue of The Journal of Synagogue Music, published by the Cantor's Assembly and it looks like a particularly special issue: Vol. 30, No. 1, for Fall, 2005. There are theoretical articles by Samuel Rosenbaum, Max Wohlberg (excerpt from a talk from 1980), Geoffrey Goldberg, Akiva Zimmermann, Benjie Ellen Schiller and Boaz Tarsi, ... and that's just the first section. Better get your copy.

KLEZMER EN BUENOS AIRES:

un concert AMJ tout à fait original à Genève:
Marcelo Moguilevsky: clarinettes, flûtes, harmonica, voix
Cesar Lerner: piano, accordéon, percussions
dimanche 4 décembre à 17h à l'Alhambra, 10 rue de la Rôtisserie, Genève
Organisation: les Amis de la Musique Juive www.amj.ch.
Informations: http://www.amj.ch/WPR051204.htm
Réservations: amj@amj.ch ou tel: 0(041)22 320 86 28
entrée: 25.- / AVS, chômeurs, étudiants, etc: 15.- Réduction supplémentaire de 5.- aux membres AMJ

Depuis une vingtaine d'années, Cesar Lerner et Marcelo Moguilevsky apportent une innovation et une ouverture à la musique populaire instrumentale juive. Petits-enfants d'immigrants russes et polonais arrivés en Argentine en 1900, ils contribuent avec virtuosité à la renaissance du style klezmer en développant un langage personnel, basé sur l'improvisation et des éléments issus du folklore argentin, du tango, du jazz et des musiques contemporaines.

Ne manquez sous aucun prétexte ces deux multi-instrumentistes virtuoses argentins! A tout bientôt!

Michel Borzykowski
borzy@freesurf.ch
Homepage AMJ: http://www.amj.ch
Geneva klezmer page: http://borzykowski.users.ch

Klezmer Concert and Yiddish Dance Party at Columbia University

The Columbia University Series on Klezmer Music and Yiddish Song opens its 2005-2006 series on Monday, December 12, 2005, 8:00 PM, with a klezmer concert and Yiddish dance party featuring the Strauss/Warschauer Duo and the Columbia Klezmer Band.

The concert of traditional and original klezmer music and Yiddish songs will be followed by dance instruction and a dance party. The event is free and open to the public, and will take place at Deutsches Haus, 420 West 116th Street (between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive) in New York City. No tickets necessary.
For more information, please contact Jeff Warschauer at 718 399-1147 or warschauer@aol.com, and visit www.klezmerduo.com.

Curated by Deborah Strauss and Jeff Warschauer of the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, this series is dedicated to presenting performances and lectures that reflect the finest current research and creativity in the fields of klezmer music and Yiddish song.

Deborah Strauss and Jeff Warschauer are two of the most beloved performers and teachers in the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene. They were both long-time members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, and have performed with violinist Itzhak Perlman on film and in concert. As the Strauss/Warschauer Duo, they have performed to overwhelming acclaim in such diverse venues as the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Jewish Culture Festival in Cracow, the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater in New York City, and the Art of Yiddish in Los Angeles with Theodore Bikel. They lead workshops and classes throughout North America and Europe, and are on the faculty of KlezKamp, KlezKanada and KlezFest at the University of London.

The Columbia Klezmer Band is a group of talented musicians from Columbia University who have come together to study and perform traditional klezmer music. Founded in 2000, the Columbia Klezmer Band has performed in many cities throughout the Northeast, in venues ranging from Columbia’s Rennert Hall to Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room. The CKB has performed for concerts, festivals, dance parties, fundraisers, and other celebrations.

Sunday Simcha Still Going Strong in Central Florida

JMWC has learned that the The Sunday Simcha radio program http://shows.wmnf.org/simcha/ as well as the Mike Eisenstadt Band is still going strong, and still going to serve as an important part of the Jewish community in central Florida.

MIDRASH MISH MOSH AT MAKOR ON NEW YEAR’S EVE!

DON’T MISS A STAR-STUDDED PERFORMANCE OF THE CRITICALY ACCLAIMED MIDRASH MISH MOSH AT MAKOR ON NEW YEAR’S EVE!

