Music for Passover


Ellen spent the day in the kitchen listening to those Down From the Mountain and O Brother discs, but when guests arrived I cranked up the main system with Ernest Block's Sonatas et al. After a while this got a bit too melancholic, so Glijov's Kiddishbukk's music of the sephardim energized the ambience through the readings...and outstanding chicken soup and homemade salmon-based gefilte fish (quelle horreurs!). The jazz player among us got weary, so I followed with Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio to at least continue the violins through a magnificent roast leg of lamb, but had to provide relaxation for salad and desert with some KD Lang/Tony Bennett crooning. Not bad...but I gained 2 lbs!
How about you?
subaruguru
For some well recorded and beautifully played Jewish klezmer music you should check out "Songs of our Fathers" on Acoustic Disc by Andy Statman and David Grisman. Andy has a number of other klezmer releases, too.

If you like your music on overdrive, I'd recommend a young klezmer/gypsy band called Les Yeux Noirs. The two brothers on violin are absolutely amazing.
What does a mostly vegetarian do on Passover?

A recording I love well in this ethnic tradition is Alia Musica's 'El Canto Espiritual Judeoespanol' (Harmonia Mundi, HMI 987015). Lovely and moving pieces from a Spanish Sephardic tradition. It is recorded slightly dark but it fits the music.
For dessert, why not try some good Yiddish humor! Try to find any of the Alan Sherman ("Camp Grenada") LP's from the early to mid 1960's.
OK, Rosstaman, I'll see your Lenny Bruce and raise you another Jackie Mason.
I know this sounds like a long shot but how about singing the songs that are in the haggadah.
Fatparrot - with all that is now in the pot, I'd have to call, sit back, and laugh for several hours before dealing another hand! :-)
This is the first post I recall on something like this. Its a great idea. There has been some great music listed. There is a lot of great passover stuff on lp (Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker were both cantors - and friends of my dads, so we have all their lps). I would strongly echo the post on the songs from the hagaddah, they are beautiful melodies and help me make sure my kids recall the story.

In the more secular sense, before the seder started we listened to Allison Krause + Union Station Live and Rose Marie Clooney Girl Singer(stunning even though I don't have sacd capabilities yet). Then the mozart flute Quartets on Chandos (susan milan).

Finally for great humor When Your in Love the Whole Worlds Jewish and the slightly meshugas Woody Allen Stand up comic - especially the moose.

On a sadder note we discussed the fire bombing in Montreal to remind the kids that persecution of those that are different never ends, it seems.

Hag Sameach (sic)

Gary