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The Star Soloist Of The Choir, That Never Performed Live
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Yudi Cohen grew up in London and learned how to be a Chazzan, and also has a degree in opera. Yudi explains how he got there, the choices he made along the way, and why he ultimately loves to sing and make people happy.
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Auto-generated transcript. Not time-synced to the video.
Hey guys, welcome to the 11th episode of
Clappy and Frank.
>> It is so exciting to be here for our
11th episode. Everybody should please
enjoy this show. It's going to be
fantastic and amazing. It's something
very unique
>> cuz I know Yudi Cohen is just an
outstanding, happy, positive,
motivational person that just makes you
feel good about yourself.
>> Yeah, bro. That's true. Thank you.
>> So, uh, are you a cousin, a caner?
>> That's a good question.
>> Guy, what you do? Uh well I grew up uh
learning from Kazanas from my father. I
can't say I ever I I was a khazan for
many years in South Africa in
Johannesburg South Africa. Um and I have
a degree in opera. So um
>> you got the paperwork.
>> Yeah, I've got the paperwork. Yeah.
Yeah. Um but I I I sing all kinds of
music today. If you say somebody is a
kazin, it could like red lights start
flashing and you know and bells start
ringing. So it's it's uh I and part of
what I do is being a kazin.
>> What's your goal as a performer?
>> My goal as a performer is to open
people's hearts. Actually that's my goal
to that when I perform I want people to
open up and what they do with those open
hearts. That's their business.
>> How do you do it?
>> How do I open their hearts? How do I
open
>> I think that um music music opens
people's hearts. music when it's sung in
a way that you
uh or more of a vessel as in the asis
would say to the art form or to the
music that goes through you. You music
opens people's hearts as long as you can
remove your ego during the time before
and after you can have a strong ego.
>> We have a wide audience from people from
all different backgrounds in the world
and even in our community when we say
kazin I want to just make a breakdown.
There's a guy's like, "Yeah, Mosha, you
want to go to the Kesh is getting in a
cold, you know, go to the M and you
know, gargo a few pages of then there's
like even a doesn't have a lot of money.
They'll pay somebody5 $10,000 to dash
during the year. Anybody that can read
Hebrews is then there's freed you know
putting out,
you know, like putting out an album
every year getting hired by all the
Jewish places to gig. So there's and
then there's like like a health goat. So
there's like a health goat, there's like
an Aram, there's the Kazan guy that goes
to the Ahmed. Who's your target
audience?
>> Oh, it's a good question.
>> So he's hold on. He's beyond health and
freed. I just want to make
>> He's better than he sings better than
Helfat.
>> Honestly, he's my favorite cousin. Hence
why I
>> But but famous cousin like
>> favorite favorite
>> favorite over Hgot over every
>> over everyone. It's a big
>> Wow, that's quite a thing. That's a
she's a a maven in in in music. But your
style music, you sing both styles, like
a freed and like a health gun.
>> And that was the coolest thing. I was in
Johannesburg, South Africa,
I'm going to say 18 years ago. And I
have this preconceived notion of what a
Kazan looks and sounds like. And I come
and I see this Khazen, this big fancy
show with a 30man choir. He had like a
30 people choir all sitting with their
books and reading notes. And even though
it was so official, he was super
engaging, singing lively songs. It was
not the typical funeral kazanus music
that I thought, you know, that I was
exposed to. So that was the thing that
really captured me and got me super
excited and impressed. I'm a musician
myself and a just a a a high kazin. I
was very impressed and then I saw Yuri I
don't know 15 years later I saw him roll
rolling around back in seven. Are you
that talented guy that that I heard in
South Africa? And anyway,
>> so you were the paid senior Khazan in a
show in South Africa.
>> Yeah. So
>> it's a full-time salary.
>> Yeah, actually. Yeah. Oh, well.
>> So what is what is a Kazan getting paid
let's say 150k a year? What do you do on
a Monday afternoon at 2:00?
>> I I it's a good question. So first of
all, I was involved in business over
there and I was I was blessed that I was
able to do that because I was uh when I
first came there at least I was getting
uh full-time Saturday at the school. So,
I I was involved in business during the
week as well. And I for the first few
years when I was in um uh Johannesburg,
I I studied I did a full degree in
opera. It's a four-year degree where I
was studying full-time. Um
>> what do you do all day? You gargle eggs.
>> How do you study four years to be an
opera singer?
>> Because well, opera is a whole art form.
Opera is not just a voice. Opera is
music. It's acting. It's interpretation.
It's languages.
>> Jackie Mason makes such fun of opera.
Opera. Opera. Got to go to the guy. I
have to go to the opera. You go you go.
You see I'll tell you a funny story. YOU
SEE A BUNCH OF OLD JEWS SLEEPING at the
opera.
>> Yeah, there's a lot there's a lot opera
is an incredible incredible art form.
But one of the funny things there's so
many funny things but one of the funny
things is I grew up in London and we had
a version of Alterra in London. So we
never had any any secular studies.
Secular studies includes uh no English
cuz that would be secular.
>> I thought it was exclusive.
>> No no exclusive to no English education.
>> No English. So we had no English. We
never I never learned how to read or
write English. I never learned
mathematics because for some reason they
thought mathematics was also going for
him. Although the I mean the whole thing
is based on mathematics. It was for him.
So also dogs were also forg you know. We
used to walk in the street and say also
you guys you'd say um what's up
we were saying it on because in London
everybody had a dog. So from the time we
left our house till we got to school
and then if he walked past the church we
would say shak
you know that spit and spit and spit and
spit. Isaiah came from Russia. He would
walk across the road, you would across
the road all day. YOU WERE WALKING AND
>> THE problem was if you were walking past
the church and the dog came by, Zil
which pastor said first. So anyway, so
so we I we never learned.
>> How come people are not into these?
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. My brother-in-law and
Gordon said that in his community in
Tarzana, there's like 20 churches in a
row and every time his grandfather show
Gordon would come, HE WAS LIKE
mumbling and spitting the whole time.
But it's also it's a whole it's a whole
genre like it's also if you like you
make a say
something terrible to someone you say it
automatically reverses the whole thing.
It's a whole kind of genre where nobody
knows exactly where these things all
come from. Actually, we probably do know
but so we never studied I never learned
a word of English. So when I came to do
my degree in opera and opera opera is
studied in many is sung in many
languages. Five main languages opera is
sung English, Italian, German, French
and Russian.
>> Not Latin.
>> Uh well it's all the lot they all based
on Latin languages and Latin no Hebrew
operas.
>> No Hebrew Hebrew. I could just imagine
it'll be the best opera. This is the
best ever.
What do you know? Do you know that
Domingo his first the famous Domingo his
first his first uh um professional
hiring was in the Tel Aviv opera. His
first professional Domingo, the great
he's he's in in the opera world. Some
people consider him the greatest opera
singer ever because he's all an
all-rounded musician. Not necessarily
because of his singing but also because
of his all because when he was hired
he's no come and sing. We don't care.
You know that he doesn't have to be
perfect but that's he started off there.
