Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Why aren't there more Jewish Reggae Albums? There are...

FT.com in discussing Matisyahu and his album "Youth" asks an interesting question: Considering how deeply Rastafarian imagery is rooted in the Old Testament, the surprise should perhaps be that there are not more Jewish reggae albums. I'm not sure I would agree but certainly an interesting idea. The article continues: But they do exist. Roots and Culture by King Django (Jeff Baker) was a ska version of Radical Jewish Culture, saxophones bleating like shofars. “Nakht Shifl Ken Kayro” turns out to be a kicking Yiddish-language version of Madness’s “Night Boat To Cairo”, sinuous with trombone and a violin solo from the klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals. “Slaughter” is a chilling version of the Holocaust, its seductive rhythms starkly at odds with the defiant lyrics. A call to “rise up and fight the oppressor” and a reminder that “we must never forget” feel right at home in this Caribbean musical world.

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