Sunday, February 18, 2007
Chasidic Tunes Inspire Rockers
Artists as diverse as jazz virtuoso Tim Sparks, rockers Soul Farm and roots reggae stars 12 Tribe Sound have found inspiration in the compositions of the Rebbes of Lubavitch.
An iconic image of Chasidic life is a Rebbe surrounded by his followers as they sing a niggun. A niggun, or a "humming tune," is a spiritual song or devotional, frequently without words or lyrics. In some circumstances, the songs are joyous expressions of religious ecstasy. Other times they are slow dirges, designed to send shivers down the spine of the listener. In light of the niggun’s long history, going back to the Baal Shem Tov in the 17th century, its influence on modern musicians is unexpected and exciting.
"When a musician hears a melody that touches a deep chord, they can hear it and sense this is something really authentic," Rabbi Asi Spiegel, Chabad representative from Eugene, Oregon, and a musician himself, explains. "Especially in our time where music has gone so commercial, people are looking for very deep musical outlets."
Such was the case with the talented Tim Sparks, who released At the Rebbe’s Table in 2002 on Tzadik - John Zorn’s record label. The album marks an early beginning for this remarkable trend. Like the best niggunim, Spark’s album is a meditation on the experience of being a physical being in God’s spiritual world. Unlike niggunim, though, Spark’s marries the Chabad tradition to his extensive training as a jazz musician.
http://www.lubavitch.com/top.html?ixobject=2017224
Artists as diverse as jazz virtuoso Tim Sparks, rockers Soul Farm and roots reggae stars 12 Tribe Sound have found inspiration in the compositions of the Rebbes of Lubavitch.
An iconic image of Chasidic life is a Rebbe surrounded by his followers as they sing a niggun. A niggun, or a "humming tune," is a spiritual song or devotional, frequently without words or lyrics. In some circumstances, the songs are joyous expressions of religious ecstasy. Other times they are slow dirges, designed to send shivers down the spine of the listener. In light of the niggun’s long history, going back to the Baal Shem Tov in the 17th century, its influence on modern musicians is unexpected and exciting.
"When a musician hears a melody that touches a deep chord, they can hear it and sense this is something really authentic," Rabbi Asi Spiegel, Chabad representative from Eugene, Oregon, and a musician himself, explains. "Especially in our time where music has gone so commercial, people are looking for very deep musical outlets."
Such was the case with the talented Tim Sparks, who released At the Rebbe’s Table in 2002 on Tzadik - John Zorn’s record label. The album marks an early beginning for this remarkable trend. Like the best niggunim, Spark’s album is a meditation on the experience of being a physical being in God’s spiritual world. Unlike niggunim, though, Spark’s marries the Chabad tradition to his extensive training as a jazz musician.
http://www.lubavitch.com/top.html?ixobject=2017224
Comments:
"the Baal Shem Tov in the 17th century"
17th century ???
Lubavitchers don't know when he lived ?
17th century ???
Lubavitchers don't know when he lived ?
Comment Credit ---This article posted by 
: February 21, 2007 11:53 PM
: February 21, 2007 11:53 PM
to:February 21, 2007 11:53 PM
yea he did live in the 17th century and a lubav didn't write this article
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yea he did live in the 17th century and a lubav didn't write this article
Comment Credit ---This article posted by : February 24, 2007 8:44 PM
: February 24, 2007 8:44 PM
