A New Look At Jewish Music

An interview with Avram Grobard from the legendary Café Feenjon house band, the inherent spiritual nature of music as a universal language, and much more

Welcome to the inaugural installment of the Ingathering. 

The Ingathering is a series of original content—interviews, essays, and more—and takes a comprehensive look at Jewish music and spirituality. This week’s edition features an interview with Avram Grobard, a founding member of the legendary Café Feenjon house band, and an essay that examines the spiritual roots of the universality of music. 

The Café Feenjon And Other Adventures

In the 1960s, New York City was home to a thriving Israeli café scene, and for people in the know, the best music was in Greenwich Village, at the Café Feenjon. Avram Grobard sang and played accordion in the original house band, and in 1967, left to open his own establishment, El Avram, on the eve of the Six Day War.

I spoke with Grobard over Skype from his home in New Jersey, and we discussed his experiences as an Israeli in 1960s-New York, starting the Café Feenjon house band, the era’s folk revival and how that included an embrace of traditional musics, the early days of El Avram, and the impact of his visit—along with Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach—to Israeli troops fighting along the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War. 

Go here to read the interview.

Live performance of the Feenjon Group filmed for Irish TV. Footage of the band starts at 1:25.

Avram Grobard with Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Photo courtesy of Avram Grobard.

Let The Music Do The Talking

In this essay, I explore how music is a universal language, and how it provides an opportunity to establish relationships with people you may not understand, or even like very much. I also examine how it is a tool to discover the commonalities intrinsic to everyone.

“I remember when I in high school, and getting interested in Bob Marley,” guitarist, composer, and Chant Records co-founder, Jon Madof, told me. “I had the Best of Bob Marley tape, and I was singing along with the words one day. I asked my friend, ‘What does this mean, ‘Mighty god is a living man?’’ I had no idea what it was. I didn’t know that he was talking about Haile Selassie, an actual person. But I thought that was cool, that he could make me want to sing that line because the music was so good. It was so clearly emanating something universal, even though I didn’t know what he was talking about.”

Madof’s teenage encounter with the music of Bob Marley speaks to the heart of music’s universality. You understand the message or feeling the musician is trying to convey, but more than that, you also understand something about the musician.

Go here to learn more, and to read the complete essay.

#ICYMI: All Together Now

If you are a new subscriber—or just didn’t have time last week—don’t miss my interview with Ravid Kahalani from the Israeli, Middle Eastern fusion band, Yemen Blues. I spoke with Kahalani about his personal history and multilingual approach to lyrics, the infinite malleability of musical genres and styles, his band’s popularity throughout the Islamic world, and why music—when given the chance—is our best hope to bringing people together. 

Go here to read the interview.

Do you want to send me music?

Since people are asking, yes, of course. If you’re an artist, publicist, or connoisseur of Jewish music, and you want to send me stuff, by all means please do. However, before you do, read the about page and explore the music already featured, if your music is cheesy, obvious stuff—or not in the spirit of the other music here—I’m not going to like it. That’s not a value judgement. You’re great. But we may not have the same taste in music, and that’s cool. Hopefully, we can still be friends.

Send music, questions, and comments here: jewishmusicandspirituality@gmail.com

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