Various Artist (2011) -Kosher Nostra Jewish Gangsters Greatest Hits

Artist: various
Album: Kosher Nostra Jewish Gangsters Greatest Hits
Released: 2011
Quality: CBR 320
Size: 140 MB

…This incredibly strange, exceptionally deep and exceedingly broad compilation of songs related to Jewish American mobsters offers a series of fractured takes about the situation. The music covers a wide time period, from the ‘20s to the ‘60s, and seems sequenced in random order, but the juxtapositions of the different material force the listener to make connections. Further complicating the issue is that many of the songs and artists are not Jewish. While one may appreciate the three titles by Italian-American teenage heartthrob Connie Francis (nee Concetta Rosa Maria Franconera) emotionally sung in Yiddish, or even Welshman Tom Jones’ torch song take on “My Yiddishe Mamme”, you have to ask why Chubby Checker’s rendition of “Misirlou” that ends with the line “Heave will guide us\Allah will bless our love” is here at all. The only clue provided in the liner notes is that the original was a popular folk song in the Jewish communities of Asia Minor. Well, maybe that and it sounds Middle Eastern (re: Semitic) and has found its way into Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction as done by Dick Dale… ~ read full review by Steven Horowitz






Tracklist:
1. Connie Francis - "Anniversary Song"
2. Tom Jones - "My Yiddishe Mamme"
3. The Andrews Sisters - "Bei Mir Bistu Sheyn"
4. Chubby Checker - "Misirlou"
5. Solomon Schwartz Et Son Orchestra - "Hava Nagila"
6. The Bagelmann Sisters With Abe Ellstein Orchester - "A Vaibele, A Tsnie"
7. Leonid Utjossow - "Mu Mu"
8. Al Jolson & Andrews Sisters - "The Old Piano Roll Blues"
9. Connie Francis - "Shein Vi De Levone"
10. Barry Sisters - "Zug Es Meir Noch Amool"
11. Molly Picon - "Es Fehlt Lhr Die Rozinke"
12. Aaron Lebedeff & Alexander Olshanetzky's Orchestra - "What Can You Mach? S'is America"
13. Sophie Tucker - "My Yiddishe Mamme"
14. Yiddish Swing Orchestra - "The Bridegroom Special"
15. The Barry Sisters - "Eishes/Chiyell"
16. The Gilt Edged Four - "Yiddisher Charleston"
17. Cleo Brown - "When Hollyood Goes Black & Tan"
18. Sophie Tucker - "Some Of These Days"
19. Wilmoth Houdini - "Black But Sweet"
20. Connie Francis - "O Mein Papa"
21. Roza Eskenazy - "Hariklaki"