So we had to we had to study we had to
study language. Now in class I'm
studying Italian. So you get tested. You
have a fair on what you learn. So I get
a great mark in German. I'm studying in
German viten.
I learned that I said they ask a
question. How do you say goodbye
in Italian?
Great. Comes to all of the assignments
in English and I have to write an essay
in English. And the head of department
calls you. She calls me and she said, "I
don't understand. Yi, you're writing
something in English. You can't spell
you. You your grammar is crazy." And she
couldn't understand. I explained I was
in an institution that didn't um didn't
we didn't we didn't learn. I never wrote
it. I never learned how to write uh read
or write English. Have you ever picked
it up?
>> Yeah, I picked it up relatively. See, if
you see our writing, you can still tell
cuz the P's I don't know how to write
the P has to be the top part has to be
on top of the line.
>> Who writes this? Everything's typ
>> and I'm not the only. There's lots of
lots of people who didn't learn how to
read or write English, you know, and
everyone, you know, they're all fine.
Mathematics is another is another
question.
>> We just we just jumped to South Africa.
You grew up in London. I grew up in
London and um I went through the whole
system. I mean I was grew up in in in
Labavich. Um I uh
>> And your father was a Kazan?
>> My father was he was he used to fre
both of my ZAS were um Kazan? My my
father's father was an official Khazan
in England in um
in Sunderland for many years. Miseda my
mother's father Bar Levan was uh also a
billa I mean he the Levan family his
brothers and he knows al
it's the same he's a cousin of so they
um they were they always music was
always a part of the thing I used to go
with my father to uh
remember as a kid there was he was
practicing with a choir downstairs and
he had a onelegged the choir master was
on one leg and he was conducting thing
and I always used to either think he was
going to fall over or not fall over. I
always have this memory of a one-legged
choir conductor.
Isn't the funny memories you ask about a
who what's a mo in the old days a used
to have to be used didn't have to be
shabas but he had to be able to sing.
Today the very mass shabas singing is
just you know as long as he doesn't have
to necessarily be able to sing
>> well toned up what's the worst that will
happen
>> what's the worst they KEEP
>> but but on the on the reverse if the guy
the dening for you on you want somebody
that's here
>> I'm not arguing they say why did Ros
they used to say yel and kat and two of
the great khan they used to say why used
to ask yelma why do get paid so much
more than
was not necessarily aid to put it mildly
and was not only a he was how come you
get paid so much more he said they pay
me also for the still
tell us about your child music career
which sort of went to sleep the past 20
years and the past year sort of awoken
please tell us about that
>> my child music career So I as a kid we
we we the first
>> I would say the most ironic career I've
ever heard in my life. Well, it was it
was an interest it's been it's been an
interesting ride, let's just say. Um, my
first time that I sang sort of a solo on
a recording was we in the Barbage Moist
in London, they made a record they made
an album called Mia
>> Mia
>> Mia because it was uh in memory of Benin
Shantaa song was
he he taught it or he invented it or
some sort. It's an old Russian march
that was picked up somewhere in a cret
or a bar or something and then
transformed to kadusha by bansic. So he
sang. So they that was the name of the
album and I we had songs like and I sang
this and
so
>> just just for history you're how old?
>> I'm 51.
>> 51. So we're talking about 40 years ago
with long time. No, this is this is when
I was eight. So this is like thousands
of years ago, man. This is like
a long time ago
>> in the early 80s.
>> Early 80s. Yeah. Yeah. Early 80s. So we
had that recording and then um uh
>> so you were the solo on this record in
this
>> I was one of the soloists on this
>> and then this it was it was a a tape.
>> It was a tape but still if you go on
Spotify you can find it.
>> They sold it at Jamaica stores in
London. Where
>> they sold it they gave away for free but
it was available on the market.
>> No no it was it was it was an album. It
was sold in those days. Yeah. It was a
tape. It was you know um for those
listeners who don't know what a tape is.
It was a tape. Yeah.
>> Google it.
>> Yeah. So, um we had we made that album
and then um actually my my cousin uh my
cousin Mendy Solomon and Short Hills we
were very close and he actually married
my my cousin but he's also like a
brother and you know we were very close.
He was he knew um of Rosenberg from
Silver Emma through Montreal camp.
>> I remember going I remember going to
Silva Zmer concerts 30 years ago.
>> Yeah. Nowadays, nobody knows because it
doesn't really
you buy tickets in Jamaic World for $18.
I remember going
>> so he convinced that Roseman said, "You
got to get this kid from London or
whatever it was." And we um so I
remember getting the phone call,
whatever it was, I remember when that
call came through in London. So my class
were coming here from London for Yudvat,
a pre-bitzvah trip. Um, and they
contacted my parents, ask if when we're
here, when I'm here, I would be able to
sing for the recordings. Then it was I
remember listening to the first two
albums. You know them.
Oh, those were so gorgeous. Beautiful.
>> I wasn't even born.
>> Yeah. And that and and
that's a classic. Absolutely classic.
>> Those sil was was really was there was
three choirs. There was three main
choirs. There was London School of Jur
Song who I still believed I never sang
for them. I still believe that till
today they were the Mikma
>> who pond
>> London School of J was Salic.
>> He his first yard site was a few days
ago. It was a few hour um music
composition that happened in Arrow on
YouTube.
>> It's amazing. Everybody has to watch it.
It's amazing. No, I think that they were
um
>> delic
and there was no you had in order to
join them you had to approach them and
it was a whole process of approaching
them. As far as I remember hearing they
didn't approach you but as as my story
goes with silver and not only did my
parents not approach them there was a
whole I had to ask if I was allowed to
sing with them once they approached me.
So they definitely want to go. It's it's
borderline abusive, but I'm hearing a
lot of stories out of London. My in-laws
grew up in London and they came from
came close to Labavich and raised my
whatever. It used to be that in London
in the 1970s, '80s, every single thing
was User. Women can't get together for
an event during the week. They have to
meet the family. Kids can't go to mommy
and me. It's it takes away from the
family. Was a lot of what we repression.
What do you call it?
>> You've said it. You said it to put it
mildly. I mean, it's terrible.
>> Yeah, that was very mild too compared to
what it was. That's why these kids in
London, they all run for their lives.
They turn 17. They never they never
decided to stay away. I think Labavich
got it wrong in London.
>> So, it's very interesting because
Labavich in London in the 70s and early
early 80s, very early 80s. I think that
was just the beginning of January 1918.
That's how early 80s, but in the 70s
where they were very much avid.
If you look at the building that
Labavich built in London, this beautiful
building, it was one of the first
Labbavich buildings to have a it had a
gym. The shul was put in the gym. The
gym they they they asked the reb they
should build a mikvah or swimming pool.
They built a swimming pool and all the
comm labavich was very very much in
London originally at the forefront. They
had activities great and something
somewhere along the line something
snapped. I don't know what it was and
from
>> what it was or who it was. I both
related, but I don't know what I don't
know what it was. I I would like to
know. I have in my head some some some
clear signs. I remember when they they
had used to have beautiful rallies. They
had a mita down in the middle in the in
the in the big shul and we were there
were lots of rallies and there were
clowns and and at some point they
decided now that it wasn't good enough
cuz the boys and girls were together in
the same room. They put the girls
downstairs and the boys and it was
almost like an obsession. They started
obsessing with that aspect.
