U OUGHT TO KNOW.Byline: - Fred Shuster KENNY ELLIS Age: 52 Profession: Cantor, big-band singer. Why U ought to know him: A Sinatra-style crooner and synagogue synagogue (sĭn`əgŏg) [Gr.,=assembly], in Judaism, a place of assembly for worship, education, and communal affairs. The origins of the institution are unclear. One tradition dates it to the Babylonian exile of the 6th cent. B.C. singer, Ellis recently released ``Hanukkah Swings!'' a set of Hanukkah songs made hip for pop, jazz and big-band fans (and who isn't?). This labor of love reflects Ellis' life-long affiliation with Jewish culture and the music of Count Basie, Les Brown Les Brown may refer to:
Benjamin David Goodman, Goodman, King of Swing and others. On the disc, Ellis puts a jazzy jazz·y adj. jazz·i·er, jazz·i·est 1. Resembling jazz in form or nature; rhythmical. 2. Slang Showy; flashy: a jazzy car. twist on festival-of-lights classics (some done in medley form) sung in both English and Hebrew, while in the parody, `` 'Twas The Night Before Hanukkah,'' Ellis throws in a dash of Yiddish. The set also includes two originals, the lush orchestral ballad ``Hanukkah Candles'' and the tropical-flavored ``Hanu-calypso,'' featuring ensemble arrangements by Emmy Award-winning composer/arranger Harvey R. Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. , who arranged and co-produced ``Hanukkah Swings!'' Where U've seen him before: Ellis has been the cantor at Temple Beth Haverim in Agoura Hills for the past 10 years. He has also performed at many Jewish community centers, synagogues A list of synagogues around the world. Contents: Top - A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A
How he got the idea: ``About 13 years ago, I was singing a Hanukkah song in the shower and imagined the Basie orchestra backing me up. I thought it would be a neat idea and started asking people in the Jewish music Jewish music, the music of Jews, is quite diverse and dates back thousands of years. Sometimes it is religious in nature, other times it is not. This is because Jews are both a religion and a nation. The music of Jews vary greatly depending on origins. industry what they thought. They said, 'Cute idea,' and nothing more ever happened. So, I kept asking people if they knew someone who did big-band arrangements, and I found Harvey Cohen, who lives near me. And we shopped it around. My love is big-band jazz. And these songs lend themselves really well to that style.'' What's cool about ``I Have a Little Dreidel,'' retooled on ``Hanukkah Swings!'' as the brassy album-opener ``Swingin' Dreidel'': ``These are standards - songs people all know and love - presented in a new way. Swing is in. Brian Setzer, Michael Buble - people can't get enough. To be able to put Hanukkah and swing together is a blessing for me. What can I say? I've always loved swing.'' Where U can see him: No music gigs lined up at the moment, but ``Hanukkah Swings!'' is available everywhere. If U want more information: kennyellis.com; (877) 687-4277. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) no caption (KENNY ELLIS) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion