What you're about to read is a collection of pointers to some of the music I've discovered on the iTunes Music Store, music I like enough that I want to share it. If you're an iPod owner and an iTunes fan (and if you aren't, what are you doing here?), maybe you'll find something new. Click on any of the CD covers to bounce over to the store and sample a few tracks. And then maybe stop by my other blog for a few well chosen words (and maybe a random snark or two).RSS feed
All the music (502)
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   Audiobook (10)
    Blues (3)
     Children's Music (5)
      Classical (28)
       Comedy (10)
        Country (21)

  Dance (4)
   Easy Listening (2)
    Electronic (13)
     Folk (27)
      French Pop (1)
       German Folk (1)
        German Pop (1)

  Hip-Hop/Rap (2)
   Holiday (5)
    Jazz (35)
     Latin (4)
      New Age (8)
       Podcast (5)
        Pop (72)

  R&B/Soul (4)
   Reggae (4)
    Rock (105)
     Soundtrack (32)
      Spoken Word (1)
       Vocal (15)
        World (15)

Have some music to recommend? I can always use a few pointers. Use the comments link at the bottom of the page.
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Wed, 02 Mar 2005

Rhythm + Jews / The Klezmatics
How embarrassing is this? Almost a hundred blog entries, four of which relate to Christmas, and not a word about Jewish music. It's not like my people don't have music; we do. And some of it is every bit as appalling as that stuff we hear in shopping malls every December. (And November. And sometimes late October. But I digress.)

I first heard The Klezmatics on a public radio show called West Coast Live, where they made regular appearances. And I knew their name came from something called a klezmer, although I was under the impression it was some kind of musical instrument. On the off chance that you're as ignorant as I, let's get that one straightened out. Klezmer isn't an instrument; it's a style. A contraction of "klei zemer" (musical instruments), it refers to a mix of Greek and Central and Eastern European music played at Jewish celebrations. It's dance music, of a particularly lively and unsubtle kind. Think of it as Jewish jazz and you won't be far off.

I like ethnic music, at least in concept. (And generally in small doses.) Maybe that's what bugs me about Christmas music, that it isn't different enough. Challenging enough. Klezmer is certainly both.

Rhythm + Jews
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