>> Um which most of
more fumach and it comes it comes most
of the time from an unhealthy some
individual who's got an unhealthy
relationship with
>> with the opposite sex or whatever it
might be if I may say that word I said
opposite before it so it's not a
terrible thing so um that and and from
that at some point something changed and
it became literally repressed
>> so the silver zmer
>> so going back to silver so so so I had
to ask mashim now my uncle my my
mother's uncle my great uncle is Mendel
Morazzv So in those days I'm in a
clubasha. There wasn't that many
thousands of us in those days. So my
mother said call fetal to ask him
>> men. Yeah. The famous guy from
>> Yeah. You have to be something like 100
years old or something.
Amazing. So I had to call him to ask him
if
can sing on a on a anything. He said,
"Yeah, no problem." So So I got per I
got the mashim cleared it.
>> Not the London mashim. No, no, no, no.
>> Modern Crown Heights.
>> Modern Kits 100-y old. He wasn't 100 at
the time. He was like, uh, anyway, so he
said, so okay, I came to Crown Heights
and I did the recording for the first
album. They gave me the tape
>> one night. Um, I met Avon Rosenberg. He
has family in in in Crown Heights. I met
Avon Rosenberg. He gave me the tape. He
said, "Okay, take this, learn the songs.
Tomorrow we're going to go to the
studio." Um, my class went to the United
Nations that we were all there on a
class visit. Uh, they went to as a trip.
I went to the studio in Tina.
>> You missed you missed nothing.
>> If that building completely disappeared,
the world will be a better place.
Correct. Build fancy condos. Nuts.
>> So they So I went to uh the studio the
next day and I recorded the first So
that was the first time I was there and
I only recorded solos. I didn't meet I
didn't sing with a choir. So I recorded
>> No, that's
Oh, that one's a big into that. Lakewood
weather.
>> That was Yoshi Green's composition.
>> Still a popular song.
>> Yeah, it's it's a beautiful Oh, it was a
beautiful song. It was a big hit at the
time.
>> And then I sang uh that I sang a few
mitzvah.
>> They paid you.
>> No, no, but they didn't pay me.
>> And how old were you?
>> I was uh mitzvah class was 12. I was 12.
Okay.
>> But they gave me he gave me a gift. He
gave me a big a beautiful double
cassette player JVC and it had auto
reverse. So when the tape came to the
end, you would open it up and
>> they would turn over the thing and he
took me to the pizza store. He said,
"Yi, you could take whatever you want."
I said, "I could take whatever I want. I
can take a pizza with mushrooms and
onions and olives." And like in England,
there was this little tiny kosher pizza
shop in Gold's Green called Coach Arena
and only privileged people went. Yeah.
It was a It was like a
>> So I came to America and he said, "You
can have as whatever pizza you want." I
mean, I think I took some I probably
have some left over now in my pocket
from when I was there. But um and it was
a Yeah, that that's that was the first
time I did it and the next year I came
back and recorded the the
>> So after that recording, did you become
a star in London? Did people how that
>> it was?
>> Did you never met any of the choir
members like people knew?
>> I never met I met I met one of them the
following year when I went to do the
next recordings and
>> you never performed with him.
>> I never performed him. I'm trying to
understand you're doing solos for these
top songs and the choir that's going to
do the background, they're not even
meeting you. It's like they're mixing it
later on.
>> So, the way the way these things work
work anyways with these recordings and
those kinds of things, uh I think if you
have like certain bands and certain rock
bands and stuff like that, they'll
they'll be in a studio together and do a
lot of the stuff together where they
sort of uh uh compartmentalize. I don't
know what it's called. The different
tracks, you know, as they're singing,
they'll they they have a way to record
everybody's
>> these these kinds of things are done
where the music is pre-recorded, then
they the choir comes into the studio at
a later date and sings the songs and the
soloist come in afterwards and fill in
the gap.
>> Even those days, they had good
technology.
>> Yeah. Even though they had a 24 was
called a 24 track thing. Yeah.
>> So, so you became a star from your
soloist, but there was recognition in
London, New York. People knew you exist.
Like what was that
>> scene? What was a snapshot of that time
frame and you and them and your fans and
people knowing about you?
>> First of all, there's no YouTube those
days. There's no Instagram. There's no
Facebook. So, you could be
>> You never even record with them.
>> No, but he could be a popular voice that
hundreds of thousands of people are
listening to, but they don't have the
face and the voice together. So, you
could walk down the streets in London
and they could be listening to music,
but they don't know who you are. And and
and there's a lot
>> asking what's the snapshot of time.
>> So, at the time, um I knew it was it was
a good feeling. and I was a kid and I
knew that I had sung on this
international thing but there was a lot
of uh how do I say this I don't want to
come over negative there was a lot of
baggage that came with it because I was
supposed to be this kid and it was
almost like it was against even though I
was allowed to sing it was almost like
then
the one of the first
you know what I mean yes
so so it was it was there was a lot of
it wasn't like a normal kid, not normal,
another kid or a kid who you're singing
great, beautiful, it's you guy,
whatever. There was a lot of so and then
later on there was a whole story where
they wanted to make a there was a
concert in London. Somebody brought them
out specifically because I was a
soloist. There was a great um balbasa
his name was Bobby Vogle
>> and a big philanthropist a big balaka
and he was a big Askan and he his until
today actually his family are the ones
the keepers of the yes yeshiva in
kingsley way um it's been like that for
years and he um wanted to make a concert
fundraiser for the yeshiva so he figured
we've got this local kid
>> who's a star
>> who's a star who's an international
soloist let's bring out Silva Zama and
let's make a concert and he'll his
solos. So they made the concert. They
made the concert. Uh they bought out
Silva Zamb. They were bringing out Silva
Zammer and Araf Freed. So
I got a call from my parents get a call
from Avon Rosenberg. We're making a
concert. Can Yuri sing? Ask him.
So we had So they're writing into the
Reb. They're writing into the Reb on on
an anecdote on this. It's a funny story
because my father once bumped into um
guy's name is Vel Pastanak. Vel Passanak
wrote the book wrote all the music books
called Tara melodies.
>> So he told my father when they were
doing when they were recording
>> you know the original. Now if at that
time there was and there was there was
these these various albums or various
recordings of the like you know post 60s
or postwar 60s. So recording, they were
recording the maj.
And there was a few, you know, of those.
So
>> rabbi sons.
>> Yeah. I think the rabbi sons was a
little bit laid out.
>> The chads.
>> Huh?
>> The chads. The rabbi sons are chad.
>> Yeah. Yeah. So when he says he told my
father a story, he he could never he
could never get it done with because
every time he wanted to do something
that somebody disagreed, he said, "We
have to write into the rabbi." He was
trying to run a choir.
Every time he wanted to do a harmony
that somebody disagreed with, they said
we got to write into the Anyway, so my
parents said we have to write into the
>> They should have moved the choir into
the Z 770.
