VIDEO - "THE LISA FISHMAN JEWISH EXPERIENCE"
(and other video from Jewish musical performances!)
"THE LISA FISHMAN JEWISH EXPERIENCE" - A soulful, hip, rock-n-jazzy musical cabaret covering the world of Jewish Music and songwriters from the Old Country to today. If Bette Midler had a Jewish act, this might be it!
A performance of the Yiddish classic, "Abi Gezunt" (aka: "Abi Gezint") (= As Long As You're Healthy) with Chicago's "Maxwell Street Klezmer Band." (Along with a tap-dancing break!) This was for the band's 30th Anniversary concert at The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, which took place on November 3, 2013. Featured in this performance: Piano: Bob Applebaum, Bass: Dave Rothstein, Drums: Sarah Allen, Violin: Alex Koffman, Saxophone: Shelley Yoelin, Clarinet: Ralph Wilder, Trumpet: Ivo Braun, Trombone: Robert Samborski. Video work by Jeremy Mangan.
For more information about Chicago's Maxwell Street Klezmer Band:
http://klezmerband.com/
A performance of the Yiddish classic, "Dona Dona," on the 'Jewish Entertainment Hour,' a cable show broadcast out of New York City, in 2001. I grew up singing the ENGLISH version made popular by Joan Baez at summer camp. It wasn't until I was an adult and discovered Eastern European Jewish Music (= often referred to as "Klezmer" music) and started studying Yiddish that I learned that the song was actually originally written in Yiddish for the Yiddish Theatre. Accompanying me on piano is New York's AMAZING pianist, arranger, composer, and musical director, Alex Rybeck.
A theatrical and jazzy performance of the tragic Yiddish song, "Papirosn," ("Cigarettes") with Chicago's "Maxwell Street Klezmer Band." This performance took place on November 3rd, 2013 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. The song tells the story of an orphaned child selling cigarettes and matches on the street in order to survive. The melody was originally based on an old folk song, and the lyrics are by Herman Yablokoff. This arrangement - by pianist Bob Applebaum - takes the song in the second half into a jazz swing, and the performance imagines the young child now an adult and peddling more grown-up wares. Musicians in this video: Conductor - Alex Koffman, Piano - Bob Applebaum, Bass - Jim Cox, Drums - Steve Hawk, Clarinet - Shelley Yoelin, Clarinet - Donald Jacobs, Trumpet - Ivo Braun, Trombone - Robert Samborski. Video work by Jeremy Mangan.
For more information about Chicago's Maxwell Street Klezmer Band:
http://klezmerband.com/
A performance of the beautiful Yiddish love song, "Sheyn Vi Di Levone" (alt: "Shein Vi Di L'vone") by Joseph Rumshinsky and Chaim Tauber (Translation: Beautiful As The Moon) with Chicago's "Maxwell Street Klezmer Band." This took place at the band's 30th Anniversary concert on November 3rd, 2013 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. Musicians in this video: Piano - Bob Applebaum, Bass - Jim Cox, Drums - Sarah Allen, Violin - Alex Koffman, Saxophone - Shelley Yoelin, Trumpet - Ivo Braun, Trombone - Robert Samborski. Video work by Jeremy Mangan.
For more information about Chicago's Maxwell Street Klezmer Band:
http://klezmerband.com/
Singing "What A Wonderful World" - written by Bob Thiele and the Jewish songwriter/performer George David Weiss. This performance includes a verse from a new Yiddish version ("S'ara Prekhtike Velt"), written by Jewish music maven and concert producer/promoter, Moishe Rosenfeld. This clip includes a little 'vocal trumpet solo' - in tribute to ol' Satchmo! Let's make this a wonderful world! - "Lomir makhn a prekhtike velt..." Featuring Jeff Urband on piano.
