ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

It is the second night time of Hanukkah, the Jewish Competition of Lights. Lighting candles every night time is a central vacation custom, and music could be a large a part of the celebration, too. In Milwaukee, that music is getting a brand new spin with a mission referred to as Latkes Con Salsa. The mission melds Hanukkah favorites with Latin rhythms. Maayan Silver from member station WUWM in Milwaukee stories.

MAAYAN SILVER, BYLINE: The Latin-Jewish music connection has been robust over the many years, whether or not that is beloved Cuban singer Celia Cruz recording “Hava Nagila”…

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “HAVA NAGILA”)

CELIA CRUZ: (Singing) Hava Nagila, Hava Nagila.

SILVER: …Or Larry Harlow, a famend Jewish pianist recognized for salsa recordings.

(SOUNDBITE OF LARRY HARLOW, ORQUESTA HARLOW, AND JUNIOR GONZALEZ SONG, “LA CARTERA”)

SILVER: It is a connection that is actually struck Milwaukee musician Mitch Shiner.

MITCH SHINER: Like, one in all my favourite types of music is Latin jazz, and that is actually a fusion of many various types suddenly. And being greater than considerably desirous about my very own cultural id, I needed to determine a technique to make a fusion of the 2 issues that I actually take pleasure in, which is conventional Jewish tunes and the superb rhythms that come from the Caribbean and South America.

(SOUNDBITE OF MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES’ “MATZOH BALL MERENGUE”)

SILVER: “Matzoh Ball Merengue” is among the songs on Shiner’s album “Latkes Con Salsa.” It is his reworked model of one other tune that was common in 1959, when the Irving Fields Trio launched their mixture of Latin and Jewish music, “Bagels And Bongos.”

SHINER: You understand, a whole lot of this music was performed for large dance halls within the Catskill Mountains of New York, the place a whole lot of Jewish folks would go, and so they love dancing to salsa bands.

(SOUNDBITE OF MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES’ “MATZOH BALL MERENGUE”)

SILVER: He says these musical traditions share the same component – the harmonic minor.

SHINER: I’ve a melodica with me, so I can play it for you – feels like this. (Enjoying melodica). And that sort of sound is shared between music of Spanish and Center Jap origin and in Jewish music, too. So I feel there is a simpatico there the place I feel Jewish folks would hear these harmonies and go, oh, yeah, like, one thing in me – I acknowledge that.

(SOUNDBITE OF MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES SONG, “I HAVE A LITTLE DREIDEL / SE LE VE – MEDLEY”)

SILVER: Shiner performs each the vibes and drums. His “Latkes Con Salsa” mission isn’t solely an album but in addition a dwell live performance collection in Milwaukee this winter. One of many songs is a medley. It combines a 1981 hit from the Puerto Rican supergroup Batacumbele referred to as “Se Le Ve,” or “You Can See It,” with a Jewish children’ tune concerning the prime you spin on Hanukkah referred to as “I Have a Little Dreidel.”

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I HAVE A DREIDEL / SE LE VE – MEDLEY”)

MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES: (Singing) Hey. I’ve a dreidel product of clay. When it is dry and prepared, dreidel I shall play.

SHINER: And it’s totally catchy, however yeah. After you’ve got been listening to this tune for I do not know what number of years, you are, like, OK, sufficient already. So lastly, I mentioned, you understand, this tune wants a bit assist.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I HAVE A LITTLE DREIDEL / SE LE VE – MEDLEY”)

MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES: (Singing) Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel…

SILVER: So Shiner tailored the lyrics to “Se Le Ve’s” melody, which he says has a spinning high quality like a dreidel. He obtained assist translating the English to Spanish from Joey Sanchez, a bass participant on the mission.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I HAVE A LITTLE DREIDEL / SE LE VE – MEDLEY”)

MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES: (Singing in Spanish).

JOEY SANCHEZ: You then say, (talking Spanish).

SHINER: Yeah, (talking Spanish).

SANCHEZ: (Talking Spanish).

SHINER: (Talking Spanish).

SANCHEZ: Yeah, mainly, I made it out of – how do you say – (talking Spanish)?

SHINER: It is clay, proper?

SANCHEZ: Yeah (laughter).

SHINER: After which (talking Spanish).

SANCHEZ: When it is dry and prepared, then dreidel…

SHINER: (Talking Spanish).

SANCHEZ: I’ll play with it, or I’ll play it.

SHINER: I will play dreidel. Proper.

SANCHEZ: Yeah (laughter).

SHINER: I will be able to play dreidel. Yeah.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I HAVE A LITTLE DREIDEL / SE LE VE – MEDLEY”)

MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES: (Singing in Spanish).

SILVER: Sanchez is from Puerto Rico, and he obtained some laughs out of Shiner’s reinterpretation of the unique “Se Le Ve.”

SANCHEZ: After I heard it, I used to be, like, Mitch is loopy, however that is what I say more often than not.

SHINER: (Laughter).

SANCHEZ: I am telling you.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I HAVE A LITTLE DREIDEL / SE LE VE – MEDLEY”)

MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES: (Singing in Spanish).

SANCHEZ: Me, as a bass participant on this mission, this music that – you understand, I really feel like I have been taking part in earlier than. However when he add these melodies to this bass that we creating, it is magical.

(SOUNDBITE OF MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES’ “MI YIMALEL BOMBA”)

SILVER: After which there’s “Mi Yimalel,” a extra area of interest Hannukah tune. It is sometimes sung as a spherical.

SHINER: That one’s a bit bit extra on the standard aspect. It has a bit – the textual content is extra critical. The textual content says, who can retell the issues that befell us? And it talks about just about all the totally different teams who tried to assault and destroy the Jews all through historical past.

(SOUNDBITE OF MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES’ “MI YIMALEL BOMBA”)

SILVER: The Hanukkah story particulars how the Jews rose up towards Greek invaders in historic occasions in what’s referred to as the Maccabean Revolt. The Maccabee warriors have been in a position to reclaim the Jewish temple the Greeks had seized. Throughout their rededication of the temple, the Maccabees lit the menorah and, based on legend, witnessed a miracle since they solely had sufficient oil for one night time, however the oil lasted for eight days till they might get extra. Shiner needed to honor this within the music.

(SOUNDBITE OF MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES’ “MI YIMALEL BOMBA”)

SHINER: Yeah. So this one has the propulsive rhythm of bomba sica from Puerto Rico. And that’s actually centered on the (vocalizing) – that happening beneath it. It sort of has a march-like high quality. I believed it was necessary, a very good match for speaking concerning the Maccabees – you understand, the tune about them going and marching, you understand?

(SOUNDBITE OF MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES’ “MI YIMALEL BOMBA”)

SILVER: Shiner and Sanchez say they love this musical custom they’ve created to honor Hanukkah simply as a lot as they love a mixture of latkes and salsa.

SHINER: I imply, actually – what? – it is mainly – it is a hash brown. It is papas fritas, proper?

SANCHEZ: Yeah. It is papas with – you’ll be able to put ketchup on it or salsa from the tacos.

SHINER: Proper, any – proper. I imply, what’s – it may’t be unhealthy. Fried potatoes with any sort of sauce, like, cannot be unhealthy.

SILVER: Transfer over, bitter cream and applesauce. There is a new Hanukkah custom within the works to eat and to take heed to. For NPR Information, I am Maayan Silver in Milwaukee.

(SOUNDBITE OF MITCHELL SHINER LATIN VIBES’ “MI YIMALEL BOMBA”)

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