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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)