From a performance in New York City of the Yiddish Theater songs "Shpil Di Fidl, Shpil" (Play the Fiddle, Play) and "Yidl Mitn Fidl" (Yidl With His Fiddle), both from classic 1936 film "Yidl Mitn Fidl," which starred Molly Picon. This was for a benefit for the Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre in NYC (now called the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene), which was hosted by actor and comedian, Alan King. The orchestra for this event was comprised of some of the great luminaries of Jewish music, including: Zalmen Mlotek conducting and on piano, Alicia Svigals ('Klezmatics') on violin, Michael Alpert ('Brave Old World,' 'Kapelye') on violin, and Hankus Netsky ('Klezmer Conservatory Band') on saxophone.
A Latin-jazz inspired version of the Yiddish song, "Ikh Hob Dikh Tsu-Fil Lib" (I Love You Much Too Much). Featuring Sasha Green on piano, Evren Edler on bass, and Marco Piali on drums.
Performing the inspiring, "A Nign" (A Melody), for the concert 'Songs of Peace - In Honor of Daniel Pearl World Music Days," whose featured guest speakers included Judea and Ruth Pearl, the parents of slain journalist Daniel Pearl. As this song says, music has the power to transform a man - and the world. Featuring Jeff Urband on piano.
Performing the beautiful, Yiddish love song, "Sheyn Vi Di Levone" (Beautiful As The Moon) by Joseph Rumshinsky and Chaim Tauber with my ukulele. This performance includes a new, original English lyric which I wrote. English Lyric for "Sheyn Vi Di Levone" - Copyright 2010 Lisa Fishman.
A clip from a performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Leonard Cohen is one of the great American, Jewish songwriters of the 20th Century (and 21st!). Featuring Louis Durra on piano, Evren Edler on bass, and Marco Piali on drums.
Singing the classic, "My Yiddishe Mama" in Yiddish and English - which launches into a folk/rock feel in the English verse. Dedicated to mothers of all religions, races, colors and creeds. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY - EVERY DAY!!!
Performing as 'Carmen Meshuge' - my Jewish take on Carmen Miranda (aka: the 'Lady With The Tutti Frutti Hat!'). In this campy, shtick-filled original song titled "Oy! I Think I Ate Too Much!" (a Yiddish-vaudevillian styled satire of "I Yi Yi Yi Yi (I Like You Very Much)" - by Jewish composer Mack Gordon and Harry Warren), Carmen Meshuge stuffs her face with Latin-Jewish inspired deli delights at one of the Jewish events people eat the most at - a shiva! (The light is very low in this video, and my deli-food-laden head-turban gets cut off by the camera... but you can still enjoy the song and the shtick!)
Performing the classic "Blowin' In The Wind" by Bob Dylan. This song entered my repertoire when preparing for a concert with Limmud LA - a Southern California Jewish cultural organization. The theme of the concert was 'Songs of Peace,' and this song - which poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war and freedom by an American Jewish songwriter, seemed to be the perfect fit for the show.
Performing one of my original comedy songs, "If I Were You" - a Jewish-sounding, neuroses-filled, self-deprecating musical rumination on how much better my life would be if I were born somebody else. The song finishes with some Old-Country-Jewish style wailing (aka: "krekhtsing"), a la Tevye in "Fiddler On The Roof," after he crys out to G-d when wondering why he wasn't born a rich man. I KNOW things would be SO much better...if I were YOU!
A clip from a performance of the Yiddish love song, "Saposhkelekh" (Boots). The verse in this clip is a new English verse which I wrote for the song. Copyright 2007 Lisa Fishman. Featuring Sasha Green on piano, Evren Edler on bass, and Marco Piali on drums.
Singing "Blue and Grine Kuzine," a jazz-inspired interpretation of the popular Yiddish song, "Di Grine Kuzine" - with Chicago's "Modern Klezmer Quartet." Music by Abe Schwartz, Lyrics by Jacob Leiserowitz/Hyman Prizant, and Arrangement by Bob Applebaum. The Modern Klezmer Quartet: Piano: Bob Applebaum, Clarinet/Saxophone: Shelley Yoelin, Bass: Jim Cox, Drums: Sarah Allen. https://myspace.com/themodernklezmerquartet
A performance of my own jazzy-folk version of the beautiful "Far From The Home I Love" from the musical, "Fiddler On The Roof." The show - with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein - is set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on "Tevye and his Daughters" (or "Tevye the Milkman and Other Tales") by Sholem Aleichem, the famous Yiddish author and playwright. This song is originally sung by Hodel - one of Tevye's daughters. In the piece she explains to her father that her home is with her beloved, wherever he may be, although she will always love her family. Featuring Louis Durra on piano, Evren Edler on bass, and Marco Piali on drums.
