Tag Archives: music

Jewish Music, Kickstarter Campaign, Recording

We’ve Started Recording the Final Pieces

Steve Rashid and I started recording the final pieces for Shabbat Sweet on Monday, May 19.

I’m relieved and a little sad that the recording process is coming to a close (hopefully by the end of the summer).  Relieved because I’ve been working on this project, including the Kickstarter campaign, for over a year. And while it’s a joy, it’s also work and takes lots of my energy and attention! Sad because it’s been a profoundly great joy! It’s fascinating to start with an idea of how something will sound, and then to see how it evolves.

For instance, Beggar’s Niggun is one of the pieces we’re working on. And while Steve and I sat down beforehand to talk about a plan for arranging it, now that I hear the rough, I’ve got a whole new idea. (boy, is Steve going to be thrilled with that!).

So… thanks for hanging in there with me throughout the project.

I’ll be playing live in several places in the next few months. Please check the DATES page on my website so that you can plan I time to come out and experience Shabbat Sweet live!

Jewish Music, Recording

A Hanuka Present!!!

hanukkah_gifts

Since Hanuka is tonight I want to give you a present… MY MUSIC! Throughout Hanuka, I want you should enjoy the music I’ve recorded so far.

So… have a listen by clicking HERE!

Jewish Music, Kickstarter Campaign, Song Craft

Lori Lippitz & Shabbat Sweet

Lori Lippitz Quote 2

Click here to listen to the first recording from the forthcoming album

Jewish Music, Kickstarter Campaign

A New Video Just in Time for Shabbat

Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, will be here in a few hours.  It can be a blessed rest, a break from the mundane pressures of work.

We declare a Sabbath, a space of quiet: for simple being and letting be; for recovering the great forgotten truths; for learning how to live again.

UN Environmental Sabbath Program
Reprinted  in Service for Shabbat Evening
Edited by Rabbi Brant Rosen

We Jews usher in Shabbat by lighting candles which illuminate our path to Shabbat Shalom, the Sabbath Peace.

In this video, after I talk a bit about my first experience sharing Shabbat Sweet with my community, the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Illinois, I play and sing the melody I wrote for the Candle Blessings.

May it guide you, and those you know and love, toward a peaceful mind this Shabbat.

Please become a backer of my project to make a quality recording of this service!!
Please become a backer of the project to make a quality recording of this service with members of the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band and an Emmy-award winning producer, composer and arranger.
Jewish Music, Kickstarter Campaign, Performing

Me and the Dow Jones: we’ve got a thing going on…

Billy and the Dow JonesA project to record original melodies and music for ancient Jewish prayers, with members of the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band and an Emmy-award winning producer.

Jewish Music, Kickstarter Campaign, Performing, Recording

Open Mic Last Saturday Night (almost rhymes)

Brother's K Coffee Shop 20130505I sang Mi Chamocha last Saturday night at the Brother’s K Coffee house open mic. Mi Chamocha is a song of liberation.  My dear friend and rabbi, Brant Rosen, wrote a short, lovely poem about the prayer:

The waters are parting

Take the first step

Our moment of liberation is at hand

Have a listen (below) to a live, early recordings of my melody for this prayer. And, yes, that’s the amazing Maxwell Street Klezmer Band playing with me!!!

Please become a backer of my project to make a quality recording of this service!!
Please become a backer of my project to make a quality recording of this service!!

 

 

Credits –recording: Sam Fishkin of Mix Kitchen & photo: Dave Newman 

Jewish Music, Kickstarter Campaign, Recording

My Kickstarter Campaign for “Shabbat Sweet” is LIVE!

Billy in the VideoI am SO  pleased, and more than a little nervous, to launch my campaign on Kickstarter to make a quality recording of “Shabbat Sweet,” my collection of original melodies and music for ancient Jewish prayers. With your support, I’ll make this recording with members of the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band and an Emmy-award winning composer, producer and arranger .
Will you become a part of this project? All I’m asking  you to do is check out my project on Kickstarter.com.
If you can make a pledge – that would be awesome! And as you’ll see on the site, I’ll send you a token of my appreciation.
And when you “share” and/or “like” the campaign on Facebook, and/or email friends you think may be interested, you’ll be doing me a GREAT favor by helping to spread the word. Here is the URL if you want to send it to others: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1387326406/shabbat-sweet-recording
Jewish Music, Performing

And the Birdie Flies from the Nest

I guess there comes a time for every composer when you realize your music is no longer your own.

My time has come.

Last Sunday I rehearsed with an amazing group of teenage musicians – vocals, guitar, ukulele, piano, drums, clarinet and violin – on five of the pieces from “A Shabbat Sweet.” They are going to share their arrangement on March 1, 2013 at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) for an interfaith youth service.  About half the kids were from JRC and half were from the Lake Street Church.

And then the music happened… and I was NOT playing or singing.  It was a little difficult not leading the music. But the joy from just experiencing it was more than enough to get me through the difficulty.

Ok. I admit it. I was kvelling (Yiddish for bursting with pride) that music I wrote was being wonderfully interpreted by these young musicians.  As I am fond of saying here: WOW!

Jewish Music, Recording

First Viewing

Last weekend Cole Simon, the Artistic Director of Glass City Films, came over to my house, and we recorded video for the Kickstarter campaign. We recorded me talking about the project, and we recorded me singing four of the pieces from the service.

Photo from the video

And I just finished watch the “rough cut” of the first video, the Candle Lighting, and… WOW!!! It looks just amazing!! Gorgeous!!  Holy Moses!!!!

I can’t WAIT to share it with you… but… you’ll just HAVE to wait until the campaign launches. And, no, I don’t know exactly when that’s going to be, though I hope to get it started mid-February.

Very, very exciting!!!