"A project with newly composed music of expansive scope, Alexander has produced a screaming celebration of the multicultural American Jewish identity."
Elliott Simon, AllAboutJazz - NY

New York, NY: Makor (25 West 67th street) Celebrate the 365th day of the year and the 7th night of Hanukkah – all in one; enjoy three floors of entertainment and mingling! Beginning at 9pm the party will include Aaron Alexander’s Midrash Mish Mosh, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-stars, a Klezmer Jam Session and The Boys of Balagan Boogaloo. Also offered as part of the evening is a two-hour open beer and wine bar (from 10 to 12) followed by a champagne toast at midnight. Midrash Mish Mosh, on John Zorn's Tzadik label, came about as a result of Alexander’s desire to do a different kind of record; to incorporate free jazz with traditional klezmer and thrash punk. It is both a serious reflection on and a synthesis of the disparate influences in Alexander’s life through the free jazz spectrum. Exhilarating, lyrical and intense, this CD simultaneously breaks down previously established boundaries and builds up new and daring ethnic jazz identities. The result - A kickin’ ethnojazz party!

Midrash Mish Mosh will begin at 9pm on Sat. Dec 31 at the Steinhardt Building. Tickets are $65 for individuals and $100 for couples. Call Y-Charge at 212.415.5500 or visit www.makor.org for more information and online ticket purchase.

"This is plugged-in "Original, energetic and different from "Party atmosphere!” amped-up Jewish music." pretty much anything you’ll hear out there” All Music Guide Jerry D’Souza, AllAboutJazz Astarita, Downbeat Aaron Alexander’s Midrash Mish Mosh MAKOR’S NEW YEAR’S EVE: SET THE NEW YEAR ON FIRE

PERSONNEL
AARON ALEXANDER (Leader, Drums) A native of Seattle, Alexander moved to New York in 1993. He has since provided a rhythmic backbone to many seminal groups of the new Jewish Renaissance, including the Klezmatics, Hasidic New Wave, and Frank London's Klezmer Brass All-Stars. His first CD on Tzadik, Midrash Mish Mosh is also his inaugural release as an ethnojazz bandleader. Alexander’s powerful compositions explore the outer regions of jazz fusion with klezmer, thrash punk, and world music rhythms.

MERLIN SHEPHERD (Clarinet)
ALEX KONTOROVICH (Clarinet, Alto Sax, Baritone Sax)
GREG WALL (Tenor Sax, Clarinet)
FRANK LONDON (Trumpet)
DAN BLACKSBURG (Trombone)
JAY VILNAI (Guitar)
MARK RUBIN (Bass)
TBA (2nd Drums)
VENUE
MAKOR (25 West 67th Street) offers evening and weekend events to New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s. Makor's programming is a mix of sophisticated contemporary music performances, film screenings, art exhibits, theater presentations, literary readings, recreational activities and classes and lectures, many of which are devoted to Jewish topics.

NESHAMA CARLEBACH in BROOKLYN

Dec. 11th 2005
4PM
Club Oasis in East Midwood Jewish Center
1625 Ocean Avenue
Brooklyn, New York
718-338-3800

"Soulful, Spiritually Evocative, and Pure Heaven on Earth" are just some of the most recent descriptions of Neshama Carlebachs singing. Her captivating melodies have drawn comparisons to Sheryl Crow and Linda Rondstadt with a religious nature reminiscent of Amy Grant.

$25.00 - Students & Seniors $20.00 Kids 12 & Under Free

Samy Elmaghribi records liturgy of Sepharad

Samy Elmaghribi sings music of Andalus, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria as well as Sephardi liturgy. He has a series of liturgical CDs out includuing Shabbat, Psalms and Yamim Noraim. The website is in French. http://www.samyelmaghribi.com/

Miriam Sandler Sings for Girls in Boca

Miriam Sandler will be performing at the Boca Raton Synagogue on Sunday, January 8, 2006 at 1pm. Concert is for women and girls only. Boca Raton Synagogue address is: 7900 Montoya Circle, Boca Raton, FL 33433. Miriam Sandler is an orthodox singer. She has a website at miriamsandler.com where you can sample some of her music.

