Nu, May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Who Knew?

 

I certainly was not aware that May is Jewish American Heritage Month.   I knew that February was Black History month, and that March is Women's History Month, and that Pride Month is in June.  I didn't realize that Jewish American Heritage  was this month.  (By the way, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is also in May.  Which makes sense, because if you count from 2000 years ago, Israel (Judea) is officially Asia. 

May is also Older Americans Month.  This is the time that Israel, Florida, and the Jews all align as one.  Did I mention Chinese food on Christmas Eve?  I was about to.  It is all coming together!

Some of the many prominent Jewish Americans.  I am not prominent enough to be on this list

But despite the obviousness of all these co-occurences, plus the fact that I am a Jewish American, I somehow missed the memo.

JAHM began as an effort by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders. Through the bi-partisan efforts of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and the late Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, JAHM was established in 2006 by President George W. Bush to honor the contributions and achievements of Jewish Americans and to educate all Americans.

 It’s been continued every year since then by Presidential Proclamation. 

Other notable milestones include the formation of a national advisory committee in 2007 to drive the effort forward; NASA Astronaut Garrett Reisman, a New Jersey native and University of Pennsylvania graduate, carrying the original JAHM proclamation into space in 2010, and President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama hosting the first-ever White House reception in honor of JAHM that same year. 

In 2018, The Weitzman  National Museum of American Jewish History. (Hereafter known as The Weitzman) became the home of JAHM and now leads the nationwide effort. Located in Philadelphia, the Weitzman does a great job of cataloging and promoting American Jewish culture.  Especially in light of the recent rise of anti-semitism in the US, and the unrest that is on college campuses, 

If you are looking for additional Jewish American Heritage Month events around the country, here's a list maintained by The Weitzman. 

https://jewishamericanheritage.org/events/2024-events-in-your-community/


There are many more events happening around the country, and the list above has a pretty comprehensive list of them.  


Last year, an amazing concert by Frank London and the Klezmer Brass All-Stars (in association with Joshua Nelson and the Kosher Gospel Singers) was held to celebrate.  When Klezmer meets Gospel, the results are electric!

Here it is for your listening and viewing entertainment.
(If you can't see the video below, log in here to view it)

The Steve Goodman Post Office

Steve Goodman was a Chicago music legend--singer/songwriter on par with Randy Newman, Cat Stevens, and that ilk.  He wrote a number of amazing songs, including "City of New Orleans"  He also wrote the song that the Cubs sing "Go Cubs Go."  as well as "The Dying Cubs Fan Last Request."  When I went to college, I had several of his albums, and was, well, not a superfan, but enjoyed his music.  I think he was much better known as  a songwriter than as a singer, but I knew his albums.

I didn't really know the Chicago connection, so imagine my surprise when I roll up to the post office on Southport and Irving Park and find this sign.

I immediately knew who they meant, but I was just so surprised to find out that he would have a post office dedicated to him.  I wondered if he had been a postman in his day job.  Then I found out about his Chicago connection, and his tragic fight with leukemia, which I hadn't known about.  And it made sense.

Did a little more research, and found that Obama had signed this building into law in 2010.

I think it's really great that the post office named a building after him.  Normalizing and memorializing artists is important.

Here's some more photos from the display case at the Post Office.

If you want to find out more about him, look at the Amazon links below or go to stevegoodman.net

You can find some of his music on Amazon:

CLICK HERE for a full set of albums, or browse some of his most famous below.

EAR WORM: Can You Canoe? by the Okee Dokee Brothers (BOOK & CD)

I recently received a book/CD from the OkeeDokee Brothers called Can You Canoe?  and it's really great.

The Okee Dokee Brothers in their natural habitat.

The Okee Dokee brothers aren't actually brothers, but they SOUND like brothers, and that's what's important.    Two best friends Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, grew up together in Denver as adventurous kids- they were always rafting, and hiking, and exploring the great outdoors.

When they got older they started a bluegrass band together, and travelled some more, and after all their adventures they now live in Minneapolis.  Each album they've done is based on an adventure that they went on together.

Can You Canoe? is their first album, and it's based on a month-long canoe trip they went on in 2011 that started at the headwaters of the Mississippi river and ended at the St. Louis Gateway Arch.

During this adventure, they camped, canoed, sang, danced, made films and videos, and wrote songs all about their experience. The album came out in 2012, and in 2013, the album won the Grammy Award for best Children's Album of the year.

Click the image to see on Amazon.

They've since made a couple of more albums, one based on a month-long trek on the Appalachian Trail THROUGH THE WOODS and another on a horseback riding trip along the Continental Divide. SADDLE UP

The book, Can You Canoe? is a natural extension of their work. It features the CD and the lyrics to 12 of the songs on their first album of the same name as well as their two other albums, Saddle Up and Through The Woods.  The illustrations by Brandon Reese are fine, and capture the Okee Dokee's in all their slightly goofy and earnest outdoor glory

It's an Okee Dokee sampler of sorts. It doesn't contain all of their songs, so if you want to listen to them all, you need to purchase everything! (But of course)

But if you don't know the Okee Dokee's work, or you are looking for a great gift to give to a kid who loves music and the outdoors, this is a perfect book for them!

They've made movies/videos of their work as well, each one called by the same name as the album.  They are available on Netflix, or available for sale on Amazon or Itunes.

