Spin It Up
"Borat's brother" releases
musical Chanukah CD.
PHOTO courtesy of Erran Baron Cohen
Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News
E
rran Baron Cohen
searched the world
and found the top
Jewish singers to perform
on his Chanukah CD.
But the producer-corn-
poser-musician discovered
the greatest satisfaction was
watching his three young
sons repeatedly play the
album, sing along with it
and dance to the beats.
Baron Cohen hopes other
Erran Baron Cohen in his studio
families share similar expe-
riences with Songs in the
Key of Hanukkah (New Line Records), the original songs, totally updated and
released last month.
expanded the songs based on tradition-
The album, which mixes traditional al Chanukah favorites, played multiple
sounds with today's music, features
instruments for the recording and sang
New Age artists, such as Israeli Idan
backup vocals," Baron Cohen says.
Raichel ("Relics of Love & Light");
"I've never done a purely secular
Ladino-influenced Yasmin Levy
album. I have a band called Zohar,
("Ocho Kandelikas"); British pro-
which has a Jewish influence. We use
ducer-DJ Jules Brookes ("Spin It Up"); Jewish cantorial songs with added
New Yorker Y-Love, a rapper who
Arabic beats and electronic textures to
rhymes in Yiddish ("My Hanukkah");
take music to a new place."
and Israeli-born singer-songwriter
Baron Cohen played piano and
Dana Kerstein
trumpet as a
("Ma'oz Tzur").
youngster,
had
SONGS_ IN THE KEY OF_HANUIV.AH
"The challenge
a pop band as a
was how to trans-
teen and earned
form the music
a degree in music
so that it was cool
from London
and interesting for
University. While
adults and some-
writing and pro-
thing the whole
ducing for soul
family could enjoy;'
singers and work-
says Baron Cohen,
ing in a klezmer
40, who scored the
group, he began to
star-making film
write for TV and
Borat for his brother, actor-comedian
film.
Sacha Baron Cohen. (A third brother
"I'm starting work on a film which
is a neuroscientist.)
will be a follow-up to Borat," says the
"I've tried to make the album musi-
entertainer. "I wouldn't say I'm par-
cally interesting and fun, and I've tried
ticularly religious, but I do love the
to give it a bit of rock 'n roll and musi-
traditions. I went to Israel many times
cal pizzazz. The idea was to make a
as a kid, and I love it there."
really great recording for the holiday"
Baron Cohen develops his compo-
Baron Cohen, a native Londoner,
sitions in his own studio, where he
remembers happy childhood
sits at a keyboard linked to a com-
Chanukahs filled with lighting
puter and tries out a large range of
candles, singing prayers, playing
sounds.
with dreidels and getting presents.
"When I compose and play music,
"I had the musical concept for Songs
I have to reach into different parts of
in the Key of Hanukkah, co-wrote all
myself' he says.
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