CHOIRS AND CANTORS SPARK THIS CHANUKAH SEASON

Over 250 adults and children will celebrate Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, in concert, 3 P.M., Sunday, December 11, 2005, as Congregation Rodeph Sholom of Manhattan hosts its unique Festival of Choirs. The sixth annual concert will feature Cantors and their choirs from the New York City metropolitan area. This year, the first night of Chanukah is Sunday, December 25, 2005.

A Festival of Choirs is free of charge and open to the entire community.

Congregation Rodeph Sholom is located at 7 West 83rd Street off of Central Park West in Manhattan. For more information about this concert, please call (212) 362-8800, ext. 1337.

"It is truly magical to hear this many adults and children celebrate the Chanukah season through song," according to Congregation Rodeph Sholom's Senior Cantor, Rebecca Garfein. "We all look forward to continuing this tradition for many years to come."

Highlights of the concert will include "Raise up the Menorah" written in 2004 for the Midrash Hour V by Rodeph Sholom congregant, Eliot Bailen and students from the Rodeph Sholom Day School and Religious School. The Midrash Hour is a full length musical written by Mr. Bailen and students from the Rodeph Sholom schools each year. The song, "Raise up the Menorah" will be sung at the Festival of Choirs by the combined children's choirs, 100 voices strong. Another highpoint will be the concert's finale, "Bring on the Light," a piece by composer, singer and actor, Danny Maseng, that was commissioned by Congregation Rodeph Sholom for the Festival of Choirs in 2001.

Also featured at the concert will be area Adult Volunteer and Children's Choirs, along with Cantor Garfein and Cantor Jennifer Frost, Associate Cantor, and Cantorial Intern Jennifer Strauss-Klein of Congregation Rodeph Sholom. Also participating in the concert will be Cantors Bruce Ruben and Daniel Singer, Temple Shaaray Tefila, Manhattan; Cantor Ida-Rae Cahana, Central Synagogue; Cantor Kathy Barr, Village Temple, Manhattan; Cantor Steven Pearlston, Free Synagogue of Flushing, Queens, New York; Cantor Janet Leuchter and Music Director, Rose Moskowitz, Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn, NY; Cantor Claire Franco, Community Synagogue, Port Washington, NY; and Cantor Fredda Mendelson, Larchmont Temple.

Accompanying the choirs will be acclaimed pianist, composer and arranger, Jonathan Faiman. Joining Mr. Faiman will be the "Festival of Choirs" combo: John Hadfield, percussion, Mike Cohen, winds, and Dan Freeman, upright and electric bass.

Yerachmiel" Ziegler Releases CD A'Hava V'Achva

Yerachmiel "Rocky" Ziegler has released his debut CD A'Hava V'Achva. Mixing up hasidic, rock, folk, klezmer and bluegrass, he's on the H and H circuit in NY's meeting place between Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Check out the website: www.yerachmiel.com and you'll hear some of the unique sounds from the new blending of Jewish cultures.

Musical Event Celebrating Jews of Color

New York - Ayecha, a leading Jewish diversity organization, is hosting a groundbreaking musical event celebrating the experience of Jews of Color in Israel, Africa and the United States. This historical event will feature top Jewish performers, including the internationally acclaimed Joshua Nelson and Danny Maseng.
The Jewish Soul Celebration concert will take place on
December 17, 2005,
from 8pm - 11pm,
at the Peter Norton Symphony Space at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street.
For more on Ayecha, visit www.ayecha.org

Groundbreaking Musical Event Celebrating Jews of Color and the Life of William Tate, Civil Rights Activist and Jewish Leader
In honoring the musical contribution of Jews of Color to 350 years of Jewish life in America, Ayecha hopes this concert will help to build greater inclusiveness in the Jewish community. Fitting with that theme, this concert is dedicated to the life of William "Bill" Tate, a distinctive Jewish leader of Color, whose accomplishments in the Jewish and African-American communities are inspirational. Among his lifetime achievements, Mr. Tate was the Vice President of AFL-CIO for the New York tri-state area; "Man of the Year" for the National Council of Young Israel; a founding member and spiritual leader of the Beth Shalom Congregation of Brooklyn; Chairman of the Board of Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation; and emissary, along with former Mayor David Dinkins, to Germany to visit concentration camps on behalf of Holocaust survivors.

