Friday November 16, 2007 JEWISH TELEGRAPH 37 We have a real musical treat for readers at www.jewishtelegraph.com — first up we are giving away the triple DVD Don’t Forget The Motorcity, absolutely crammed with all the greatest Motown hits and then we have compilation albums Love — The Collection and Clubmix Classics ONLY ONLINE Joshua’s makes London bow PEOPLE VIOLINIST Joshua Bell will attracted the attention of cousins, growing up we would PICTURE: TIMOTHY WHITE perform at Cadogan Hall in Josef Gingold, one of the best- have musicals, we would get London on Sunday. known violin teachers in together around the holidays The Grammy Award winner America. Under his tutelage, and everyone played an has recorded more than 39 Bell’s career really took off. instrument.” albums and was named Bell, whose mother is Billboard magazine’s Jewish, said: “We weren’t Bell is also planning to Classical Artist of the Year in strongly religious Jews, but premiere a concerto written 2004. there was a strong cultural for him by the 15-year-old Bell, 39, was raised on a feeling of being Jewish.” Jewish prodigy Jay Greenberg farm in Indiana. All Bell’s heroes were at Carnegie Hall, New York. He started his musical Jewish violinists including Bell has already recorded a career at the age of four when Gingold, Jascha Heifetz, Fritz CD of Greenberg’s Fifth he stretched elastic bands Kreisler and Yehudi Menuhin. Symphony, written when the across his chest of drawers He added: “I feel very close composer was 12. and played melodies. to my Jewish side, my At the age of 11 he mother’s side — all my IBox Office: 020 7730 4500. JAYMAY: Debut album Yossi excited about Fiddler was the Manchester return driving force BY ROBERT CLAYTON Auditorium, Brooklyn College, later behind Jaymay that year. FTER a 34-year “I remember seeing Yigal go up on stage in Brooklyn College and saying BY MIKE COHEN absence, musician that the next song was written by Yossi Green is making someone among us,” he continued. ACCLAIMED singer songrwiter Jaymay received her a triumphant return to “He described me as ‘a new light in the Jewish education in her grandparents’ car. Manchester. community’ — I couldn’t believe it.” The American singer, born Jamie Seerman, has However, at this point Yossi still just released her debut album Autumn Fallin’ AYossi, who studied at Manchester viewed a musical career as a fantasy and (Heavenly/EMI). Yeshivah when he was a 15-year-old boy, began working in a music store instead. She revealed: “My grandparents drove around in a will be the star of the show at a special Cadillac in Florida constantly playing Fiddler on the concert. He added: “I worked there for six months and didn’t have a single Roof, which is about the extent of Jewishness Jtunes.com is presenting Kumzits at customer the whole time. It was my wife playing a role in my music career. I knew every song the Royal Exchange Theatre on Sunday, who suggested that maybe I should use by heart — I still do.” November 25. the time to learn to play an instrument. Jaymay’s first love was the violin. She started Yossi will head the bill, joined by Ohad “So I called the local Jewish orchestra playing it at her Long Island school because “it and Friends and accompanied by the and asked them what they were in short sounds like it can sing. I rented one for $60”. Gershon Freishted Band from Israel. supply of. They said they needed Three years later she discovered Bob Dylan and The concert — which will have trumpeters, so that’s what I started to Bruce Springsteen. separate seating for men and women — learn.” “I would mimic the violin on Dylan’s Desire and will celebrate the music Yossi has Yossi also managed to develop a Born to Run’s Jungleland (Springsteen). The intro composed for the leading lights of the medical supply company, which still to Vivaldi’s Winter Allegro is my favourite violin solo Chassidic music scene including LEGEND: Yossi Green runs to this day. of all time and I learned that one too.” Mordechai Ben David and Shlomie When Jaymay was 10, she started playing the Gertner. “When my dad came home from work He later became a club-date musician, playing at barmitzvot, weddings and all piano, “making up really stupid songs about my dog Asked whether he is looking forward that day I played it for him, but he just asked ‘Why are you wasting your time other important events. Chubs and playing mostly with just my index to coming back to Manchester, Yossi’s fingers. I learned Billy Joel’s Piano Man by ear and response was emphatic. with that?’