SoCalled Sings Yiddish

Josh ‘SoCalled’ Dolgin is a Canadian hip hop artist who began his love affair with Yiddish music as a music archaeologist, digging through music collections for sounds that he could apply to his work, and this performance is a celebration of that journey. At last count, there were more than 16 different forms of Yiddish music, some very familiar as they have been embraced by modern composers including Leonard Bernstein,Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, and George and Ira Gershwin. Most of us recognise the haunting sounds of Klezmer, easily identifiable by its characteristic expressive melodies, reminiscent of the human voice, complete with laughing and weeping. Others like the Hasidic niggun, a song with repetitive sounds was used to launch this toe tapping and hand clapping 70 minute celebration of Yiddish music.

This was not a show designed just for Yiddish speakers. It is more a show for music lovers and those eager to explore culture and sounds that go back to the 13^th century and have evolved into today’s music for young, old and those in-between. Dolgin coaches and explains and carefully, playfully and lovingly guides the audience through songs about a frog or ‘frosh’ (spoiler alert, there is a grizzly end), folksongs about new love and also the struggle to feed and house a family, childhood years, a traditional festive Hannukah song, and in closing, the heart rending and rousing song, “The Spirit of the Jews Will Live”, sung as an anthem to the people of Israel and all people who have suffered bondage and repression. 

Today, Yiddish language, and music is in revival and accompanied by the superlative Zephyr Quartet musicians, playing two violins, a cello and viola, they conjured up haunting images of passion, repression, celebration and life’s journey.  Including songs from Yiddish theatre, Dolgin introduced us to many different styles, such as “Where Can I Go?” a lilting waltz, earlier recorded by both Edith Piaf and Al Jolson, and “The Miller’s Tears, used in a Coen Brothers movie soundtrack.

Bring back memories of famous science educator, Juluis Sumner Miller, Dolgin could ‘only just’ remain seated to perform and often bounded to his feet as the energetic songs demanded that we all clap and tap along.

So Called really does call us to embrace, learn and celebrate. He is a vibrant and entertaining performer about whom we may comment, ‘a cantor he is not’, but a multi-talented and somewhat humble performer he is. Dolgin reminds us that music shapes and heals people, and that understanding its origins protects its future.

Notable Jewish composer, Leonard Bernstein who embraced and embedded Yiddish music in his masterpieces, summed it up when he said of music, ‘This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before’.

SoCalled proudly celebrates this, and through his inclusion in this renowned festival, allows us all to share in and celebrate our music, past and future. Moreover, he is a vibrant and compelling entertainer.

Jude Hines

Photographer: Richmond Lam

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