Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – May 13, 2025: A Tribute to The Klezmatics

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/70184.html

Theme: A Tribute to The Klezmatics as they mark their 40th year as a band.

The show features music by The Klezmatics, including some of their many collaborations with other artists, as well as some non-Klezmatics recordings by members and former members of the band.

The Klezmatics- Man in a Hat

Live at Town Hall (Klezmatics Disc)

The Klezmatics- Ale Brider

Shvaygn = Toyt: Heimatklänge of the Lower East Side (Rounder)

The Klezmatics with Alan Bern- NY Psycho Freylekhs

Rhythm + Jews (Rounder)

Alicia Svigals- Dem Trisker Rebns Khosid

Fidl (Traditional Crossroads)

The Klezmatics featuring Margot Leverett- Bobe Tanz

Live at Town Hall (Klezmatics Disc)

Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys- Lonesome Fiddle Blues & Sid’s Bulgars

Margot Leverett & The Klezmer Mountain Boys (Traditional Crossroads)

The Klezmatics- Dzhankoye

Shvaygn = Toyt: Heimatklänge of the Lower East Side (Rounder)

The Klezmatics- Bukoviner Freylekhs

Rhythm + Jews (Rounder)

Itzhak Perlman & The Klezmatics- Fisherlid

In the Fiddler’s House (Angel)

The Klezmatics- Come When I Call You

Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie (Jewish Music Group)

The Klezmatics- Mermaid’s Avenue

Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie (Jewish Music Group)

The Klezmatics- Holy Ground

Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie (Jewish Music Group)

Lisa Gutkin- Gonna Get Through This World

From Here On In (Lisa Gutkin)

Natalie Merchant with The Klezmatics- The Dancing Bear

Leave Your Sleep (Nonesuch)

Chava Alberstein & The Klezmatics- Di Krenitse (The Well)

The Well (Rounder)

Susan McKeown & Lorin Sklamberg- Heart’s Blood: Fort a yidele fort arroys (A Young Man Rode Out)/The Cruel Brother

Saints & Tzadiks (World Village)

Sasha Lurje & Lorin Sklamberg- A idisher kvartet

Jac Weinstein’s Helsinki Yiddish Cabaret (Global Music Centre)

The Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson & Kathryn Farmer- Oh Mary Don’t You Weep

Brother Moses Smote the Water (Piranha)

Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars featuring Michel “Mesach” Nestor- Unity (Carnival in Crown Heights) 

Chronika (Borscht Beat) 

Frank London with Karim Sulayman- Amore en

Ghetto Songs (Felmay)

The Klezmatics- Shushan Purim

Apikorsim/Heretics (World Village)

Next week: Variations on Hallelujah.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – April 16, 2024: New York State of Mind

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/64765.html

Theme: New York State of Mind

All the songs on this show have something or other to do with New York City.

Tony Bennett & Billy Joel- New York State of Mind

Playin’ with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues (RPM/Columbia)

Bob Dylan- Talkin’ New York

Bob Dylan (Columbia/Legacy)

Tex König- Zen Koans Gonna Rise Again

Königsblende (Music Cellar)

Lucy Wainwright Roche & Suzzy Roche- Bleecker Street

Mud & Apples (Lucy Wainwright Roche & Suzzy Roche)

Garnet Rogers- American Jerusalem

The Outside Track (Snow Goose Songs)

Orit Shimoni- New York 

Winnipeg (Orit Shimoni) 

Mike Regenstreif & David Amram (2017)

David Amram & The Colorado Symphony Orchestra- Variation VI: Street Sounds of New York B) Klezmer Wedding Celebration and Middle Eastern Bazaar

This Land: Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie (Newport Classic)

Suzanne Vega- New York is My Destination

An Evening of New York Songs and Stories (Cooking Vinyl)

Mike Regenstreif & Erik Frandsen (1976) photo: Felicity Fanjoy

Erik Frandsen- Unique New York 

Antiques: New & Used (Erik Frandsen) 

Christine Lavin- Another New York Afternoon

The Seasons Project: Spring (Christine Lavin) 

Tom Russell- Biggest Bordertown

Old Songs Yet to Sing (Frontera)

Mike Regenstreif & Chaim Tannenbaum (1976) photo: Felicity Fanjoy

Chaim Tannenbaum- Brooklyn 1955

Chaim Tannenbaum (StorySound)

The Klezmatics- Mermaid’s Avenue

Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie (Jewish Music Group)

Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars featuring Michel “Meshach” Nestor- Unity (Carnival in Crown Heights) 

Chronika (Borscht Beat) 

Mike Regenstreif & Lucy Kaplansky (2012)

Lucy Kaplansky- Brooklyn Train

The Red Thread (Red House)

Nat King Cole- Harlem Blues

St. Louis Blues (Capitol)

Reggie Harris- Harlem Renaissance

Ready to Go (Reggie Harris Music)

Lena Horne & Harry Belafonte- There’s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon for New York

Porgy & Bess (RCA)

Harry Nilsson- I Guess the Lord Must Be In New York City

Harry (RCA)

Chava Alberstein- Fellini in New York 

End of the Holiday (Rounder) 

Mike Regenstreif & Priscilla Herdman (2000)

Priscilla Herdman- Goodnight, New York

The Road Home (Redwing Music)

Frank Sinatra- (Theme from) New York, New York

The Reprise Collection (Reprise)

Next week: Songs of Shel Silverstein.