>> They could have a quick right away.
Anyway, so my parents um decided that I
have to have to write to the Reb. So
they wrote to the Reba and already from
that point on there was for me it was
like just I was a kid and I but I could
never get my head around it. You know
sometimes as a kid you could you go
through a stage where you're being
disciplined or whatever you you
understand okay you may not may not feel
good that your parents are but you feel
that it's right you deserve it even then
I could not get my head around it it
made no sense to me um and they the rebb
wrote back I remember waiting did they
ever write back's going to you could
think anyways eventually a couple of
days after they wrote and the reb said
shilus ra kabat ask kalatian ask kabat
so who so my parents went to the same
rabbi whatever who they and and and
whatever it's not a question of this is
the story this is factual what happened
and uh the guy the rabbi said it's not
for to be singing on stage
>> imagine 2020
>> destroy your kids
>> that so I don't know you know today I
don't really have any trouble from it at
all but I mean I I'm saying like you
don't know you don't you don't actually
know what I think now these years later
I'm thinking about it and I'm thinking
it must have done some had But at the
time it was very traumatic. It was it
was I couldn't
>> I think they asked the wrong rub. He
should have said of course it's good for
the kids.
>> Well yeah my my parents asked the r they
wanted to ask. It's also uh you know
what I mean it's part of the whole
thing. So they they anyway so they they
they alert
>> and I remember they would Bobby Vogle
could not say he's calling whoever it
was and like why don't you let this kid
sing and whatever it was but in the
other day
>> the choir came
>> and did you hear it? My father took me
that night when the the concert was in
London. He drove me to Manchester so
that I shouldn't feel upset.
>> What I'm really upset about is that
they're making the choir in the lab to
fund raise for the lab. SO BRING A NOTE
KID BECAUSE HE DIDN'T ask that didn't
say it's not.
>> Well, they they didn't. They got one of
the kids from the one of the other kids
in the choir to sing the solos.
>> You don't understand. They have to bring
the guy the notab kid to sing for the
lab kid. But the lab kid that's SUPPOSED
TO SIT IN THE CROWD, HE can't watch it.
If it's not enough, DON'T BRING THE
CHOIR. STAY HOME AND EAT PIZZA. Which is
also
>> Well, if he could have, he probably
would have cancelled the
>> No, I'm very angry about the story.
>> Yes. Thank you. Thank you. No,
>> I think that
>> these stories, it's such a
contradiction. Don't bring the Bobby V.
DON'T BRING THE CHOIR into it.
>> If the Labavich kid can't be in the
choir, shut it down. No choir.
>> Bobby persist. Actually, it was Adra,
but he
>> he wanted you. No, he he persisted in
bringing them even though look the guys
in London the same rabbis who had who
didn't who said I shouldn't sing they
used to ban every concert I' freed they
banned him they banned him they banned
all these guys that's was the same it
was the same
>> you understand what I'm saying don't if
the choir is not don't bring it into
make a fundraiser if it's good enough
then you coin singing
>> got it so you were a star locally in
London yes or no
>> yeah pretty much
>> yes I mean when you came to New York
people recognize you or Yeah. Well, the
the kids in the community all knew that
I had, you know, those people knew. And
uh
>> so you're the anonymous child star.
>> Well, yeah,
>> cuz now I know when you walk around
night with you, everyone like start
singing your solos.
>> It's such a funny thing. It's 40 years
later
>> and they're all singing a solo.
>> It's such a weird thing. It's 40 years
later. I mean, I hadn't even reached
puberty at the time. I was like now I'm
like, "All right, look at my beard." And
then and you know, and it's like I I I
was telling somebody a lesson. It's a
very important thing. Why?
>> But I put him back in we put him back in
the studio and he re-recorded. We put
out
>> I have to check out the views now. But
it's at what we before 6,000. Let me
check.
>> It increased over Shabas exponentially.
After by the way after this rev after
you said you were still doing recordings
for Sulama
>> and I that was I had done the two that
was the two that I had done that he
didn't say no he said publicly. Uh but I
had done the two that was it. Those are
the two albums that I did and then my by
by the next time my voice had already uh
I did volume three and silver volume
four.
>> So could we skip cloud to skip? I know
you're like counting every year every
day every month.
>> Skip skip jump.
Sorry.
When did you get your first full paying
gig? How old were you?
>> My first paying gig
>> like full-time
>> a full-time job. Um I
>> you know let me take it back. When was
the first time you got paid normally or
like anything? The first time I got it
pizza not pizza first time I got paid
>> where when what
>> was Bobby Vogle
he had no he had a before he was a big
fan of my singer I used to go there's
videos now I just now just surfaced
recently of me singing in his house
purim uh kalbak stuff you know he he he
had a birthday his family made a
birthday party for him I don't remember
how old I was I think I was pre silver
days even and he uh he had a party and
they got me to sing at the party and I
got a check for £100. Now we're talking
about
>> How many years ago is this?
>> 30. It must be worth like
>> $500 today.
>> $25,000
today. I was
>> Yeah. For me, a little kid, it was a lot
of That was the first time I was ever
probably was the first guy who paid
>> the next time.
>> Like many years later.
>> 20.
>> No, no, no. So the next time I I I I
fulltime was in South Africa when I went
to South Africa.
>> But you did get yarn gigs before.
>> Yeah. I did. I did my differentim uh you
know um and uh but the first full-time
kavay
>> Cape Town
>> position was actually you know in Oxford
school in Johannesburg.
>> I went there as a bach after I finished
um
and everything like that.
>> Do you recommend the career?
>> Do I recommend the career?
>> Yeah.
>> Well, he did answer the question. What
was his first paid gig? He said so how
did you get the gig?
>> I was there as a I went out to teach. I
was sitting in 770 actually cuz you know
I was after SMA and you know the regular
thing where
>> I was learning yeah and sitting there
and a friend of mine uh came to me said
to me you want to go to South Africa he
was teaching they need to teach us so
and the Torah academy which is the kabat
school you know go out to teach in the
schools and I went out there and when I
was there I damed one shabas at Oxford
Shul and then there kazen who had been
had left previous Ahri Klein who just
passed away recently
He had uh recently left and he um they
they said do you want to come back for
Kipa cuz I was in 770 and I said yeah I
came out then they offered me the
full-time position and you're you're
single
>> I was single
>> and they're going to offer you I
understand they're going to offer you a
full-time gig in the show as a single
buck. Yeah, I was that good.
>> It's not like it's not like they weren't
married, stability, family.
>> Yeah, I did. But you know what I mean? I
grew up in Stata. Didn't know anything
about stability or anything like that.
So, you know, um we uh Yeah,
>> you didn't have to ask my
singing a show.
>> Yeah. If I had to if I asked Mash for
all the things I did subsequently.
>> Yeah.
>> So, they hired you to be the full-time.
>> So, they hired me.
Then I remember they said maybe you want
to carry on. I went back to New York and
I was I for the the few years that I was
at that school I was almost like coming
back to New York and there coming back
and forth. So it was um it was um yeah
it was pretty it was cool. It was
amazing.