For more information about the Okee Dokee brothers, visit their website: https://www.okeedokee.org/








You can also see their albums and book below (and if you purchase them from Amazon using these links, I get a slight commission!  No pressure though!  :O)




fyi: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products or services that I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

EAR WORM: Tim Kubart and the Space Cadets- Saturday Sept 19

This Saturday, we are going down to the Old Town School of Folk Music to see Brooklyn kindie musician Tim Kubart and his merry band of Space Cadets perform songs from their new album HOME as well as a bunch of songs from their old albums.

You may know Tim as the host of the Sprout channel's The Sunny Side Up Show, which is the only live morning show for pre-schoolers. Broadcasting live from 30 Rock in New York, Tim and his co-host Chica the Chicken sing songs, perform sketches, and celebrate everyday moments for an audience of millions of kids and families. They've had lots of special guests on the show including William Shatner, the internet sensation OK GO, and the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama.  Here's a video of Tim choreographing a dance with Mrs. Obama.

I saw Tim perform about 3 years ago at Kindie-Fest, and he's great.  While his day job is about pre-schoolers, his music and shows are for all ages.  His shows have a lot of authentic storytelling, songs with heartfelt and beautiful lyrics, and a lot of up-tempo fun numbers  with a danceable beat.  I had the opportunity to speak with him recently, and he told me that people should come to this show prepared to move and have a great time.

Tim also has achieved internet notoriety for being the super energetic Tambourine Guy with the viral music collective PostModern Jukebox.  His work with PostModern Jukebox is pretty clownish and lots of fun to watch. He gets really into the music. You can see a video of him performing in this milieu below:

This Chicago show is the first stop on an album promotion tour. (For other cities, and shows,  visit Tim's website.) Tim's group the Space Cadets are a loose group of musician friends of his who play and tour with him whenever they are available.  Most of them are in other bands as well, making albums and touring around the world.  At some of the other shows around the country, Tim will be joined by Mario the Magician, a fantastic Brooklyn magician who I reviewed a couple of years ago on my clown blog.  Sadly, Mario couldn't make it to Chicago.  Maybe next time!

Buy the album on Amazon (available Sept 18)

The album they are promoting is called Home.  Tim’s first album for families was Anthems for Adventure, and it was a lot about going out and having adventures.  This album stays a little closer to home, having adventures in the privacy of your own home, including a Sunday Crafternoon, backyard swinging, doing chores, and the wistful sadness of moving day. The album is a mix of danceable songs and heartfelt ballads, and has special guest vocalists including Laurie Berkner , Drue Davis, and Tim's co-host on Sprout Carly Ciarocchi.  My favorite song on the album is Showtime, which is kind of an anthem for putting on a show in your living room.  Another great song is the ballad that he sings with Laurie Berkner, Better.

Tim and his friends are playing at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave at 10:30 am.  Tickets are $15 for the General Public, $13 for OTSFM members and are available at the Old Town Website.  BUY TICKETS HERE.

For more info about Tim Kubart, visit http://www.timkubart.com.

DISCLOSURE:  I received a copy of the album and concert tickets for review purposes.  As always, the free-ness of these things does not influence my opinion of them. I take my critical reputation seriously, and so should you.

CONCERT: Justin Roberts & Cathy & Marcy: May 3 at Martyr's

Cathy and Marcy Join Justin Roberts for Chicago Family Concert on May 3rd

This Sunday, in addition to having an early mother's day feast that can't be beat, my son and I are going to an awesome concert at Martyr's.

Multiple GRAMMY Award winners Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer will be joining Chicago-based kindie superstar Justin Roberts for an all-ages concert at Martyrs (3855 N Lincoln Avenue, Chicago) on Sunday, May 3rd at 3 pm. Tickets ($12) are available now at Martyr’s online, and at the door. Call (773) 404-9404 for more information. 

The concert is in support of Cathy & Marcy's new album Dancin' In the Kitchen, in which they cover a Justin Roberts song. (hence the collaboration).  

We are big fans of Justin Roberts in our house, who has a number of songs on Kid's Place Live that we love, including Willy Was A Whale and Otis, which is a song about his best friend, an elevator.  When we were living in Yonkers, (home of the Otis Elevator Company) we would listen to that song and really feel like he was talking about us.

We are less familiar with Cathy and Marcy, but they sound great!  Cathy & Marcy are folk musicians who have two GRAMMYs, 14 GRAMMY nominations, and over 100 major awards.   They play dozens of instruments, and over the last 30 years have entertained the Queen of Thailand, sung at the White House, sung in Congress, and appeared on television, radio, and on stage hundreds of times.  While they are in town, they will also be giving some music intensives for adults at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Chicago-based Justin Roberts is one of the "all-stars" of the national kindie family music scene. A former Montessori teacher, he has performed all over the country to great critical acclaim (and two GRAMMY nominations) His new picture book The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade is a 2015 finalist in the EB White Read Aloud Book Award. He wrote the score for Chicago’s Emerald City Theater holiday  hit, “Hansel and Gretel,” and will perform a weeklong residency of a new concert experience "The Mysterious Hat" at the New Victory in NY before returning to Chicago for the Martyr’s show.

Here's The Justin Roberts video of Willy Was A Whale: