Reviews
RadioIndy Review of "Pashtes"
CD February 25, 2008
"Pashtes" by Lenka Lichtenberg and Brian
Katz is a tremendously creative and musically inspiring CD. The
instrumentation on the CD is brilliant - Especially Brian Katz's
acoustic guitar work. This professional musical accompaniment provides
an effective backdrop for the tremendous vocal performances of Lenka,
whose voice provides pitch-perfect vocals in a very smooth and soothing
manner. The CD is filled with subtle details of intricate play between
the vocals and instruments that demonstrate the care that went into
this recording. The production and recording quality provide a crystal
clear experience for the listener. "Zing a Gezang" is
one of our favorite tracks, with its upbeat catchy tempo and tremendous
acoustic guitar work. "Yo, Ikh Gloyb" has a more jazzy
feel, with an intricate musical depth provided by counter melodies
of a horn section. If you enjoy world music or hearing the works
of musical virtuosos, this is a CD that is definitely worthy of
your attention.
Check out Lenka Lichtenberg's music on RadioIndy.com
with link to purchase and links to popular sites

HBN Radio ~ Rankin World Party
Live April 16, 2007
I think I'm in love. Beautiful, haunting, inspiring
and mesmerizing are but a few of the adjectives that describe this
aural delight. Featuring her original work, Lenka's amazing range
and power are showcased on this release. Soothing, enticing, and
full of vibrancy, Lenka has one of the sweetest voices in the world,
and it's time the world heard it. Look for tracks 1, 6, 8 and 11
to be featured on this week's World Party. Thank you for your wonderful
gift!
Rankin, hbnradio.org - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.

Sing Out!
Summer 2007 - Vol. 51#2 - p. 41 (review
Pashtes)
Simcha Simchovitch, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor from Poland
who immigrated to Canada in 1949 and now lives in Toronto, is an
important Yiddish-language poet and prose writer with 16 books to
his credit. On Pashtes, Czech-born singer Lenka Lichtenberg, herself
a child of Holocaust survivors who also now lives in Toronto, offers
nine of her musical settings of Simchovitch’s poems and presents
them in arrangements created by guitarist and pianist Brian Katz.
As well, there is a beautiful solo guitar instrumental by Katz that
was inspired by another of Simchovitch’s poems.
One certainly does not need to understand Yiddish to appreciate
these songs. The emotion and depth of the lyrics, and the musical
creativity of the settings and arrangements, are communicated through
Lichtenberg and Katz’s fine performances. The non-Yiddish
speakers will want to listen with the CD booklet in hand as the
original lyrics are printed in Yiddish, and in Simchovitch’s
own translations of his work. And even in the transformation from
one language to another, none of the poetry seems to be lost.
Among my favourite songs are "Tsum Kval (To the Source)",
a beautiful, sad elegy to past generations of Yiddish poets, and
"Morris Rosenfeld", a tribute to the great Yiddish poet
and songwriter whose minor-key folkish melody echoes Rosenfeld’s
own "Mayn Rue Platz". Another is "Zing (Sing)",
a bright celebratory song with a Brazilian arrangement. The album’s
finale is its crowning achievement. "A Lid Vet Farblayben (A
Song Will Remain)", is a defiant song of survival, obviously
inspired by the Holocaust, with an almost anarchic free jazz arrangement
that communicates the devastation of that terrible time in modern
history.
MR

DJ Reviews - Reviews from radio
stations July
2007
• What a lively and lovely mix of joyful world
music. I'll play it a lot on my shows...Great musicianship and hot
passionate vocals."ZING" is a song of joy!! Thanks.
~ Mitchell Mendys WKNH KEENE New Hampshire
• ... a genuine sound...
~ Francisco Manuel Lopez Herrero, RÀDIO
DESPÍ, Spain
• ....Pashtes is an interesting, informative and creative
soundscape into the world of Yiddish sung works...
~ Joanne McGinnis 8CCCFM 102.1 radio Alice
Springs & Tennant Creek, Australia
• Radio Sefarad, Madrid, Report
about Pashtes - in Spanish by Jorge Rozemblum

MOE Jazz Magazine, Florida
April/May
2007(review
Pashtes)
"...Lichtenberg and Katz crafted music that allows
even non-Yiddish speakers to appreciate the beauty of the words.
To my ears, their settings are primarily chamber jazz arrangements
with touches of Brazilian, flamenco, classical and theater music
adding color. The opening track, "The Golden Peacock,"
floats on a moody bass riff that recalls Jaco Pastorious' work with
Joni Mitchell. "The Garden Party" makes me think of the
early work of the Paul Winter Consort. Throughout the disc, Lichtenberg
and Katz infuse the music with such a joy for living that it crosses
linguistic and cultural borders. Listening to Pashtes/Simplicity
makes you feel good, no matter what language you speak.... the purity
of spirit (on this CD) is something to behold.... Aside from the
fact that these artists are making wonderful music, they are also
showing us through their actions that people of different ethnicities,
religions and traditions can live and work together. These artists
demonstrate that harmony is possible in this world. For the duration
of a CD, it is possible to believe that the cultural and political
differences that are tearing the world apart can be overcome. For
as long as the disc plays, there is harmony in the world.
Bob Pomeroy, Ink 19 :: Jazz and Traditions

