Last week's recommendation.
Week 7 recommendation.
Week 6 recommendation.
Week 5 recommendation.
Week 4 recommendation.
Week 3 recommendation.
Week 2 recommendation.
Introduction to the series and first recommendation.
Tuning the Soul, Richard Kaplan and Michael Zeigler.
Life of the Worlds, Richard Kaplan.
Let's take another break from text. A professional cantor with a mellow tenor voice, Richard Kaplan collects little-known Jewish liturgical works from both Mizrachi and Ashkenazi sources and continues the venerable tradition of fitting liturgy to folk melodies from the Carpathians to Afganistan.
Tuning the Soul provides a superb antidote to the mediocrity of syrupy or campy American Jewish music and a great way to get back into the sheer power of our traditional music. We are both a European and Middle Eastern people and we can truly feel it here!I took a song workshop with Richard two years ago - very fun. He's got a 4-octave range, plays funky jazz-blues piano, and gives over a lot of insight into the spiritual purposes of the music as well as teaching with lots of enthusiasm and musicality.
You can sample and buy Richard's music at his website, and if you happen to be in the Bay Area, stop by the monthly Shir ha Shirim minyan, conducted by Kaplan and Rabbi Michael Ziegler (who shares the vocals on Tuning the Soul). Although I haven't visited Shir haShirim, I have participated in a weekday maariv and a Shabbat morning service led by Richard, so I feel confident in saying that it's not your father's minyan, but it's not flaky either. Check it out.
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