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A consummate musician and gifted singer songwriter, a big man with a terrific voice and electrifying stage presence, Rabbi Joe Black and I have had the pleasure of sharing the concert stage in what has become an annual Denver tradition hosted by Hal Aqua and Swallow Hill Music, “Jews Do” (The first year it was Jews Do Leonard Cohen, the next year Bob Dylan, followed by Paul Simon, this and last year simply “Jews do Jews”). The talent level at these shows is amazing, and Joe Black manages to lift us all a bit higher even while he steals the show. How does he do it?!
While making strong marks on adult stages throughout the country, Rabbi Joe perhaps is best known for his concerts, books and recordings for kids. Songs from his two children’s recordings, Aleph Bet Boogie and Everybody’s Got A Little Music, are widely sung in religious schools, Jewish summer camps and community centers, and at youth group events. Eight Nights of Joy, Rabbi Joe’s latest release in collaboration with Chicago’s Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, is a tasty mixture of traditional and contemporary Chanukah tunes, favorite Rabbi Joe songs, and classic klezmer cuts, in styles that range from rock ‘n roll to bluegrass, funk to jazz fusion, traditional klezmer to Ladino to country yodeling. And it all works seamlessly in a joyous celebration of Chanukah!
A concert with Rabbi Joe Black is an awe inspiring experience for young and old alike!
Rabbi Joe has been recognized by Moment Magazine as one of the top ten male performers in Contemporary American Jewish music. How he manages to record and perform at such a high level, write children’s books for PJ library while simultanously serving as Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel Denver — the largest Jewish congregation between Kansas City and the West Coast — is beyond me. Again I ask…. How does he do it?!
Simply put, Joe Black knows how to hit it (like his hometown Chicago Cubs) out of the ballpark…How does he do it? I don’t know and it doesn’t matter… what matters is: please don’t miss this amazing family concert with Rabbi Joe Black in beautiful Levin Hall at the new Boulder JCC!
