Toscani
Brill
Get In The Mood
New Chanukah music can set the right festive tone.
DON COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
C
hanukah music can be as
varied as the many ways to
spell the name of the holi-
day. Consider these options
for this Festival of Lights season.
Lights and Laughter — Joel Ben Izzy
Spins Hanukkah Tales — Joel Ben Izzy
Children of all ages will enjoy travel-
ing storyteller Joel ben Izzy's sixth
album, the first to include all Jewish
tales.
The eight stories, one for each night
of Chanukah, are told with personal
t - •
17:xu
from Amazon.com , selected stores or
toll-free at 1-866-BENIZZY (236-
4999). CDs are $17 and cassettes are
$12, plus shipping.
Absolutely Chanukah — Karl Kimmel
Sorry, but to me, Absolutely Chanukah
is absolutely unnecessary.
Karl Kimmel claims to have
breathed "freshness and raw energy"
into traditional Chanukah songs, but
they seem to be the same old stuff,
though played and sung earnestly, that
makes it obvious he is having more
fun than the listener.
Kimmel re-approaches the songs he
remembers singing as a child and
year-old dancing and singing to some
familiar songs with very creative
arrangements. She wasn't alone. This is
a very welcome seventh installment of
National Public Radio's Judaica Series,
all produced by the acclaimed sextet
the Western Wind Vocal Ensemble.
Twenty-five eclectic selections, from
Ladino songs of the Spanish Jews and
Yiddish melodies of Eastern Europe to
modern Israeli tunes, are masterfully
sung by the Western Wind.(Though,
honestly, I didn't need another version
of I Have a Little Dreidel.)
The music is interspersed with deep-
voiced and effective narration by
Leonard Nimoy, which, of course,
makes it sound as if narrated by Star
Trek's Mr. Spock.
The Western Wind, performing most-
ly a cappella, reverently and energetically
captures the richness and breadth of
Jewish life as well as our particular but
universal interpretations of the story of
religious freedom, good triumphing over
KARL KIMMEL
AbSOilitelY Cbariukab
Toscani Grill's main
dining room captures
the elegance of fine
dining, while murals
reflect the sensation of
back packing through
Europe and dining at a
small local bistro
creating the perfect
ambiance experience.
A courteous wait staff
and service oriented
managers provide a
personal touch for your
dining experience.
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warmth and humor punctuated by live-
ly music from the Kings of Klezmer and
highlighted by audience participation.
Ben Izzy's stories are both instructive
and entertaining. They range from
retellings of the Chanukah story,
Hanukkah in Chelm, about the mythi-
cal Jewish town of fools and the bless-
ings over the candles, to Boy Israel and
the Witch, which would captivate those
with Harry Potter on the brain.
Berkley, Calif-based ben Izzy's pre-
vious efforts have won awards from
Parents' Choice, the American Library
Association and Booklist Magazine,
among others. Production of Lights
and Laughter was delayed as ben Izzy
overcame thyroid cancer and a para-
lyzed vocal nerve. His joy to be per-
forming again to an audience, includ-
ing his own young children, is evident
in his performance.
This new CD, and his complete col-
lection of award-winning recordings,
can be purchased from the Old City
Press website at www.storypage.com ,
applies "jazz harmony, phrasing and
structure." As a Jewish musician who,
by profession, performs a multitude of
Christmas songs each year, his effort
to connect to his roots is admirable
and not unpleasant.
But while some may get caught up
in the energy or enjoy Kimmel's good
musicianship on the bass, piano and
drums, the vocals and style just don't
hold up. Sometimes they approach
musical parody.
While not Chanukah-Chemed, better
choices in this genre are the excellent
Life is a Lesson by jazz pianist and pro-
ducer Ben Sidran and the Jewish jazz
of Detroit's own Jeff Haas Trio.
Kimmel's CD is $13.99 plus ship-
ping, and is available through
www.KarkKimmel.com .
Chanukkah: In Story and Song
Narrated by Leonard Nimoy and sung
by the Western Wind
The infectious and joyous nature of
the music on this CD had my 12-
evil and dedication to one God.
Nimoy's narration was well written
by Rabbi Gerald C. Skolnick and,
while it does sometimes break the
mood, it can be stirring and provides
an accessible introduction to the holi-
day and music.
This will be a nice disk to pull out
for many years at this season for a few
listens, and a good bet to please a non-
Jewish friend because of its clarity,
honesty, great "world music" and, of
course, Mr. Spock.
Excerpts of the music will be broad-
cast locally on NPR's WDET (101.9
FM) during its holiday programming
during the month of December, and
on WUOM (91.7 FM) out of Ann
Arbor as well. At press time, times
were unavailable.
To purchase the music, visit
www.westernwind.org or call (800)
788-2187. CDs are 518.95, cassettes
$12.95, plus shipping. A boxed set of
the entire seven-part Judaica Series is
available for $90.