Fried - Friedman Similarity going on here...

Like Uncle, Like Nephew?

I'm noticing some road action on both covers...

JMDerech Experience - Shloime Kaufman

I was attending the chassuna of my wife's friend Sunday night in Brooklyn. As any good music reporter would do, I brought my mini camcorder in hand. Also, I had asked Shloime if he would mind a duet, the two of us, singing my favorite song "Yigdal" from his debut album, Avodas Tzedaka. Shloime, being the nice guy he is, agreed without even hearing if I could sing.

When I entered the halls of Kings Terrace, little did I know of the "magic" that would take place that night. Sure, people were dressed all fancy, and a chassuna is a perfect setting for a good taste, not of food (although it was good!), but rather music! The music was so good it exceeded my expectations. Ya, so I haven't been to a ton of a chassuna's, but I've been to a good share of them and none of them had this quality of music. Neshoma Orchestra was fantastic. From the chuppah to the dance floor, they were flawless. My favorite player was the violinist Asher Laub. Don't get me wrong, every one of the musicians played their instrument to its peak, but there's something about the way Laub delicately wove his bow back and forth across the violin making that perfect pitch! Kaufman was something else all together! He was so into the chassuna and you could tell it was genuine. He was dancing with the olam (crowd), smiling, and all over ecstatic, pumping up the chassuna to what it was, a beautifully orchestrated simcha between two children of B'nai Yisrael. G-d willing, Moshiach will come soon and bring the geula and I hope to see Shloime and the rest of the guys that played that night as part of the musicians who welcome him. There was nothing greater than seeing the joy that the music brought to chassan and kallah (no I was not on the women's side :P) on their wedding night.

I know what your thinking, I must know Laub or Kaufman or any of the guys with Neshoma, but no, that assumption is incorrect. I'm not doing this for the sake of publicity, I'm definitely not getting paid (checks wallet), yup definitely not getting paid. :) I just feel that many people have questions about what orchestra to choose and I hope that this small write up can help them choose.

Let me tell you something, Shloime Kaufman and the Neshoma Orchestra are a class act. They are super professional and all around fun to watch! I filmed a number of songs, but I decided to post the songs that Kaufman is known for. Kol Yisroel, Avodas Tzedaka & Yigdal. If you think he sounds good live, hear him on his debut album, Avodas Tzedaka. You won't regret buying it. See a review of the album I wrote here.

Shimie Braun on Keys

Ari Boiangiu on Guitars

Moe Rosenblum on Drums

Asher Laub on Violin

Mr.Laskin on Sax







Any singers or orchestras who are interested in being a part of the ongoing "JMDerech Experience" series, all I request is a chance at the mic and and email to be sent to me at jmderech@gmail.com. See you soon! :)

Woohoo!!!! Benny Friedman Ringtones!!!!

I was cruising through Facebook and I noticed a comment that someone posted on a link to Benny Friedman's Ta'amu video link. It said -

Don't forget to download his ringtones... Use your phone to go to http://get.madringtones.org and enter one of the following ID numbers:
375842 (Taamu)
375876 (Boi Yavoi)
375864 (Kol Ma)
375887 (Amar)

GO DOWNLOAD THEM NOW! (Make sure you have the DownloadHelper add-on for Firefox if you are downloading it to your computer)

Benny is good. Real good. I can't hear the album yet, but every time my wife calls me, I can dance to a good Benny ringtone. On second thought, My wife may not appreciate the fact that I'm dancing to the ringer instead of picking up her phone call... Eh, only one way to find out ;)

I have never looked so forward to an album before - Benny Friedman Trailer

Finally, an album with a voice I'm looking forward to listening too, not just a good song. That's been the problem this year for me. There have been lot's of new singers, yet none of them really excite me when I listen to them. None of them give me that "Ahh, Geshmak!" feeling that I feel when I listen to someone like Fried or Shwekey sing. Don't get me wrong, they're all great, but they're not GREAT! You know what I mean? Sure, they've had great compositions on their album, but it was missing something. It was missing a voice like Benny Friedman's.

Benny, the nephew of Avraham Fried is not only going to be big, he is already big and he hasn't even released a preview sampler. This first taste of his album is yummy and I'm eating it all up!

As a video editor myself, I give a big shkoyach to the most deserving Moshe Raskin, the video editor. Also to those who filmed - Chaki Abehsera, Moshe Raskin & Sruly Meyer.

The long awaited debut album is almost here!

Presented by Sameach Music and produced by Avi Newmark, this has been one of the most anticipated albums in recent memory, featuring 12 tracks sure to satisfy all musical palettes.

