"Jewish Soul" features traditional Jewish songs by artists who have achieve world wide fame in the fields of Popular, Rock & Roll, Classical, and Operatic Music.
The universal appeal of Jewish music is as old as Tin Pan Alley as is exemplified by the fact that the inspiration for this compilation came from an artist not known as a "Jewish-Music artist", Jackie Wilson, known as "Mr. Excitement", who is featured here performing the Al Jolson classic "The Anniversary Song". Jay & The Americans were one of the top vocal groups in the 1960s and opened for the Beatles on their first US tour. It was often assumed they were a popular Italian rhythm and blues group when in fact they were Jewish kids from New York, featured here on "Where Is The Village", sung in both English and Yiddish (as "Vi Is Dus Gessele"). "Dance Everyone Dance", an English version of "Hava Nagila", was a major pop hit for Betty Madigan at the peak of the rock & roll era. Her arrangement of this classic song was the inspiration for later versions by Connie Francis and The Barry Sisters!
That Eartha Kitt would sing in Yiddish should be of no surprise, but that she should chose "Rumania, Rumania", one of the most difficult songs, just shows how amazing an artist she truly was. Johnny Mathis is featured on 2 selections, the stirring, "Eli, Eli", sung in Yiddish, and "Where Can I Go", Tom Jones performs a soulful "Yiddishe Mamme" and Connie Francis is featured on a spirited version of "Tzena,Tzena". From Jan Peerce’s "Kol Nidre" to "Andy Williams’ "Exodus", this compilation is a must have for any music collection.
Included is an eight-page booklet with photos of the artists, lots of little-known information on the artists and songs, and a few surprises as well. Enjoy!
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