Tuning In
To The Music Scene ...
GARY GRAFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
A,
extension of what cantors al-
Beckenstein is happy that Spy-
ways did, trying new things
ro Gyra has had staying power
with the music they were work-
and is beginning a third decade
ing with," says Brill, 43, who has
with a new album, 20120, as
worked with Israeli singer Ofra
well as a retrospective of its first
Haza, pop star Thomas Dolby
10 years that the band's previ-
and punk bands Chelsea and
ous label plans to release later
999. "All the great recordings of
this year. Spyro Gyra is also
these cantors are improvisa-
recording all of its shows this
tional."
summer for a live album release
Brill, a New York native who
next year.
now lives in San Francisco, says
"I am grate- ful for the fact
part of the inspiration for The
that I and this band formed our
Covenant came when he was vis-
musical identity in a radio
iting his girlfriend's father,
void," Beckenstein says. "Al-
David Naiman, a rab-
though we had some early pop
bi and Boston Universi-
hits, IA
w-knewright
(
from the
ty professor who lives in
start e were-not going to be a
Newton, Mass. After
pop hit and. We went 10 years
Naiman showed Brill his
without radio at all, so ... there
collection of 78 rpm can-
was no seduction to manipulate
torial recordings, the Megadeth—left to right, Davis Elletson, Nic k Menza, Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman the music to someone else's
producer was moved to — perform at the State Theatre on Aug. 12.
agenda.
try to set them to music.
"A lot of people that were
Among the selections
Marty Friedman, guitarist
around when we were just start-
are adaptations of prayers with the hard rock group
Megadeth and the Misfits
ing out ... are still around, mostly
such as "Rizo D'Shabbos," Megadeth, doesn't consider perform 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, — Pat Metheny, David San-
"Ohno Tavo," We-Al himself to be the most observant Aug. 12, at the State Theatre, born, Grover Washington,
Avodekho" and "Rtzeh." of Jews. But he's been happy to 2115 Woodward, downtown Chick Corea. None ofus worried
The album's most moving embrace his Judaism when the Detroit. Tickets are $22.50 in
about things like radio; we just
piece may be "A Typical band is on tour.
advance, $26.50 day of show.
made our music for whoever
Day," in which Auschwitz
"I did go to a Yom Kippur ser- Call (313) 961-5450.
wanted to hear it. And we still do."
survivor Helen Lazar vice in London while I was on
recites details of her tour there a few years ago,"
life as Cantor Samuel Friedman, 34, remembers. "All
Spyro Gyra performs Sat-
There's quite a bit of ballyhoo
Malaysky calls out "Ri- the little kids figured out who I
urday at the 7th House, N.
bon Ho-Olomim (Lord of was and they were flocking being made over this year's 20th
Sagnaw,
i Pontac.
i Doors open
anniversary of the formation of
the Universe)."
at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22.50.
around me, and I was like, this the
jazz
group
Spyro Gyra. But
The wittiest selection? is not the place to be signing au-
Call (248) 335-8100.
for band leader Jay Becken-
An instrumental in the tographs, man."
stein, it's much
10/8 time signature titled
Wally Brill: The producer of The Covenant, a
Megadeth has made its way ado about,
well,
"logical extension of what cantors always did."
"Double Chai Five."
over to Israel as well, which mostly
nothing.
Brill knows that The Friedman describes as a partic-
"The 20th an-
Covenant may seem ir- ularly moving experience.
"Kiddush Le-Shabbat" was just
niversary is no
the beginning, however. On Tues- reverent to some — though
"Being in Israel and being a particular
mile-
day, Six Degrees/Island Records many, such as the Jewish Theo- Jewish musician was the
will issue The Covenant, a full al- logical Seminary in New York wildest thing in the world," he stone to me, oth-
bum of cantorial melodies that and the family of Cantor says of the quartet's two con- er than it was an
Brill has set to modern arrange- Malaysky, have been very sup- certs in Tel Aviv during its last opportunity to get
portive. Ultimately, he sees it as tour. "You look at the audience, a little more press
ments.
"I see this project as a logical a valid treatment of this sacred and it looks exactly the same as this year because
newspapers like
music.
anywhere else; it could be Bel- an
angle," the 46-
"At
no
point
in
this
process
was
Gay Graff is an Oakland County-
gium or Finland or America. But
saxo-
based music journalist, editor of I (making fun) of this music," Brill everybody there was Jewish — year-old
says. "I agonized over a lot of this or at least most of them were. It phonist says.
MusicHound Rock: The
stuff It's not been easy. I under- was totally blowing my mind." "This was an an-
Essential Album Guide and co-
stand it's a sensitive area ... but I
And, Friedman adds, he was gle. On our 25th
editor of MusicHound Country.
anniversary, we'll
His "Rock 'n' Roll Insider" report think we've treated it with a great pleased that he remembered be
pulling it out
deal
of
respect
and
have
not
been
enough Hebrew to be able to again."
airs at 8:40 a.m. Thursdays on
inappropriate."
read most of the road signs.
WRIF-FM (101.1).
That
said, Spyro Gyra, celebrating 20 years, performs tomorrow night
at 7th House.
THE DETROI T JEWISH NEWS
mong the most striking
tracks on last year's hol-
iday album, Festival of
ight, was a version of
"Kiddush Le-Shabbat" by The
Covenant.
The brainchild of keyboardist,
producer and arranger Wally
Brill, the track mixed a perfor-
mance by Cantor Ben Zion
Kapov-Kagen with techno
rhythms, synthesizer and Ari
Langer's haunting violin — a
fresh and distinctly modern take
on a familiar, sacred text.
82