A variety of talented artists team up to bring you this masterful musical production. Selections include compositions from such famed composers as Yitzy Waldner and Elimelech Blumstein, and relative newcomers like Meshulum Greenberger and Oriel Avraham. Arrangers range from Good ol' Mona and Moshe Laufer to the always incredible Leib Yaakov Rigler and Avremi G, along with some great surprises from Ian Freitor, the album's engineer.

The Friedman/Marcus families showcase some very strong talent with three compositions, including the title track, Taamu, composed by Shmuel Marcus, an incredible piece of music sure to take your breath away composed by Simche Friedman, and a Bentzi Marcus composition featuring a duet with 8th Day! Rabbi Manis Friedman, Benny's father, collaborates with Lipa Schmeltzer to compose a Yiddish lyric that will at once force you to look inward, while causing your feet to move with the beat!

A special musical tribute was composed by Yitzy Spinner in memory of Izzy Taubenfeld, the founder of Sameach Music.

As an added bonus, the cover art and the CD jacket and all the corresponding art was all designed by the undisputed king of Jewish Music design, Sruly Meyer!


Keep an eye on JewishJukebox.com for an official release date coming very soon!

To join Benny's street team, help promote the album, and win prizes in the process, email StreetTeam@BennysMusic.com

Benny Friedman - Album Cover and More!

(Album Cover by: Sruly Meyer)

The long awaited debut album is almost here!

Presented by Sameach Music and produced by Avi Newmark, this has been one of the most anticipated albums in recent memory, featuring 12 tracks sure to satisfy all musical palettes.

A variety of talented artists team up to bring you this masterful musical production. Selections include compositions from such famed composers as Yitzy Waldner and Elimelech Blumstein, and relative newcomers like Meshulum Greenberger and Oriel Avraham. Arrangers range from Good ol' Mona and Moshe Laufer to the always incredible Leib Yaakov Rigler and Avremi G, along with some great surprises from Ian Freitor, the album's engineer.

The Friedman/Marcus families showcase some very strong talent with three compositions, including the title track, Taamu, composed by Shmuel Marcus, an incredible piece of music sure to take your breath away composed by Simche Friedman, and a Bentzi Marcus composition featuring a duet with 8th Day! Rabbi Manis Friedman, Benny's father, collaborates with Lipa Schmeltzer to compose a Yiddish lyric that will at once force you to look inward, while causing your feet to move with the beat!

A special musical tribute was composed by Yitzy Spinner in memory of Izzy Taubenfeld, the founder of Sameach Music.

As an added bonus, the cover art and the CD jacket and all the corresponding art was all designed by the undisputed king of Jewish Music design, Sruly Meyer!

Keep an eye on JewishJukebox.com for an official release date coming very soon!

To join Benny's street team, help promote the album, and win prizes in the process, email StreetTeam@BennysMusic.com

(Behind the scene studio photos By: Boruch Ezagui)

Grab These Amazing Albums While They're Inexpensive!

For those of you who haven't heard the beautiful compositions from the group V'havienu (Dani & Aryeh Kunstler + Yitzchok "Scratchy" Yenowitz), let me tell you, you've been missing out. Well, don't worry, here's your chance to make it up to yourself! You must own these albums if you are a fan of Jewish music. All three album I keep re-playing in my car, in my house, while jogging, it doesn't matter, they're just that good!

The best part is, you can now buy Vhavienu 1 & 3 from Sameach Music for $5.80 a piece! Considering V'havienu 3 came out this past year, that's an amazing deal! V'havienu 2 is still full priced, but it's worth the price! Below are links to each album. Happy buying!

Also, see my review of V'havienu 2 on the Jewish Music Report, here.

V'havienu - http://www.jewishjukebox.com/products/chassidic_music/1625.asp
V'havienu 2 - http://www.jewishstore.com/Music/Products.asp?ProdID=SM-DK200
Vhavienu 3- http://www.jewishjukebox.com/products/chassidic_music/2255.asp

Shua Kessin - Contest through Mostlymusic

I've got to tell you, this guy is good at promoting his album. He's got banners and ads coming out all the time and he even had a party for the release of his album in which he sang from a cherry picker. That's impressive. Anyway, here's the contest that Mostlymusic has released:

Send in the cutest photo and enter to win $100 at Mostly Music! Email entries to contests@shuakessin.com

Photos must be with a Shua Kessin cd cover/poster/printout or something that has to do with the new release of Lo Lihitya'eish.