. At the age of 30, Yossi began devoting more and more of his time to music and just a whole bunch of songs. “Are you kidding?” he asked. “I can’t “My father was very serious and wouldn’t smile much, but on Shabbbat eventually became professional. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t sing. I’d wait to get back there — it’s been so sing in the car all the time and in my room. I’d long. I heard the Manchester Jewish he would always vary the tunes of the Talking of the collaboration process, songs we sang. he said: “When I’m approached by harmonise to everything and record my community has changed a lot, but then performances on a tape recorder — which I still do. again maybe it hasn’t.” “The only cantor I was allowed to someone to write their music, I’ll have a listen to was Yoselle Rosenblatt.” get-together to see if we have a “I was also crazy about Disney movie songs, Yossi was born in Israel in 1955 during Bette Midler and musicals.” It was a chance meeting with symbiotic connection. the Sinai War, but moved to England She added: “My parents were happy to see me so with his mother when he was a year old. Manchester’s Rosh Yeshivah, Yeduda Zev “They need to have something that Segal, which first brought Yossi to the they want to communicate to the public. crazy about music but no pressure ever came from Although his mother had family in anyone to learn an instrument or to take lessons. London, it wasn’t long before he moved city. “My job is to sit with the artist and find out what they want to say, why they Nobody ever even asked if my homework was done. again to Antwerp and then Vienna. He explained: “He had a son in New Music was just something else that was very fun to York and would visit every year at want to say it and how. If I see fire in the In Vienna, Yossi had his first eyes of a young singer, that’s the kind of do, like drawing, writing and eating pizza.” experience with music. Pesach. On the last day of Pesach, he would go to my local synagogue. person I want to work with. Jaymay finally plucked up the nerve to perform in “When I was two, I would listen to the “I need to figure out how mature the public, singing at the Sidewalk Cafe in New York. conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic “Because the synagogue was so packed, the aisles were full of people singer is and make the music “I’d never even heard the words anti-folk until I orchestra, Herbert von Karajan, accordingly — all my music is tailor- started playing at Sidewalk and I still have practicing his instruments” he said. crammed in and somehow Mr Segal managed to get near the front. made.” absolutely no idea what it means,” she laughed. “One time, having seen me listening to “I’m not sure anybody really knows what it means “When my dad saw him, he grabbed His repertoire includes almost 500 him play and after watching my original songs that have been recorded except maybe Lach — the club’s legendary host — reaction to his music, he went to my him and brought him into the box where who probably coined the term. we sat. After the service, my father and performed by all the major mother and told her that she should performers of Jewish music, including “Through Sidewalk, I met a ton of musicians and encourage me to follow music.” asked what he does and he said he was the Rosh Yeshivah in Manchester, to MBD, Avrohom Fried, Shlomo Simcha, crazy talents, such as Jeffrey Lewis — featured in However, ambitions for a career in which my father replied ‘Great, I have a and Dudu Fisher. the Jewish Telegraph last month — who is so music weren’t to develop for a number of son’! More recently, Yossi has been heavily talented it’s absurd, who I’m still very close with.” years, and before then Yossi was again “Five days later, I was on a plane with involved in the establishment of Jtunes, Jaymay landed her deal with Heavenly after they on the move — first to Montreal, then to the Jewish equivalent of iTunes. received a copy of her EP, Sea Green, See Blue. New York. him on my way to Manchester.” Yossi stayed in Manchester for nearly Acting as advisor, ambassador and all- “They liked it and came to see me sing at the It was at the time of his barmitzvah in round handyman, Yossi also helps SxSW Festival in Austin, Texas. Over a year later, 1968 that his sisters pooled their three years, taking charge of the choir in his final year and beginning to write convince young artists to sell their after talking to many labels, I decided to sign with resources and bought him a cassette music through the online store.