>> What kind of money are we talking about?
>> It was in those days it was good money.
Uh it was
>> in the equivalent of 50 60,000 a year
more 100k a year.
>> Yeah it was I don't remember exactly the
amount making a lot.
>> I was making a lot. I didn't know what
to do. I never had any money. So I was
just basically I mean I I was making I
was being paid in dollars as well at the
time. And um you see South Africa at
that time was at almost at the tail end
of its of its um Kazanus thing. South
Africa was very into every sh had a
kazin and everything like that. And I
think that almost like I was like the
bridge between the old kind of thing and
the new because even when I got it once
I got once I did become uh full-time I
changed the style because I grew up with
I grew up with with both styles and I
changed the style into being very much a
participatory style of singing and
>> what's the hardest part of being a
cousin
>> of being of the career or of singing?
career.
>> The hardest part of the career career.
It's not being in music. You know, there
there is a uh a famous rock star. I
don't know what don't remember who it
was that said music is spiritual. The
music business is not. And that's the
way it is. Um there's I've had some
interesting experiences from other
people who have in this industry who
actually literally
um proven that point. So I I I would say
that but I've also had a wonderful
amazing things. Um, if somebody came to
me today said to me, a youngster came to
me, I want to be a Kaz and I want to do
it as a career. I would be very hesitant
to tell any anybody to get into music.
It's music and arts is not an easy um
you have to do it because you're so
passionate about it or because it's it's
you it's your natural evolution towards
that towards that stage.
>> So, should we do podcasting or do you
think
>> podcasting is a highly recommended
podcasting?
>> It's an art format. We really have to
love it.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So you think
>> I think I think a podcast No, but it's
it's the in thing now also. It's a
trending thing and um you know, you
don't necessarily have to be Shabas to
do a podcast.
>> Don't ask me if I should have you.
>> Exactly.
>> So you you're a Bakar in 770. You've
flown here to this cool show. They think
you're amazing and talented, not just
for a full year getting paid in US
dollars. You're living the life.
>> I'm absolutely living the life.
>> Back and forth New York, South Africa.
>> It was It was amazing. I and I fell in
love with South Africa because the the
Yiddish kite over there, the country and
the Judaism was the complete opposite of
everything that I was brought up with.
It was a it was and it still is. It was
a joyous Yiddish kite. A Yiddish kite
where they loved being they were proud
to walk in the street with a yamoka. I
grew up every day somebody would curse
me. Jew boy in London. I remember
somebody throwing a brick at my mother
and uh we grew up with anti-semitism was
a daily thing in London.
>> So it's not new in London. All this
anti-mitism. No, no, no. It's just gone
much worse and it's evolved into a
different kind of form which is much
that's another whole story. But we grew
up Europe anybody who grew up in Europe
as a as a as a Jew in the street walking
with a yamoka would have experienced it.
Um in South Africa it was and and also
the the kind of Judaism that we had was
very severe. It was very oppressive. It
was um um but there it just was it was
just it was joyous bar. Ah, it was
gorgeous and people lived life and
people knew how to, you know, you have
to they enjoyed life. You have to enjoy
life. You want to have Yiddish proper
Yiddish, you have to enjoy it. You have
to love it. You have to love life. You
can love the Aster if you love life. If
you don't love life and you're not
living it,
>> they should have shipped they should
have shipped the Raanam in London to
South Africa for a few weeks. Get them
like retrained.
>> It's the British Commonwealth. You think
>> I think they probably offered, but South
Africa didn't want to take them.
They offered to send in there for a
while. But um yeah and I I wouldn't say
also it wasn't all rub it wasn't all
people in London it was specifically
where I grew up but just generally
England is a different kind of
environment.
>> So so what happens with this career and
this this this kazen gig is that how you
married somebody from South Africa.
>> I ended up I was there as a buck for
sure I was there for a long time. I met
my wife in South Africa
and again people like
name of
you know what I'm saying.
Yeah. But there
time will tell.
>> You ever composed?
>> I never composed.
>> You want to?
>> I would love to.
>> But you don't have it.
>> I I I I I I
not not I haven't tried enough. It's
not. But the truth is I don't believe in
composing something that you if you have
to try too hard
then it's not really something composing
has to come from a a deeper place, you
know. Um and but I is my intention to do
some of that too.
>> Maybe AI can help you with that. Maybe.
>> Have you tried to use AI to compose?
>> Yeah, I I I will.
>> You will.
>> It's might shabas. We've never had
somebody on a mitz shabas that was also
a musician. Maybe you could sing. Give
give the audience the tens of thousands
of people. Give them a taste of your
beautiful voice.
>> Um there's a there's a beautiful Omar
Shamlakov. I grew up listen my father
used to listen to to Majunim.
I love majunim and I'd love to do
something like that like just have an
evening where we get a few together
>> and sing majun and then I have another
evening for the bab
>> guitars guitars
>> yeah guitars or instruments but there's
a lot of out there and from who knows
maj were very very very special
>> and see shanker was big in maj he was a
big composer right
>> he composed a lot of the nagun your
famous story where the maj where the maj
composed escar
>> yeah when he was a surgery
>> he was getting Um yeah, it's hard.
>> It's a surgery. They didn't have any um
anesthetic and he didn't feel it or
something.
>> Yeah, that's the part.
>> What's your favorite part of performing?
>> My favorite part of performing
connecting with people. That's that's
because that's also when I know that I'm
I'm doing what I when I'm on stage and I
forget about me. It sounds strange, but
that's the way it is. So if you hear the
audience,
>> if I if I am on stage and at that moment
Yuri Cohen comes into the equation, it's
it's it it interferes between but if I
lose myself um to the music or to the
whatever it is, you become a kay for the
air that comes through it and then those
moments are it's a they call it in
sports or whatever it's called getting
into the zone. Those moments are almost
euphoric because you just lose yourself
and it's like
>> who's your favorite Jewish composer?
When you say Jewish,
>> you mean?
>> Yeah. Uh, yeah. My my I grew up Yasler
Rosenblat was my was my uh
>> that band music
>> was my was my king was
>> my favorite favorite. He's your favorite
composer.
>> Yeah. And Kalbach I mean his music I
these are so Yas
the guys who Yas Rosen Blood I would say
Yaslbach
and yeah those two
>> if you had to volunteer to sing what
song which type of music would you sing?
>> It's a very hard question to answer.
>> Oh god every everyone I mean
>> or what do you what do you sing?
>> I sang opera on stage. That's another
coming from from Smika. I just finished
and I few a couple of years later I'm
doing the role of Carmon on stage. That
was quite a jump
>> a metamor quite a jump. Yeah. But I
think that there's something about that.
There's something about opera that is
just
>> uh there's no there's nothing. It's a
genre. It's a genre of music that is
absolutely incredible. That's one thing.
There's moments. Um
>> how often do you go to operas?
>> I go when I can go. And Atlanta has
>> Atlanta has they just have now a
Traviata Traviata which was the last
role that I did before I left South
Africa.