Honoring his legacy, the following groups will perform:
* Joshua Nelson and the Kosher Gospel Singers artfully blend the American gospel sound with deep Jewish roots for a rousing performance that has audiences dancing in the aisles.
* Danny Maseng, one of the most popular and respected composers of contemporary Jewish liturgical music, has been wowing audiences with his critically-acclaimed music for over a decade.
* Voices of Shalom Jazz Ensemble moves audiences with their soothing, refreshing and upbeat spiritual music.
* Beta Israel of North America Ethiopian Dance Troupe draws its inspiration from the beautiful poetry and prayers of the Ethiopian Jewish community.
* Yoel Ben-Simhon & The Sultana Ensemble's distinctive sound preserves Judeo-Arab and Middle Eastern music, creating a bridge between Eastern and Western music traditions.

This concert is generously supported by Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA), United Jewish Communities, Bikkurim, the Shefa Fund, and Joshua Venture.

Ayecha is the leading Jewish organization utilizing training, curricula, and programming to increase Jewish Diversity awareness, and support, strengthen and advocate for Jews of Color and multi-racial families in the United States. Across the communal spectrum, Ayecha programs succeed in bringing thousands of Jews together to experience the warmth and beauty of a racially and culturally enriched Jewish community. For more on Ayecha, visit www.ayecha.org .

Rabbi David Zeller releases "Goodnight My Sweetest Children"

Rabbi David Zeller has released a CD of music for children and adults entitled "Goodnight My Sweetest Children". Zeller is a singer, teacher and counselor based in Jerusalem. These songs utilize the melodies of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and are based on Jewish bedtime prayers. Songs are intended to be relaxing and soothing to help children fall asleep. The CD can be purchased at: www.davidzeller.org/music

Morah Music for Women and Children

Surie of Morah Music in Brooklyn, NY has produced a new double CD and Songbook 'Around The Year' for women & children. You may check it out at the website www.morahmusic.com where you can listen to some of her songs. The lyrics in Hebrew and English.

Shalshelet Composition Competition

Got music? Shalshelet, the Foundation for New Jewish Liturgical Music, is accepting submissions of original compositions for the Second International Festival of New Jewish Liturgical Music, to be held in June 2006. The deadline for submissions is December 30, 2005. Shalshelet encourages the creation of compositions that enhance congregational worship and help Jews rediscover prayer through music. The best of submitted compositions are featured in an annual concert, workshops, and CD. For submission guidelines and more information, go to www.shalshelet.org.

Melodia Women s Choir Salutes Fanny Mendelssohn's 200th Birthday

Melodia Women's Choir at NOV 19 CONCERT IN NYC
Melodia Women's Choir of New York City presents a mystical November concert of darkly transcendent music drawn from the classical and contemporary lexicon. Featured in the program is a special 200th anniversary tribute to Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, sister of Felix Mendelssohn and an extraordinarily talented, if often overlooked, composer.

Conducted by Cynthia Powell, the accomplished 32-member Melodia women's ensemble will present "Twilight in the Garden of Dreams" on Saturday, November 19, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. at St. Peter's Church, Chelsea, 346 West 20th Street in New York City.

Melodia has invited The Momenta String Quartet to perform Mendelssohn-Hensel s "String Quartet in Eb" as an instrumental interlude at the concert.

Tickets to "Twilight" are $15 advance and $20 at the door. Tickets may be ordered on the website, www.melodiawomenschoir.org. (The Jewish Music WebCenter is particularly partial to the music of Fanny Mendelssohn.--JP)

Melodia will perform two partsongs by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, described by Powell as "spirited, passionate and full of life." Fanny Mendelssohn was born in November, 1805, in Hamburg, Germany, the granddaughter of the prominent Jewish scholar Moses Mendelssohn. From an early age, she displayed musical brilliance matching that of her brother Felix, who rose to prominence. Constricted by social mores and limitations of women, performances of Fanny's compositions were heard only in Mendelssohn salons and went largely unacknowledged. Yet, family archives reveal that by her death at age 41, Fanny had composed 250 songs, 125 piano works, four cantatas, and much instrumental chamber music.

Other selections in the program include Meredith Monk's "Quarry Weave" and Elena Kats-Chernin's "Memorial Rag." "This is music you won t hear on the beaten path," said Powell, who is also the Organist/Choirmaster of Temple Sinai in Tenafly, N.J.

