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The
Jewish Music Forum is an organization devoted to the study of music in
Jewish life in
all of its historical and contemporary diversity. Founded in the fall of
2004 under the auspices of the American
Society for Jewish Music, with the support of the American
Jewish Historical Society and
the Center for Jewish History,
the
Jewish Music Forum seeks to provide a thriving habitat for interdisciplinary
dialogue
and scholarly exchange in the growing academic
field of Jewish musical studies as well as a critical intellectual
resource for specialists across a spectrum that includes cantors, composers,
performers, students, educators, artistic directors, journalists, and others
from the fields of musicology, anthropology, literature, Jewish studies, and
American studies. By linking together members of these communities, the
Forum serves as an academic professional network and intellectual resource for
all who are interested in the role of music in Jewish life.
NEW SEASON 2007-08!
THE JEWISH MUSIC FORUM LECTURE SERIES CONTINUES:
"EXPANDING THE MARGINS OF JEWISH MUSIC"
Our next lecture will be held on
February 22, 2008
10:30 am - 12 pm
"Creating 'New' Jewish Sounds"
Presentations and a roundtable with
Dr. Josh Kun, University of Southern California
Dr. Judah M. Cohen, Indiana University
Daniel Saks, member of the NYC bands DeLeon and The LeeVees
In the last fifteen years, numerous new organizations, companies, and
artists have attempted to reassess the meaning of "Jewish" sound,
largely for audiences described as young, hip, and independent. Yet
under what conditions did these sounds emerge, and how do they address
the concerns of the Jewish philanthropic foundations that support many
of them? The three speakers in this session will explore what it means
to produce "Jewish" music in a cultural milieu that relies heavily on a
combination of philanthropic, organizational, and journalistic
attention, as well as "tangibles" such as CDs and intangibles such as
"hipness."
Josh Kun is a professor in the Annenberg School of
Communication and the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at
USC, where he also directs The Popular Music Project at The Norman Lear
Center. He is the author of "Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America" (UC
Press), which won a 2006 American Book Award. In 2005, he co-founded
the non-profit record label Reboot Stereophonic, which is dedicated to
excavating lost treasures of Jewish-American music. He is co-author
(with Roger Bennett) of "And You Shall Know Us By The Trail Of Our
Vinyl: Jewish History As Told By The Records We Have Loved and Lost,"
to be published later this year by Random House.
Judah M. Cohen is the Lou and Sybil Mervis Professor of Jewish
Culture and Assistant Professor of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, at
Indiana University. He has authored the books "Through the Sands
of Time: a History of the Jewish Community of St. Thomas, USVI"
(Brandeis University Press, 2004), and the forthcoming "The Making of a
Reform Jewish Cantor: Musical Authority, Cultural Investment"
(Indiana University Press, expected 2009). As a Dorot Fellow in
NYU's Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies (2003-2006),
Cohen studied the "new" Jewish music & culture scene, resulting in
a collaborative "Heebster" entry for the modiya.nyu.edu website and a
forthcoming essay on Jews and hip-hop.
Daniel Saks is a Brooklyn-based guitarist, bassist,
keyboardist, and banjoist. He currently leads the band DeLeon,
dedicated to fresh interpretations of Sephardic songs. He is also
currently a member of The LeeVees. Both bands are affiliated with JDub
Records, a non-profit dedicated to new and innovative Jewish music and
cross cultural musical dialogue. Saks, the son of a rabbi, was born and
raised in the DC area.
"Creating 'New' Jewish Sounds" is presented by the American Society for
Jewish Music, the American Jewish Historical Society, and the Working
Group on Jews, Media, and Religion at NYU's Center for Religion and
Media.
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