A clip from a performance of Irving Berlin's wonderful (and often overlooked) "Yiddisha Nightengale." Featuring Sasha Green on piano, Evren Edler on bass, and Marco Piali on drums.
A performance of my own original, "Yiddish-ized" version of the classic "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" by Cole Porter. The result is "Mayn Hartz Iz Nor Far Daddy". Copyright 2000 Lisa Fishman. The original song, which was described by Oscar Levant as "one of the most ‘Yiddish’ tunes ever written" (referring to certain melodic passages which utilized very "Jewish" musical scales and motifs), inspired me to translate it into Yiddish and do it 'Klezmer' style. Accompanying me on piano is New York's AMAZING pianist, arranger, composer, and musical director, Alex Rybeck.
An English version of the Yiddish Theater song, "Samet Un Zayd" (Satin & Silk). The song tells the story of a young, poor woman who made the mistake of trading her 'innocence" for the lure of satin and silk.
A montage of clips with the jazz-n-funk inspired Klezmer group, the "Modern Klezmer Quartet" from Chicago. The band features arrangements by pianist Bob Applebaum, as well as by clarinetist/saxophonist, Shelley Yoelin. This is from a performance at 'The Greater Chicago Jewish Festival' on June 10, 2012. The regular Modern Klezmer Quartet lineup features: Bob Applebaum on piano, Shelley Yoelin on clarinet, saxophone, and flute, Jim Cox on bass, and Sarah Allen on drums (** This video features Ken Haebich filling in for Jim Cox on bass). This video montage features clips from: (All arrangements by Bob Applebaum and Shelley Yoelin) 1. Blue and Grine Kuzine (a play on "Di Grine Kuzine" - The Greenhorn Cousin), 2. Mahzel (Means Good Luck), 3. Sheyn Vi Di Levone (Beautiful As The Moon), 4. Sheyn Vi Di Levone, 5. Matchmaker, Matchmaker, 6. Blue and Grine Kuzine http://www.myspace.com/themodernklezmerquartet
A short clip from a more rocking version of the Yiddish Theater classic, "Dona Dona." Featuring Sasha Green on piano, Evren Edler on bass, and Marco Piali on drums.
Another clip of a performance of the Yiddish song, "Ikh Hob Dikh Tsu-Fil Lib" (I Love You Much Too Much). This version features a new, English verse which I wrote. Copyright 2007 Lisa Fishman.
Featuring Louis Durra on piano, Evren Edler on bass, and Marco Piali on drums.
A performance of the beautiful Yiddish love song, "Sheyn Vi Di Levone" (Beautiful As The Moon), on 'The Jewish Entertainment Hour," a cable television show broadcast out of New York City. Accompanying me on piano is New York's AMAZING pianist, arranger, composer, and musical director, Alex Rybeck.
From the 'archives,' so to speak: Another performance of the Yiddish classic, "Abi Gezunt" ("Abi Gezint") (= As Long As You're Healthy) with Chicago's Maxwell Street Klezmer Band in NYC (also with a tap-dancing break in the middle!) This is from my early days in Klezmer music. Abi Gezunt was one of the hit songs from the popular Yiddish Film, "Mamele," starring Yiddish Film and Stage star, Molly Picon. Featured in this clip: Piano: Gail Mangurten, Bass: Dave Rothstein, Drums: Steve Hawk, Violin: Alex Koffman, Clarinet: Don Jacobs, Trumpet: Ivo Braun, Trombone: Sam Margolis.
For more information about Chicago's Maxwell Street Klezmer Band: