Recordings

Brave Old World. Klezmer Music, 1990 (Flying Fish/Rounder, FF70560) Selected list of the American Folklife Center (Library of Congress) in 1991. 

Chekhov’s Band: Eastern European Klezmer Music from the EMI Archives 1908–1913, 2015 (Renair REN 129CD) Liner notes by Joel E. Rubin and Michael Aylward. “This is a remarkable compilation of klezmer music... The album is compelling in what it has to tell us about the essence and origins of klezmer, its geographic and cultural influences and freedoms, and the nature of musicians who were often on the road searching for the next gig, the next rite, the next inn or concert hall or wedding... This is the fortuitous end product of a decade of research within the EMI archives and deserves to be widely heard. It should really become a major influence in terms of how the next experiments might happen. ... this precious collection is an immersive, emotional and…

Jewish Music Series (Schott Wergo, 1993–2008) The Jewish Music Series is a unique series of CD productions edited by Joel E. Rubin and Rita Ottens for the Wergo label (a subsidiary of Schott Music and Media) dedicated to the documentation of unusual contemporary and historical forms of traditional and popular Jewish music.  “wonderful Jewish Music Series”(Seth Rogovoy, author of The Essential Klezmer)  “milestones of historical performance practice”(Der kleine Bund, Switzerland) “an entire panoply of outstanding CDs”(Jüdische Allgemeine Wochenzeitung) “a series well worth hearing”(www.klassik.com)

Moshe Berlin Ensemble. Aneinu!: Hasidic-Orthodox Music from the Festival of the Torah in Jerusalem, 2008 (SM 1628-2) German Record Critics’ Award Quarterly Critics’ Choice (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik Bestenliste) 4/2008 Aneinu!

Shalom Comrade: Yiddish Music in the Soviet Union 1928-1961, 2005 (SM 1627-2) “The notes are remarkably comprehensive, given the scarcity of data on the subject, the disc sounds great, and the selection is copious ... There are some other reissues of this material ... but Shalom, Comrade! stands out as the first thorough-going and solid documentary album”(Mark Slobin, Ethnomusicology Forum) CD out of print; available as download only (seems to be Amazon only, sorry!)Download

Di Eybike Mame (The Eternal Mother): Women in Yiddish Theater and Popular Song 1905-1929, 2004 (SM 1625-2) “this CD cannot be highly valued enough... “(Jüdische Allgemeine Wochenzeitung) “An extremely valuable documentation... A very informative and multifaceted booklet complements the production” (Neue Zeitschrift für Musik) “a richly rewarding aural discovery tour that takes us from Lemberg (today, Lviv in Ukraine) via London to New York and offers the wide spectrum of musical styles then in vogue in the world of Yiddish entertainment on both sides of the Atlantic: be it folksong, operetta, Estrada, vaudeville, or music hall tunes. ... The carefully researched, bi-lingual liner notes (in English and German) help to contextualize these recordings within the history of Yiddish theatre and provide brief bios of the singers and summaries of the lyrics. ... They also…

Cantor Isaac Algazi. Sweet Singer of Israel: Ottoman Jewish Music from the Early 20th Century, 2002 (SM 1622-2) Rabbi Isaac Algazi (b. 1889 Izmir/Turkey, d. 1950 Montevideo/Uruguay), the "Sweet Singer of Israel", was one of the most outstanding cantors of the Turkish-Jewish synagogue. One of the leading Turkish-Jewish intellectuals of his time, Algazi was the first to establish the art of solo cantorial singing in the public prayer of Sephardi Jews, influencing 20th century Sephardi cantorial music throughout the world. With liner notes by Edwin Seroussi Cantor Isaac Algazi

Oytsres (Treasures – Schätze): Klezmer Music 1908–1996, 1998 (SM 1621-2) Companion CD to the book Klezmer-Musik by Joel Rubin and Rita Ottens “Some of the best digital remastering I have ever encountered” (Jewish Quarterly, London) “Truly successful and phenomenal as an acoustical supplement [to the book Klezmer-Musik]. ... In order to approach being able to understand the history of klezmer music, we should dig up the ‘treasures’ of klezmer music over and over again and listen to all of them” (Neue Zeitschrift für Musik 4/2000) “[The] old recordings from Eastern Europe cannot be considered to be anything but treasures, singular rarities, and therefore each one precious in and of itself”(Der kleine Bund, Switzerland) Oytsres

The Epstein Brothers. Kings of Freylekh-Land: A Century of Yiddish-American Music, 1995 (SM 1611-2) CD out of print; available as download only “...they still swing like mad. They ride a galloping beat and play hot, uptempo music... a jazzy improvisational flair that`ll make your head spin. The Epsteins ... were arguably the first professional world-beat musicians, and they`ve still got chops to spare” (RhythmMusic) “An absolute must!” (Musikblatt) “serious, complex, vital music which can stand with the best of any type of world music”(Jewish Herald-Voice) Epstein Brothers

Jüdische Lebenswelten / Patterns of Jewish Life: Highlights from the Concert Serles ”Traditional and Popular Jewish Music” Berlin 1992, 1993 (SM 1604-2) Currently unavailable “Nothing like this has been done before – not to this depth” (Derek Reid, Folk Roots) “a whirlwind tour of the ‘real thing,’ spanning continents and generations. Patterns of Jewish Life demonstrates that Jewish musical traditions are alive and thriving, not as nostalgia to be consumed in small portions, but as a satisfying feast offered up by artists who live their musical traditions” (Adrienne Cooper and Alicia Svigals, Jewish Currents) “What is to be heard and experienced is not only of value for its high standard of documentation, but also for the rare music which it contains” (Die Zeit) “offers every curious listener a musical journey of discovery ... which is just…