Especially Jewish Symbols
ARE (Alternatives in Religious Education) commissioned Jeff to compose these songs to aquaint religious school students with some basic Jewish ritual objects and practices.
Eit Dodim (Jeff Klepper & Band featuring Howard Levy)
From the archives (WAY back in 1991!) Jeff sings an Israeli folk tune inspired by the biblical Song of Songs, featuring a blistering harmonica solo by the world's greatest jazz harp player. The outdoor summer concert was a benefit for a terrific Jewish camp known by the acronym "Osrui".
Modim (Cantor Jeff Klepper & Howard Levy)
From the archives, a 1995 performance at The Chicago Temple of Jeff's melody for this traditional prayer of thanksgiving. Recorded (also with Howard) on Jeff's CD "In This Place."
Like a Rolling Cohen
Here's one of my Bob Dylan parodies that didn't make it onto my Live in Concert CD (cdbaby.com/jeff) which has four other Dylan parodies - plus the first ever cover version of Bob's "Talkin Hava Nagila".
Cantillation Row
This is my favorite of all the Bob Dylan parodies I've done. I'm posting the clip in honor of author David Kaufman and his wonderful new book, "Jewhooing the Sixties." It discusses Dylan in depth, along with three other 60s icons, Lenny Bruce, Barbara Streisand and Sandy Koufax.
Stuck Inside of Monsey (With the Brooklyn Blues Again)
In January of 2002 I played an incredible gig with some amazing musicians, featuring accordion wizard Evan Harlan and clarinet goddess Ilene Stahl. It was the first and last time we played together, but oh my gosh, what a time it was.
Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce occupies a curious place in 20th century Jewish culture. The man who more or less invented stand-up comedy, who took borscht belt humor out of its cozy Catskills confines and into the swankiest urban nightclubs, is celebrated today as a modern-day hero, though in reality, his day to day life was anything but heroic. Was it his drug addiction that brought him down, or was it the puritanical culture of late 1950s America that sealed his fate?