Jewish Currents, New York
March/April
2007 (review
Pashtes)
"….Another example of the vitality of transmission
is the collaboration between Toronto-based, Prague-born singer Lenka
Lichtenberg and Polish-born poet (and Toronto resident) Simcha Simchovitch.
On Lichtenberg's new CD, Pashtes (Simplicities), she sets Simchovitch's
acclaimed Yiddish poetry to music. While Lichtenberg learned Yiddish
only as an adult, the confidence she brings to her work comes only
to someone completely at ease in the language. The effervescent
music she's written for Simchovitch's poems lifts them in a way
that is still sensitive to their brooding undercurrent, while expressing
her own vision of a greater theme. Her setting of the title track
says it all, with the bright accordion and fiddle swooping along
with Lichtenberg's voice. "Come simplicity, true beauty, we'll
fraternize anew/ thus my word shall become clear and to itself true."
Rokhl Kafrissen, The Rootless Cosmopolitan

Philadelphia
Jewish Radio WNWR AM 1540
March 1, 2007 (review
Pashtes)
"You've done it again! Another brilliant CD with a wonderful
new sound. Pashtes is filled with soul and emotion with lots of
Yiddishkeit, and I just love the way it sounds. Thank you so much
for providing my listeners on WNWR and wnwr.com
in Philadelphia with more music to enjoy and savor!"
Barry Reisman, Program Host
The New York Jewish Week
December
1, 2006 (review Pashtes)
"There is an emerging group of Toronto-based Jewish jazz divas
- Theresa Tova, whose new set is reviewed below is another - and
Lichtenberg is moving towards the head of the class quickly, if
her new CD is any indication. Like Tova, Lichtenberg focuses her
attention on a single Yiddish poet, here Simcha Simchovitch whose
words she has set quite ably. Accompanied by guitarist Katz and
a terrific rhythm section, she creates a wonderfully variegated
collection that ranges from avant-garde jazz to Brazilian funk,
all the while showcasing Simchovitch's poetry to great effect.
Available from www.lenkalichtenberg.com."
Rating **** 1/2 stars.
George Robinson, New
York

The
Wholenote Magazine: Disc of the
month November
2006 (review Pashtes)
"…deliciously melancholy…boasts an
A-List of guest artists… Pashtes
(Simplicity) is a delight. Prague-born vocalist Lenka Lichtenberg
has a lovely, confectionary, gamin-like quality. Her soprano voice
sails above and around the notes with perfect control, weaving a
luminous mystical web. She is in the midst of an amazingly diverse
career, including singing as a member of the wildly successful Sisters
of Sheynville and also performing as a cantor at various functions.
Brian Katz has a sumptuous guitar sound, full of facile runs and
lush harmonics. The material on Pashtes
has been composed entirely by Lichtenberg and arranged by Katz,
who have been performing and collaborating together since 2001.
Many of the plaintive melodies on Pashtes
have an undercurrent of pulsing Latin rhythms that seem to work
symbiotically with the poetry of the iconic Polish-born Yiddish
poet, Simcha Simchovitch. …Katz and Lichtenberg have surrounded
themselves with local musicians of the highest order, including
the extraordinary George Koller on bass, Ernie Tollar on soprano
sax, the dexterous Alan Hetherington on a whole mess of multi-ethnic
percussion and the uber-talented Sasha Luminsky on accordion. Although
forged firmly in tradition, this recording has a very contemporary
feel that will leave you uplifted and spiritually refreshed –
just like a great piece of strudel and a 'glass tea'."
Lesley Mitchell-Clarke

Spin
The Globe: World Music News December
15, 2006 (review Pashtes)
".... Irrepressibly Jewish, the music (and words, if you understand
them or read the tri-lingual album notes) speaks through an eloquent
dynamic. It swings through emotional highs and lows -- often in
the same song (as on the title track). There's a sparse jazz sensibility
to the album, and Brazilian rhythms here and there, perhaps bending
the listener's idea of what constitutes "Jewish music."
Lichtenberg's powerful voice takes us on a tour of a mystical land
of joys and sorrows...."
Scott Allan Stevens, Earball Media

The
Live Music Report, www.showtimemagazine.ca January,
2007 (review Pashtes)
"…beautifully produced…managed to
generate a new sound…Lichtenberg’s style is cabaret
recitative, melismatic, as authentic as a “knaidle”,
and bubbles with emotion… with purity and colour control in
her vocalizations…Katz’s composition “The Garden
Party” is a sophisticated Latin cum Euro-jazz creation…
maybe you never heard anything
quite like this album!" Click here
to read full review
Stanley Feferman