The emergence of Melodia Women's Choir, founded in 2003 by Jennifer Clarke, reflects a rekindling of interest in the exploration, creation, and performance of women's choral music. Melodia frequently presents the work of women composers. More information about the life of Fanny Mendelssohn and the concert is on the website, www.melodiawomenschoir.org.

Town & Village Synagogue presents The Cantor Louis Moss Memorial Concert

Town & Village Synagogue presents: The Cantor Louis Moss Memorial Concert featuring Cantor Shayna Postman, The Town & Village Synagogue Choir, The T & V Junior Singers, with Accompanist Cynthia Shaw and special guests Hebrew Union College Cantorial Student David Berger and HaZamir Manhattan (member of HaZamir: The International High School Choir, Matthew Lazar, Founder)
Saturday December 17, 2005 7:15 pm
Town & Village Synagogue
334 East 14th Street NYC
(212) 677-8090
general admission - $18, students - $10, children under 12 - free

Metropolitan Klezmer in NY

Saturday morning, 11/12
Flushing Town Hall, Flushing Queens NY
10am-12 noon Family Workshop with mosaic artist Tina Seligman
www.flushingtownhall.org 718-463-7700 x222
137-35 Northern Blvd (7 train to Main Street)
instrumental quintet lineup & collage-making for kids

Wednesday evening, 11/16
CB's Gallery, East Village NYC - Benefit show
8pm-9:30pm set for CB's & CBGB
www.cbgb.com/gallery.html 212-677-0455
313 Bowery (@Bleecker St, next to CBGB)
Just $8, all ages!
with full eight-piece band:

ISMAIL BUTERA accordion, PAM FLEMING trumpet/flugelhorn,
MICHAEL HESS violin/ney flutes, DAVE HOFSTRA bass/tuba,
DEBORAH KARPEL vocals, DEBRA KREISBERG clarinet/alto sax,
EVE SICULAR drums, & special guest JACOB GARCHIK trombone
"An assemblage of eight outstanding musicians from the worlds of rock, jazz, folk and world music, Metropolitan Klezmer is one of (I'd argue strongly for *the*, but I'm sure of universal agreement on 'one of') the best klezmer bands in the world today... Anything but stereotypical and nothing but terrific."
-Shaun Dale, reviewing Surprising Finds for Cosmik Debris

all Metropolitan Klezmer & Isle of Klezbos CDs at www.cdbaby.com

'ORIENTALE' in Amsterdam

'ORIENTALE' is a unique recital that includes the Jewish violin music of Achron, Bloch, Bruch, Engel, Dobrowen, Feldman, Gnesin, A. Krein, Samson, Scher, Zeitlin, and Zimbalist. Performed by violinist Grigory Sedukh (from St.-Petersburg) and pianist Sara Crombach (from Amsterdam) on Saturday 10 December 2005, 8:15 PM at the de Liberal Synagogue Amsterdam, Jacob Soetendorpstraat 8 te Amsterdam. Entrance fee 10 Euro.

With their recital entitled Orientale, violinist Grigory Sedukh and pianist Sara Cormbach are paying homage to a group of Russian-Jewish composers whose music was banned in the Soviet Union. Some of them belonged to the Petersburg Society for Jewish Folk Music, which was founded in 1908. The Society was a meeting place for Jewish composers interested in creating a new kind of classical Jewish music. They collected folk music, gave concerts and published informative material on Jewish folk music. The forerunners included music critic, composer and publisher Joel Engel (1862-1927) and composers Ephraim Skliar (1871-?) and Solomon Rosovsky (1878-1962). The leading composers included Joseph Achron (1886-1943), Mikhail Gnesin (1883-1957) and Alexander Krein (1883-1951). The Petersburg Society created a considerable oeuvre consisting of original works as well as new arrangements of the traditional repertoire. The Society was officially was active for 10 years and had to stop in 1918 after the Communist take-over. Jewish culture was taboo in the Soviet Union after 1930 and the music of the Society was no longer performed. The memory of it was virtually erased, but today some dedicated musicians are trying to revive it. Grigory Sedukh is one of them. The programme also features well-known Jewish works by Bruch and Bloch.