>> Did you just have it?
>> Did you dabble in operas in Atlanta? Not
yet.
>> Not yet. No. So what if I have a problem
because of my ear now?
>> What's the problem with your ear?
>> I before I left South Africa I had an
operation on my sinuses and um in London
what's called the National Health
Service. It takes you a long a long time
to get an appointment and even when you
do then the followup is like you know
>> sounds like Canada.
>> Yeah. It takes like I
>> universal healthcare is terrible.
>> Yeah. So I can't blame it cuz everything
is supposed to be exactly how it's
supposed to be. But the way it unfolded
I'll be tea was that it took a long time
to get things done and the buildup of
fluid caused me to lose a lot of my
hearing in my left ear. So if I'm
>> which is the worst thing for a musician.
>> It's it's crazy. It's it's but the flip
side to it is incredible.
>> Silver lining. Huh. The silver lining is
that I there that was a part of the
technique that I was trying to get for
many years. I've been trying to get
forever.
>> What is it?
>> And it was a blockage. It's it's almost
about the lower opera is very much um uh
uses its main thing actually is the
lower chest voice. So um if you sing for
example, if you watch a lot of the even
today, they sing very much in their
head. It's like it's like I'll give
>> nasal is called nasal music. It's it's
it's this almost this forward height
placement which is like a very much a uh
if I give me
it's a very high place voice and opera
is very very much the the foundation the
fundamental is completely the opposite.
It's based on the chess. So it would be
and then you superimpose the top on top
of that. So, it would be very much um
um I don't know.
You got a lot of the bottom part of the
voice. Um how did I get onto this? I
can't remember what it was. I can't
remember what the question.
>> The hearing. The hearing.
>> Oh, so the hearing. But when I'm
singing,
>> I still don't know how I got on to that,
but when I'm singing, it's very hard for
me to hear
the outside
music. Now, if you're singing uh let's
say pop music or I'm singing a concert,
I can have a I can have a sound monitor
>> that plays or inear monitor that plays,
right?
>> But opera is sung without any
amplification.
>> So you I'm standing on stage singing.
There's a massive orchestra and there's
no microphones, there's no sound and so
it's difficult it's difficult for me to
hear what they're doing. So I I have
since this I haven't even bothered.
>> Perfect. So now you only have time for
>> and Jewish music. So
probably so happy.
>> Yi what's what how do you classify
Jewish music? Said this what's Jewish?
What's
>> Jewish? There are modal there's modes in
music. There are different modes of
music.
>> A lot of the music today coming out is
like totally there's nothing Jewish
about it. They take something from Z 100
and they put in a few
>> it depends what you def what is the
definition of Jewish music.
>> I think that a lot of times in the from
community if they start doing something
then they call it Jewish and if they
don't do it they call it not Jewish. You
know what I mean? That's they kind of
cultural appropriation in a way a lot of
it. Um in music there's what's called
modes. Um in the the the most simple
modes are minor and major major and
minora da da da da da da da da that was
actually frigish which is another which
is very much a lot of um minor is da da
da da
da da da da that's major and minor is in
minor there's a few versions but the
simple version is
that's another one mode that's a
different mode but it's not minor but
anyway minor is let's keep it simple.
>> Yeah, keeping it simple. There's
different modes. So, there are different
uh uh um locations, geographical
locations in the world that their folk
music used different kind of uh modes.
So, scales. So, you will have the
Carpathian Mountains, which is some of
the songs you'll have if you look at the
past, the lab, the past. Uh how does it
go? Remember? Okay. Anyway, that's very
much it's got the feeling of it's in the
mountains. It's got that feeling. It's
it's it's a it's a feels like a a
shepherd in the mountains and because
it's it's made the music is is consists
of certain modes. So Jewish music
technically what they would call klesma
is is is um a lot of it is based on
certain kind of modal music that was
common in Jewish folk music in specific
locations
but but but kabad nigunim you is a kabad
niggan are is nigunim that that are
composed within and and and part of the
kabad culture. So did it reflect the
European the Russian or Ukrainian
whatever surroundings of village music
or was it own little
>> what what's that
>> did the kaban music reflect the
Ukrainian
>> yes a lot of it does very much a lot of
it very much does yes
>> the rebum took music that was not Jewish
and they made it into Jewish music like
Napoleon's march orun
like the Russian and national anthem
>> French
>> could anybody take Jewish a not Jewish
song now and make it Jewish like
>> again when you say Jewish they made it
they they almost made it religious They
turned it into a religious music. They
turned it into an exper a part of the
religious uh experience. That's the
difference in saying it became Jewish
music. You want to talk about taking
music and using it for a hashem. Then
it's like anything else in the world.
Music is a neutral force.
>> If I hear a song, if there's a song on Z
100 and it's really resonating me, can I
put the songs up like Ash?
>> Absolutely. Just do what everyone else
is doing. There's some guys I mean Yeden
Yeden that's a German song that was
banned in London. All the they're upon
him. None of the Kadashia put out big
signs and uh it was banned. That song
was banned. I mean a lot of the songs
other guys that um uh uh use a lot of
like
>> Soak
what about him?
>> Original, right?
>> No, he he he all most of his songs but
he does
>> a lot of people banak music.
>> Oh, they banned it. Yes.
>> A lot of people are banned by they
banned. I'll tell you a story that
>> because people are very quick to judge
>> to judge and it's very easy to cancel
culture. He was like one of the first
who was canceled. Okay. So I'm not going
to go into his whole uh polit political
situation that he tells a story that he
had with his fellow here in 770 when he
was a bach. He was here from lake. He
was learning in lake with him and his
brother.
>> Yeah. And so he he'll you can hear a
story himself. We go on on YouTube. I'll
tell you a story that I was by um I was
a in Melbourne as a a Sydney as a bach
and we went to Melbourne like as bakham
the kinlook kind of bakham from Sydney
and we went to Melbourne we fabangled a
lot with Ichim Groner and I may grer
told me this story and I'm I'm sure I
heard it from him directly I'm sure it
was that or I heard the story anyway
somebody he asked the Rebok was coming
to Australia and he asked the Reb about
whether he should bring him into her
concert whether he should make a concert
with him. Uh and the Reb said something
to the extent of not making a concert
with him in the mosid and when he came
he was very cold to him and he it was
his contemporary he was a contemporary
of his and he said he realized after he
made a big mistake the had told him
don't make a concert in the mid because
it's not Indian it's not our Indian be
of him
>> but he's your friend that that that
doesn't mean you you don't talk to him
that doesn't mean you don't you know so
um look
in when he was alive the
spat on him. They were they were
disgusting to him. You now you go to buy
a piece of kul in the shop and all you
hear is these singing stuff the whole
day wherever you go they're all singing
he's making kumites and making things.
>> But back in what was the music around
was just was the rabbi sons. What was
around?
>> Yeah. Yeah. It was it was you had you
had you had you had um you had maj you
had the rabbi sons you had the you had
the different you had you had there was
something called jeep or jeep
>> jeep jim
I think that was from them they had like
you know there was those songs
>> you hear that that that sounds like you
listen to that and you become not from
>> actually the music was the music was
good later on the music became quite
different but in those days the music
Because these guys a lot of these who
were making these music were trained
secularly were were had you know uh Sham
Kabak by the way sings some songs like
Cinnamon from Nina Simone I mean Nina
Simone was a famous um black jazz singer
and she sings a song Cinnamon um uh
talking about you know when you sin it
was it's a religious song and and Slay
MBA sings it cinnamon it's beautiful how
he sings he sings yeah he sings that
song he sings someone is singing the
Lord.
You hear Schlama singing that. Um
>> so Yi, so what's Jewish music? Just it
happens to be that Jewish people from
people saying it and that's
>> from people call Jewish music what they
listen to, right? Because they call
that's their point of reference.
>> Uh Jewish music. It's it's religious
Jewish music. Yes. It's it's uh music
made up of somebody later on Yashi Green
started composing songs that were also
more creative in the in the where they
the lyrics because you know
AB Rottenberg has like nice words in
English just stories that he like takes
a guitar and hums to it. It's like
nothing.
>> But a lot of a lot of the original songs
were like they would just take a P and
see what you can do. So the lyrics the
lyrics didn't actually have much much uh
cuz they were just uh now there's a lot
of creative stuff coming out now. I
think there's a lot of
>> Who's your favorite uh comp living from
composer today?
>> Living from composer.
>> Um who composes? I I I think there's a
few good ones. Yasi Green is still gems.
He's still your favorite as a Yasi Green
would say I would say. Yeah.
>> Who's your favorite Jewish film singer
today?
>> Um
>> I would take you Shere Boy probably.
>> He's very good.
>> Yeah.
>> So you're you get married in South
Africa.
>> Back to the days.
>> You get married in South Africa and I
want to know if somebody wants to go
into this music as a career. I just want
to know where your career took you
throughout your life. in South Africa. I
was the cousin of the of of the biggest
shul how many years for before I came
here before I left 16 years.
>> You were in one sh 16 years.
>> I was in a few different sh
>> and they paid well
>> and then I went to a sh that I stayed
there for 16 years. They started paying
me well but the rand the currency of the
rand literally crashed.
>> Don't they have to pay you what's good
according to what standard of living?
>> It it doesn't matter because what
happens is if the currency there's a
limit to how much they can increase
that's the way it works. So when a
currency crashes the regular people they
they struggle with stuff. So that's what
happened. So although initially I was
paid very well as time went by um it was
no longer
>> and the show that you were the wasab but
it had a laby Goldman was
>> oh Goldman the famous rabbi
>> famous rabbi
>> you were you were the in what's it
called?
Ah okay okay. He wrote a book I saw at
the spir store about
>> and I got as a I got on very well with
all the rabbi on him that
>> you were in his sh 16 years.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> And how many you had that that's what
you had a 30 piece choir singing with
you?
>> Uh 30 I mean between it was it around 18
18 to 19. Yeah.
>> Kai choir 18 to 19. A few of them passed
away as the years went by
>> and they weren't replaced.
>> They weren't replaced because as soon as
they were replaced more passed away. No
I'm kidding. They weren't guys. If you
see this I'm just joking.
>> They weren't replaced because the rans
wasn't paying enough. They were actually
most of them were volunteers but there
was when I when I started there there
was there was a who had been singing in
SH choirs for years. It was really
beautiful. It was I missed I missed
those pieces. I missed singing those.
>> We had kippa we had so the the shul has
1400 seats and the first was fully
kippa. So imagine that you you see when
when you talked about when when the
basos is described in all its glory mish
who I didn't see the the building of of
Herod you never saw an eye so there was
there was beauty there was gorgeous
architecture there was gold there was it
was gorgeous so you had the senses were
all being engaged when somebody went in
the old days
will explain what's it was an emotional
journey you had you were bringing your
carbonas whatever it was and you had a
choir standing on the side. They were
singing. So you it was a journey. What
happened with Schulz is they slowly but
slowly removed a lot of the elements of
the actual personal emotional journey of
>> That's terrible. Absolutely terrible.
>> So but it wasn't only the building. Now
you have a very so okay so but anyways
when I when I first started we had a so
it was let's say 1 1400 people
wearing kettles and talles gigantic
building big big uh sanctuary the white
on the bimma and the aurin opens you
have 1520 cifer in there and people are
standing it was it was magnificent and
we had
>> yeah we would sing and we would sing
these these these glorious ious
compositions with a choir. It was I miss
I I missed that. The times have changed
and there's no
>> coming back. No, never never. There are
a certain amount of occasional schools
that would want that, but it's there's
young sat developers and there's young
five town kids that have $100 million
and Louis Shiner gets in the mood of
putting a show up with a 30piece kazin
band and he wants to write you a fat
check. Why can't it happen?
>> Oh, if he does that, it can't happen.
>> No, no, THE GUYS ARE BLOWING MONEY on
private jets. No, no, because because
times have changed and and music is a
represent rep is a is a reflection of
the c it's a cultural expression and
what people want to hear. So although I
I say although I miss it very much, I
don't I don't uh mourn its passing like
some people say, "Oh, it's a terrible
thing we used to do this." Okay. Yeah.
>> How many of these shows are left in the
world today
>> that do that kind of thing on a regular
>> bas? Few years ago on a Friday night I
went to the great synagogue in Jerusalem
across the street from the Leonardo
Hotel and this is exactly what you're
describing. Grand glory, hundreds of
seats. The one time I think in my life I
actually experienced this. It's like a
30 piece. I mean I don't have to
volunteer paid. I don't know who was
paid not paid. I wasn't involved in the
checks but and I was sitting there and I
was and I'm not the biggest cousin guy
and I loved it. It was amazing.
>> So you can go there and you would enjoy
it once in a while when you visit there,
right? But you wouldn't go and sit there
every Friday night. Am I right?
>> I know. I don't know.
>> I I know. I know because I personally
also wouldn't.
>> You would you were doing it and you
didn't like it?
>> I would. No, no, no. If I was doing it
and I would I would
>> Would this have this this this
experience that you described on Keeper
Night? What was going on on Paris Vera
on that show on a regular Friday night?
>> Uh so there was in the in the days when
I first started there was probably
between 500 and 600 people on a Friday
night and we had the same thing. So the
D
>> you did the Kazanas with the 30 people
on a Friday night.
>> 18 18
>> 18 people on a Friday night.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
>> And how long was it from when you walked
into the show? I'll tell you.
>> No, no, it was it wasn't that long. It
was maybe from It was between 6:00 and
7. No, it wasn't that long. And then
later on I started singing with the
choir more upbeat stuff. So I we sang
together with the choir changed the
style and I together with the choir we'd
get the people involved. And when I
first started going there and I started
clapping, they thought I was off my
rockers. They were right, but it had
nothing to do with the clapping. But I'm
saying like they they um they they it
was something foreign to them. But now
that's become the norm.
>> And this show that you were at for 16
years, they still have such a thing.
>> They have it, but it's very different.
There's no the choir and it's like a
there's a um it's very much like almost
like a wedding kind. The the kazin is
like is a wedding singer. He's very good
at what he does, which is it's it's a
very different kind of um
>> experience.
>> Experience not not like it.
>> How often did you have to practice with
these 18 people?
>> We had we had a rehearsal every
Thursday. Every Thursday. Every week. I
wouldn't necessarily go to every
rehearsal because they had a lot of work
that they had to do, but when I when
they had finished doing their part and I
would have to come in, I would go in
there. So, I was I was there often every
>> I understand. You're the guy getting
paid the big bucks. They're the
volunteers. You don't even have to show
up and you're the one that being paid
for this.
>> That's a good It's a good point. I never
thought of that.
>> That's a good life. And now you're
>> they did a the guys they enjoyed it.
It's the people who do these things
experience.
>> It's it's beautiful. I would love to see
when when we when you know how that
feeling is when people are singing
together the whole community guys have
never experienced singing in harmony a
fourpart harmony where you have the
different voices it comes there's
something about it that's so beautiful
and so so special do you know what I
mean that's very
>> and now you're currently touring and
where do you live now
>> I live in Atlanta I moved to Atlanta the
bastion of Kazanas
>> I met a guy on Friday on Friday this
Friday I met a he's His name is
Jacobson. He was walking to his mother's
house, coming from the grocery store
with like 30 bags. And I said, a guy
shleing so much, whatever. Anyway, take
a long story short. I asked him how many
young from
families moving moved to Atlanta in the
last 15 years. I wanted to give a broad
span. I said guys between 20 and 50. He
said over a 100 families. 100. That's a
lot.
>> Yeah.
>> Where did this renaissance happen?
>> It's a beautiful place. And I have to
give credit to Rabbi, you know, Yasi and
Dasinu who have done something because
when you have a place like that, the
same way as in the opposite way in
London, they destroyed the place. It's a
very big sign of the leadership.
>> Wasn't it South African destination for
a while?
>> What's that? Yeah. Yeah. A lot of South
Africans went and they've obviously done
something.
>> South Africans go from South Africa to
Atlanta, Georgia.
>> A lot of South Africa.
>> What do they have in common? Peach
Trees. I'm saying
>> No, it's very it's it's very similar.
It's the most similar place to
Johannesburg that I have been to outside
of Johannesburg.
It's it's it's it's very open. There's
big big space.
>> Oh, by the way, shout out to very close
friends. Misha is new.
>> Yeah. Okay. Hey, is how's it? Great guy.
I And they've done they've done
something that created that environment
that that that attracted lots of young
uh
>> So, you're in South Africa for over 20
years.
>> I'm in South I was in South Africa more
than 20 years. Yeah.
>> And how did you choose Atlanta, Georgia
as the next
>> We first went to London. I moved to
London.
>> Oh, you went back to the abuse.
>> I went back to London.
>> You can't get away from there.
>> Yeah. Yeah. It's crazy, huh? Well,
actually, because London is actually a
very beautiful city. London is a
gorgeous city. London has culture and if
you're not being held down and crushed
by some lunatics, London is a gorgeous
city. So, my kids are British, I'm
British. So, we figured that the easy we
America was always the uh
>> the the destination, but we thought it
would be easier the transition from
South Africa, go to London. Um, and
London is London is
you tell us about your current touring
and uh Kazan's career today
uh November 15th.
Um my current what I currently do is I
um I have a a show that I take around to
communities and other places if they
want to offer at a concert where I take
the different styles of my music that I
have um that I sing which is opera
musical theater um and also uh uh like
if it's before Yam I'll sing songs that
are re you know to that YTV but it's
songs that that people can relate to
that are not necessarily listening to
what you call Jewish music.
>> So, it's songs that regular um people
relate to.
>> So, if Kabad House if Kabad House is
making a fundraiser and they want to
bring somebody, it's not the regular box
that I'm not going to say names of the
regular, you know, Tom Dick and Harry
singers that everybody's using, they
could bring somebody like you that could
do something unique. Absolutely. Unique
compositions.
>> Yeah. Yeah. So, I could do all the
Exactly.
>> Opra all mix.
>> Yeah. All mix. And and I also I'm very
into
>> uh I mean I as I say I I I went to
Africa quite far away but in the end of
the day um I I I find myself giving the
Reb's message and uh that's something
that maybe I maybe for a long time I
>> take out a pushka on stage and you do
the dollar before
>> it's not that it's that I I always
attach my my my shows are very much
about giving a message. So I'll sing
let's say if in if it's an opera song
I'll somehow relate it to the the the
message that I'm trying to give. Right
now I'm my focus of my message is that
uh is about Jewish pride not in a way of
Jewish pride but in a way of Jewish
pride as we learned in being you know
and we need to be strong about that. We
need to be telling ourselves that so we
have that confidence that we go out
there into the world today and and
beyond reason we we have a strong
confidence in who we are. That's very
much the message of my show.
>> And what's we finally have a direct uh
connection between Bill Tongue and our
guest, our sponsor, Crown Adventure.
Beauty, tell us what Bill Tongue is.
>> Let me have a taste of this. I'll tell
you exactly. Here one second. Just
>> he's from South Africa. He knows.
>> Yeah. Yeah.
>> Billong Bil tongue is a it's a dried
cured meat. It's a very um South African
thing. And in South Africa, it's um uh
served, you know, as a snack. And uh
it's our kids grew up with Bill Tong. So
I'm about to tell you now if this is
worthy of Is it South African or
African?
>> Hope I don't lose our sponsor.
>> It's made in Connecticut. No, it's made
in Connecticut.
>> The first thing you have to do is you
have to hold it up to your nose.
>> Yeah.
>> I'm kidding. I'm kidding. You make
>> Wow. I can see.
>> Okay.
>> Here we got this bouncer. We kept
>> beautiful. It's proper built on face.
>> It's the real deal though. Well, this is
the real I eat this. I don't want to
tonight I'm I'm milking, but this is the
best built. I I love all their flavors.
CH Butcher really really is doing a
great job and the restaurant on Troy is
delicious.
>> It's a Crownite product.
>> Yeah,
>> the Crown your local producer
>> It has that bottom texture.
>> Yudi, what's your uh old protein? If you
want to get your dose of protein, it's
hot now. Simple ingredients. Yi, what's
your website if people want to check you
out?
>> Coen.com. www. You have yuden.com. Y u d
what happened to y u d i c o hen
>> what happened to shamyak if we're going
to get from shambas
>> so um you want to do one
>> yeah we'll sing it we sing it if you
know people get a sample people get a
sample
>> I don't remember the words properly but
I'll do the first verse because I know
the first words
out of We are good.
I
La.
Oh.
of the coordin
I'll
Now we have to tell everybody on
ourselves. Don't be don't be frightened.
Don't be scared.
>> Fantastic. Fantastic.
>> Definitely bring this guy down to your
mid. He's going to bring you big bucks.
Don't ask him.
Subscribe.
>> Subscribe to the channel.
>> Thank you so much.
>> Great. You've kept on bringing in that
line. That line. I like the shark.