--Mike Regenstreif 

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – January 23, 2024: Holocaust Remembrance

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/63632.html

Theme: Songs for International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on January 27 – the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. In these times of exploding antisemitism and other forms of racism and hatred, it’s important for us to pause and remember the lessons of the Holocaust when Hitler’s Nazi Germany systematically murdered 6 million Jews – about two-thirds of the Jews who lived in Europe.

Mara Levine- By My Silence

Facets of Folk (Mara’s Creations)

Brendan Nolan- Packing Her Bag

Beneath White Stars: Holocaust Profiles in Song (AlmondSeed Media)

Mella Barnes- Between the Lines

Beneath White Stars: Holocaust Profiles in Song (AlmondSeed Media)

Lenka Lichtenberg- Kam jsme to zašli? (What is this place?)

Thieves of Dreams (Six Degrees)

June Tabor- Di nakht (The Night)

Aleyn (Green Linnet)

Sasha Lurje- Tif iz di nakht (Dark is the night)

Jac Weinstein’s Helsinki Yiddish Cabaret (Global Music Centre)

Lee Oskar- Never Forget

Passages Through Music: Never Forget (Dreams We Share Productions)

Psoy Korolenko- Babi Yar

Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II (Six Degrees)

Psoy Korolenko- Misha tserayst Hitlers Daytchland (Misha Tears Apart Hitler’s Germany)

Yiddish Glory: The Lost Songs of World War II (Six Degrees)

Perla Batalla featuring Bill Gable- Dance Me to the End of Love

Bird on the Wire: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (Mechuda Music)

Chuck Brodsky- Your Violin

Them and Us (Chuck Brodsky)

Leonard Cohen- The Partisan

Songs from a Room (Columbia/Legacy)

Theodore Bikel- Partizaner-March (March of the Partisans)

While I’m Here (Red House)

Henry Sapoznik- Itzik Vitnberg

Partisans of Vilna (Flying Fish)

Payadora Tango Ensemble featuring Marta Kosiorek- A Prayer for Rescue

Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango (Six Degrees)

Payadora Tango Ensemble featuring Aviva Chernick- The Numbers on My Arm

Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango (Six Degrees)

Chava Alberstein & The Klezmatics- Mayn Shvester Khaye (My Sister Khaye)

The Well (Rounder)

Noel Paul Stookey- Jean Claude

Just Causes (Neworld)

Zisl Slepovitch Ensemble & Sasha Lurje- Shotns (Shadows)

Shotns-Shadows (Fortunoff Video Archive)

Zisl Slepovitch Ensemble & Sasha Lurje- Geto, getunyu (Ghetto, My Dear Ghetto)

Shotns-Shadows (Fortunoff Video Archive)

Lee Oskar- Miracle Children

Passages Through Music: Never Forget (Dreams We Share Productions)

Next week: Conversation and Songs with Garnet Rogers.

--Mike Regenstreif

The Klezmatics -- Live at Town Hall

This review is from the December 12, 2011 issue of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.

The Klezmatics

Live At Town Hall

Klezmatics Disc

klezmatics.com

The New York City-based Klezmatics, without doubt one of the most creative and influential of contemporary klezmer bands, celebrate their 25th anniversary this year with the release of a two-CD set recorded at their exciting 20th anniversary concert in 2006. The current line-up of the band was joined by their former clarinetists Margot Leverett and David Kraukauer, and a stellar bunch of 24 other guest singers and musicians, to play some of the best music from their nine previous albums in what really was a once-in-a-lifetime extravaganza.

Live At Town Hall opens with the exuberant, joyfully over-the-top “Man in a Hat,” a Yiddish-English celebration of Manhattan, sailors, world travel and lust. Lead singer Lorin Sklamberg sings the double entendre lyrics with an elastic facility few singers in any genre of music can match. Meanwhile the band – virtuoso players all – wails in triple time.

From there we journey through a marvellous set that includes several extended medleys and suites.

Among the many highlights are four songs featuring special guest singers.

Joanne Borts and Sklamberg sing a duet on “Di Krenitse,” an Itzik Fefer poem set to music by Israeli singer Chava Alberstein. The arrangement draws on both klezmer and cabaret styles.

“Elijah Rock,” an African American spiritual which references biblical prophets Elijah, Moses and Ezekiel, features singer Joshua Nelson and an arrangement that could raise the roof on Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

Adrienne Cooper is featured on a powerful version of “I Ain’t Afraid,” a Holly Near song with added Yiddish lyrics by Cooper and Michael Wex, which the Klezmatics turned into a post-9/11 anthem extolling both defiance to terrorism and reconciliation of peoples.

And Susan McKeown, the superb Irish traditional singer, joins the band on “Gonna Get Through This World,” one of several songs drawn from the Klezmatics’ two albums of the Woody Guthrie Jewish-themed lyrics they set to music.

Other highlights include several other songs from the Guthrie project including “Holy Ground,” sung beautifully by Sklamberg with a choir of other Klezmatics and guests adding gorgeous harmonies, and just in time for right now, the celebratory “Hanuka Gelt.”

Along with Sklamberg, who plays accordion, guitar and piano in addition to his lead vocals, the core Klezmatics include Frank London on trumpet, horns, keyboards and percussion; violinist Lisa Gutkin; Matt Darriau on clarinet alto saxophone and kaval; Paul Morrissett on bass and tsimbl; and drummers David Licht and Richie Barshay. They are not just one of the best bands in klezmer music, they’re one of the best bands in any kind of music.

--Mike Regenstreif