חסידישע בענדס (chasideshe bands)

As of late there has been a new style in town Chasidishe Bands

It is an amazing thing and highly overdue. it has been attempted in the past by Benzion Moshe Rosenberg the clarinet virtuoso, and even Pinky Weber (who by the way plays a wicked blues style piano himself, besides for being a new composer,) the name of his band was Kol Mitzhalos Orchestra and they gave Negina and the other big boys a run for their money but they were short lived.

Part of the reason that they were around for such a short period of time, was that they didn't offer a different product than Negina or the other big shots they were using Union Musicians and "Goyim" that everyone else at that time was using so what is special about them besides a chasidishe guy with his tzitsis flying leading a whole bunch of union musicians in their finely starched tuxedo's in a "Yumim Al Yimai " umpah in D minor.

And then out of the politics and nonsense of Monroe there came a new sound, A drum banging off tune and out of rhythm a keyboard attempting to do the task of two instruments, bass and chords. There was even the squawk of a saxophone and that's what it sounded like a squawk! But those sounds did not stop and for months all you heard out of the Sandel shack was noise.

But as time went on those noises turned into a song, true you needed to think twice to make sure that you heard was actually "oid yeshuma " in G minor but if you listened long enough you heard the tune! As time went on clarinet, trumpet, electric guitar and even a couple of guys doing vocals joined the group , and they kept at it ignoring everything that was going on around them, be it in Boro Park, Williamsburg , Or Kiryas Yoel those guys kept practicing.

It might be a good idea to note that at the time they thought that they were terrific, if you asked the trumpet player if he was any good, he would tell you he was terrific, and the fact that he sounded like a chicken dying when he played simply meant that
A: you were not musical enough to appreciate his music, or
B: he had not warmed up good enough that day, but had he warmed up the sound would be as good as AVI Felder on his greatest day.
As the time flew by and they started using and understanding sheet music, and simple music theory, and after a million dollars spent on lessons by everyone from Mat Muller to Yaron Gershofky, To Dave Perkins the KLEZMER expert and Sergei the Saxophone Guy they were ready for the big time ( or so they thought). It was Adar and they were asked to play in Monroe for the Bucherim Motzei Shabbos Parshas Zucher.

There was Cheski Brisk on the Keyboards, Yoeli Sandel on drums, His father on the mixer on the side (testing, one, two, hello?? in this thing plugged in???!?) A trumpet player and a Clarinet Player and a bit later Yanki Katina joined the boys ( he was at a Metalish concert, so he was running late) It was welllllllllllll an interesting night and B'h the Bucherim were drunk, and the Menahl started a ruckus so whatever the band was playing was good!

Lets fast forward to a few years later,, they have preformed at numerous events including , Concerts Chasunahs Bar mitzvahs Melave Malkes Chanukah Parties Simchas Beis Hashoevas all over the united states and Canada, even England has had them flown them in. They have preformed with almost every Jewish music star from mbd and fried to shmeltser and shnitsler, Their music today is very up to par but what they lack in professionalism they definitely make up for in leibidig keit lets face it there is nothing like A.S. (I don't wanna write his name with out permission he's gonna kill me!!) playing a hora rhythm with his ''MARINES'' drum set that leibidig keit can not be duplicated by a goy who has no idea what hora is! Or the brass section doing fills that some Broadway player can not understand. Their group now has a lot of young musicians B'h all of them chasidish, Some of them play with their hat and ''rekel'' but they all have one thing in common, they worked very hard at what they are doing, they enjoy what they are doing (and you can tell by the way they play) they are misameach hundreds of Chasanim and people at chasunas and the like, they travel to hospitals for organizations like Chai lifeline and Mikimi they have taken a talent that was given to them for a specific reason and instead of saying '' we cant become professionals'' they have rewritten what a Professional is all about.

Ask them if it was worth all the hard work,, one night when you get the chance to see them perform and ask one of them,, I am sure that as this professional ''chasidishe'' musician is wiping his instrument dry and the sweat from his face, checking his beeper 'cause there was overtime and his wife started beeping him from 12; 00 EVERY FIVE MINUTES he will tell you with a big smileYES it was worth it!!!! We still got a way to go but ''Avadeh'' it was worth it!