No Mas
After attending the hilula with Yosef Karduner and watching these videos during the same week, it occurred to me what a waste of time it is to bother writing about Shiny Shoe Jewish music (TM).
Karduner represents all that is holy, pure, refined and uplifting about Jewish music. Jumping MBD and his ilk represent all that is prust and unrefined. It is silly to even mention them in the same paragraph. It is like comparing, l'havdil, Mozart with Madonna.
So I won't anymore.
After attending the hilula with Yosef Karduner and watching these videos during the same week, it occurred to me what a waste of time it is to bother writing about Shiny Shoe Jewish music (TM).
Karduner represents all that is holy, pure, refined and uplifting about Jewish music. Jumping MBD and his ilk represent all that is prust and unrefined. It is silly to even mention them in the same paragraph. It is like comparing, l'havdil, Mozart with Madonna.
So I won't anymore.
Labels: J Music
posted by MoChassid @ 9:55 PM
10 Comments:
At 11:23 PM,
Anonymous said…
Halevei the most prust thing in our life would be MBD.
At 8:54 AM,
Anonymous said…
Have you ever had a conversation with MBD or Fried? I think that musical taste is a far cry from dismissing out of hand a bunch of guys I daresay you don't know very well.
At 9:07 AM,
Anonymous said…
All you have to do is watch that first yout ube clip of Niggun Neshama of the singer jumping (dancing?) all around and making it all about himself and then watch Karduner- who sits and just sings pure songs. Rabbi Weinberger has said many times that YK teaches Torah thru his music and said the other night those trying to gain (and grow) from his music- I don't think such words would ever be said about SSM.
At 2:10 PM,
Anonymous said…
It really bothers me that any so-called serious Jew puts this much emphasis on the modern movement of Jewish music at all. It's asinine to equate YK and the like to some kind of modern day saint because his music makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The business of Jewish music nowadays is just that... a business, whose primary goal is to make money and whose role in our lives should be entertainment and chizuk (as needed)... nothing more. The music of YK and the like scream "Hey, look at me!" just as much as anyone elses. They just use different tactics.
But that's not my point...
I agree with MoC that our greatest source of Jewish music to date was Rav Shlomo, but I also hear no one writing or speaking of his gadlus in Torah anymore... only his songs. The only reason Rav Shlomo's music got off the ground was because he was respected for his genious mind and his dedication to learning. That was the platform for his music. That's how his following was born. But nowadays, all we're left with is the Tsfat wannabes who, invoking Rav Shlomo and his message, play their guitars and stare at the clouds all day, looking for Hakosh Baruch Hu. It is pathetic to see by how far we've missed the boat. We, as a community, should be ashamed at how we've sucked the Torah out of our lives, commercialized our music and our religion, and have reduced it to a shallow and empty void of feel-good therapy that, granted, may make us FEEL spiritual, but nothing more... certainly nothing deeper. I'd imagine that Rav Shlomo is. To say that this modern movement is "holy, pure, refined" is the real l'havdil comparison of Mozart to Madonna.
At 3:34 PM,
Anonymous said…
I don't see where Anon 2:10 pm is coming from- Reb Shlomo might have learnt his share of Torah- but the bottom line is his Gadlus has nothing to do with his Torah and has everything to do with his ability as a musician. Shlomo Katz, YK, and various SSM, may or may not be tremendous Talmidei Chachamim- I have no idea nor do I care- I listen (or don't listen) to them purely based on their musical abilities.
The only time I care about someone's Torah background is as a Baal Tefilah on the Yomim Noraim.
At 5:29 PM,
Anonymous said…
MoC,
I enjoy the same music as you do, such as Karduner, Shlomo Katz, etc., but I'm a little mystified at your anger towards the SSM crowd. I happen to think that type of music is awful, but I also think that music is all about what inspires you on a personal level. Obviously the SSM music appeals to a segment of the Jewish population, so who cares if it isn't our speed?
At 5:29 PM,
Anonymous said…
OK so some people like and some people don't...some people like the bouncy people in shul and some people think their phony...some people like when the Rav comes in and dances with the Kehillah at the end of Yom Kippur and some people find it very 'staged'--We get it! That's why they make Chocolate and Vanilla!
At 9:38 PM,
MoChassid said…
I'm not angry, I'm sad. People are free to listen to what they want to listen to. My point is that mainstream Jewish musicians have become so low rent and trashy and that comparing them and their music to the few musicians left who are more refined (and whose music is more refined) is silly.
At 8:55 AM,
Anonymous said…
Please don't use the phrase "gadlus in Torah " when refering to Reb Shlomo. It's a dellusional myth that cheapens the phrase next time we want to use it in relationship to the someone like the Aish Kodesh.
Also you its about walking the talk and that Reb Shlomo struggled with. Hugging women playing guitat on tsha b'av...
There isn't a shita in shulchan aruch that allows it.
Public disregard of halacha means you are no lomger a Rav or a Rabbi. Just a Reb who wrote and sang beutiful music. Let's leave it at that. Otherwise we are confusing what's real.
At 1:07 PM,
Anonymous said…
Whoa, MoC is stopping to talk about music? I can't believe it.
I'll bet it's like when you retired from blogging...
AM
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