Oy Chanuka

Chanukah is one of the most joyous festivals of the Jewish year. It celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of light. Why Oy Chanukah? Leo Rosten, in the The Joys of Yiddish, describes oy as not being a word, but a vocabulary. "It is uttered in as many ways as the utterer's histrionic ability permits. It is a lament, a protest, a cry of dismay, a reflex of delight...oy is the most expressive and ubiquitous exclamation in Yiddish." Add to that description the spirit embodied in Klezmer music and you get Oy Chanukah, with the Klezmer Conservatory Band. The Klezmer Conservatory Band is the driving force in the revival of klezmer music, the jazzy Yiddish sound that originated in Eastern Europe and flourished in the U.S. in the early decades of this century. This infectious holiday album includes new and old music, and reminiscences by elder immigrants who tell stories of the joy and music of Chanukah. (Copyright 1987 Rounder records)