RJC Picks and Misc for Tzadik Streaming Week

Rumors started circulating a bit ago that Tzadik records (which was, actually, an early adopter of some mp3 platforms, like eMusic) was making a return of sorts to streaming. Keeping aside opinions about the value of streaming, let’s just say that more access to more music is generally a good thing.

Of all the Tzadik projects, nothing has been more important to me, personally, than Radical Jewish Culture. As John Zorn wrote, almost 20 years ago, “The series is an ongoing project. A challenge posed to adventurous musical thinkers. What is Jewish music? What is its future? If asked to make a contribution to Jewish culture, what would you do? Can Jewish music exist without a connection to klezmer, cantorial or Yiddish theatre? All of the CDs on the Tzadik RJC series address these issues through the vision and imagination of individual musical minds.”

My introduction to RJC was, ironically (and probably like most people) not through RJC itself. Rather, it was through the iconic Masada quartet, the first Masada book composed and arranged by Zorn, with Dave Douglas, Greg Cohen, and Joey Baron. The music blew my mind then, and it still blows my mind. (Just take a look at Zorn with the New Masada Quartet in the clip above, he is still taking this music to strange and exciting places.) So, this seems like a good occasion to recommend some of my favorites in the RJC catalog, which you can now stream if you’re curious, and hopefully purchase if you’re adventurous.

Note: I won’t be sharing direct links to streaming services, there are too many, and I don’t want to assume readers prefer one over the other. If you want help finding anything, please reach out! Happy to help connect you with this awesome music.

• Anthony Coleman - Selfhaters
  The moment I saw the name of the album, I knew Coleman’s music was going to hit deep.

• Steven Bernstein - Diaspora Soul, Diaspora Blues, Diaspora Hollywood, Diaspora Suite
  How can you pick only one?! Start anywhere, go anywhere next, enjoy them all.

• Hasidic New Wave - The Complete Recordings
  The band that comes closest to Masada in my heart.

• David Krakauer - Klezmer Madness! and Naftule’s Dream - Smash, Clap!
  True, RJC is not all about klezmer, but it is also not not about klezmer in the 20th and 21st centuries.

• Aaron Novik - Secret of Secrets
  Not for the faint-hearted! A mystical tour de force that will set your head spinning.

• Ben Perowsky - Camp Songs
  It is what the title is, and much more (but no less). If you never knew how much you needed to hear Uri Caine playing “Adon Olam,” you’re welcome.

• Marc Ribot’s Shrek - Yo! I Killed Your God
  Ribot, mon vieux punk.

• Jamie Saft - Black Shabbis and Trouble
  Yes, one of these is Jewish metal and the other is a jazz trio set of Bob Dylan covers. And yet, what is Judaism if not a study in seemingly contradictory modes?

• Glenn Spearman - Blues for Falasha
  A beautiful, poignant album, arguably Spearman’s finest recording with his amazing Double Trio.

• John Zorn - Bar Kokhba
  A high water mark for RJC and contemporary music, in general. My first proper RJC purchase, it’s an unparalleled classic.

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On Spotify you can search “label:Tzadik” to browse through all of the albums from the label, not only those in the Radical Jewish Culture series. There does not appear to be a label page for Tzadik in Apple Music yet, that may change eventually. Unless something’s changed recently, Tidal does not have label search, but you should be able to find all these albums by name pretty easily.