Radio Upper Galilee, Jacob's
Ladder Festival January
2007 (review Pashtes)
"…Beautifully performed, packaged and presented.
The poetry is beautiful, and thought provoking. The richness of
the Yiddish language in poetry and song is something one does not
often encounter."
Menachem Vinegrad, Israel
Canadian Jewish News December
7, 2006 (review Pashtes)
"Pashtes [Simplicity] is the recently released collection of
10 poem-songs by Czech-born Yiddish singer Lenka Lichtenberg and
guitarist/pianist Brian Katz. The album is based on the work of
Simcha Simchovitch, acclaimed Yiddish poet and Holocaust survivor.
Using Simchovitch's words, Lichtenberg and Katz have created an
evocative assortment of music, spanning genres such as klezmer,
jazz, world and classical. Lichtenberg's passionate vocals, accompanied
by Katz's smooth playing and arrangements, makes this an eminently
listenable recording."
Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf, Toronto

Jewish Independent December
15, 2006 (review Pashtes)
"Eclectic Jewish Music : Yiddish music
thrives" … Lichtenberg's Pashtes/Simplicity (Sunflower
Records) is anything but simple. With Brian Katz, she has set the
poetry of Simcha Simchovitch to melodies that are influenced by
Jewish, jazz, Brazilian and other world music. The arrangements
highlight the poignant optimism of Simchovitch's poems and bring
his Yiddish to life." Click
here to read full review
Cynthia Ramsay, Vancouver

"This CD is EXCELLENT!"
(Pashtes) Simon
Rutberg, Hatikvah Music International,
Los Angeles

"Congratulations. A rare project!"
(Pashtes)
Itzik Gottesman, Associate Editor, The
Yiddish Forward, New York

"A very enjoyable album …A sheer delight!
(Pashtes) Harold
Ellison The Jazz Cafe
TripleU-FM Nowra, New South Wales, Australia

"A truly wonderful CD!"
(Pashtes) Kozlovsky,
Summer Breeze, Jazz FM,
Minsk, Belarus

"…keeping the Yiddish 'concept' alive…
a great mix of different styles with a very creative voice. An album
that will please many 'world' listeners."
(Pashtes) Tony
Bates, Highlands 100.7FM,
Melbourne, Australia

"Lenka Lichtenberg …astounding talent…"
Jowi Taylor, CBC
Radio Global Village, Canada

"…a bright and clear soprano voice which,
when coupled with engaging melodies and a flair for words, makes
for a splendid release…delightful rhythmic structures…."
(Open The Gate review)
S A Hamilton, Zeitgeist, Edinburgh, UK

" …second CD from this Canadian artist,
a step forward from her first, with some smart writing….she's
definitely got something; the lyrics are frequently clever, in four
different languages." Rating: YYYY
(Open The Gate review)
George Robinson, The
New York Jewish Week

"I received your two CDs, and I can’t wait to get them
on the air. I played them in my car on the way home, and then I
played them when I got home. Your music from Deep Inside and Open
The Gate is a wonderful gift to my listeners on WNWR and www.wnwr.com
in Philadelphia. Whether you are singing one of your own compositions
or a traditional Jewish song, your music is fresh, innovative, and
delightful. To hear you is to want to hear more – and my listeners
are going to hear a lot of Lenka Lichtenberg!"
Barry Reisman, Program Host, WNWR
AM 1540, Philadelphia June,
2005

…"passionate 12-cut debut album from the versatile singer-songwriter…"
(Deep Inside
review) Geoff Chapman,
Toronto Star

…"impressive music and arrangements…strong
singing…excellent back up players…"
Carl Wilson, Globe
and Mail

…"a lively amalgam of musical styles from
Middle Eastern and klezmer to jazz. Lichtenberg’s songs are
wonderfully entertaining showcases for her talent, which impressively
crosses many different genres. She pulls each off beautifully, carefully
adapting her voice…Lichtenberg reinvents traditional tunes
and invents new ones…"
(Deep Inside review)
Lisa Cooperman, The
National Post

…"deserves a lot of credit for taking on some unusual
topics in her English-language originals…the performances
here are spirited…"
(Deep Inside review) George
Robinson, The New York Jewish Week

…"Ms.Lichtenberg is an excellent singer….eminently
listenable voice…polished musical presentation overall…delightful
instrumentations… songs come from the heart, deep, heartfelt
convictions…generally noble sentiments…"
(Open The Gate review)
Renaissance Man/Rainlore, UK

…"an entertaining and important contribution to modern
Jewish culture…" Click here to
read full review
Nomi Kaston, The
Canadian Folk Music BULLETIN

..."I think what I especially like is that she has written
songs addressing many of the issues that face us as Jews..."
(Deep Inside review)
Ari Davidow, Klezmershack
..."a vivacious singer with a pleasing soprano voice, who
can easily ignite the crowd...."
(Concert review)
Paula Citron, The
Canadian Jewish News
..."a lovely voice and performance..."
(Concert review)
Eva Strizovska, Cesky dialog
(Czech Dialogue)
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