Like most Jews I think plainly that most Jewish music sucks, at least the stuff that is mainstream and the rest of it I never can find it on the used rack in my local record shop. Yesterday I happened to be in Rochester and was able to hit up one of my favorite used CD stores and stumbled across an amazing find. I found what I will term Jew-Grass, an album featuring World famous jazz Flutist Andy Statman and one of the more famous mandolin players David Grisman combing their talents to make an album called New Shabbos Waltz.
I popped in the CD into my cars 8 speaker stereo system and was wowed at what I was hearing. Not only was it incredibly different than the traditional MBD, Black Hattitude and Blue Fringe crap that occupies the shelves at Eichlers and other fine seforim stores, it was incredibly talented. Well how could it not be after all Dave has collaborated with Jerry Garcia many a time and whoever gets to jam with Jerry rocks in my book.
The melodies were just your basic traditional shull songs, like anim zemiros, avinu malkenu and licha dodi. But when played with a mandolin, flute, guitar and fiddle they do not sound traditional anymore. I was in heaven, finally I could have something Jewish to play in thecar when I have a passenger who did not listen to secular music. Usually all I have is Matisyahu, Simon and Garfunkel, Disturbed and Anthrax as my Jewish music.