As an added attraction, a piece by Ren� Samson, a Jewish composer from Surinam, is included, Eine kleine Gamelan-Musik. Although originally written for flute and piano, it will be performed in a special version for piccolo violin and piano. Samson, born in 1948 in Paramaribo, is a chemist who started composing at the age of 40. Since 1998 a small enthusiast group of musicians has regularly performed Samson's music.

Grigory Sedukh, born in 1952 in Kharkov in the Ukraine, is the only piccolo violinist in the world. He was introduced ten years ago to this instrument constructed by the renowned American violin-maker Carleen Hutchins. It is tuned an octave higher than the regular violin and Sedukh is particularly fond of playing Jewish music on the piccolo violin. He also made many transcriptions for it of classical masterpieces. Grigory Sedukh is a member of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and teaches at the chamber music department of the Petersburg State Conservatory. He gives solo recitals all over the world.

In September 2000 he was in the opera Alice in Wonderland, performed by the Nederlandse Opera at the Music Theatre in Amsterdam. Composer Alexander Kneiffel wrote a special role for Grigory's piccolo violin. During the production he met the pianist Sara Crombach. In 2002/2003 Grigory participated in the Mikhail Gnesin Project, organised by the Jewish Music Projects Foundation and performed in Amsterdam, Geneva, London, St. Petersburg, Moscow and other cities. Sara Crombach studied with Naum Grubert at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She followed master classes in Hungary with the Kod�ly Quartet and at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow with Boris Berman and Sergei Dorenski. She also studied with Maria Jo�o Pires. She performs often as a soloist and in duos with pianist Bernd Brackman and cellist Wladislaw Warenberg, with whom she recorded a CD of Russian romantic masterpieces. She also recorded with the Armenian Chamber Orchestra Yerevan.

More information:

. Liberal Jewish Community Amsterdam, phone: 020-5400123; e-mail: ljgadam@ljg.nl Jacob Soetendorpstraat 8, 1079 RM Amsterdam . Jewish Music Projects Foundation, phone: 020-662 3675; e-mail: jmp@tiscalimail.nl P.O. Box 55524, 1007 NA Amsterdam . See http://www.lgj.nl; http://www.joodsemuziekprojecten.nl

Close Enough for Klezmer CD

The Alexandria Kleztet has released its third full-length CD, Close Enough for Klezmer. It is available for purchase directly through their website at www.kleztet.com Close Enough for Klezmer features 13 tracks, including some original compositions as well as creative re-imaginings of traditional and well-loved Israeli, Hebrew, and Yiddish material. This album marks the klezmer recording debut of violinist, Helen Hausmann, as well as the final appearance of fiddler, Claire Cardon with the kleztet. Accomplished jazz pianist Sean Lane also joins in for a pair of jazz-influenced original compositions.

You can also order by mail.
Send $15 per CD and $2 for shipping (regardless of the number of CDs) to:
The Alexandria Kleztet
P.O. Box 32615
Baltimore, MD 21282
Checks are payable to: "The Alexandria Kleztet"�
Include your name and address.

Bruce Chalmer releases Berakhot: A Midrash Cantata

There is a new CD release of Berakhot: A Midrash Cantata by Bruce Chalmer, performed by the Fyre and Lightning Consort with guest tenor soloist Roger Grow. The CD, on the Rootstock Recordings label of Multicultural Media, is available at www.worldmusicstore.com.
"Berakhot: A Midrash Cantata is a work of Jewish music consisting of 26 musical pieces, each a midrashic interpretation of a particular prayer or text on the theme of berakha (blessing). The forms of the pieces include original poetry set to music, musical settings of liturgical texts in Hebrew, English, or both, and musical compositions without words. The music is scored for voices (SATB) and a variety of early and modern instruments (varying among the pieces), and includes medieval- and renaissance-like polyphony, klezmer, blues, doo-wop, barbershop quartet, a touch of reggae, and many other styles. A major part of the work is the program notes and commentary booklet, which includes a page for each piece laid out in Talmudic fashion, with the text of the piece in the middle, and the composer's commentary around it. This commentary is, in turn, surrounded by visual midrash in the form of art by internationally known artist (and Beth Jacob member) Diane Sophrin."