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Jewface | 
 enlarge | Artist: Various Artists
Label: Reboot Stereophonic
Category: Music
List Price: $15.98
Buy New: $13.99
You Save: $1.99 (12%)
New (8) Used (2) from $11.05
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 47792
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 6
UPC: 824247014022
EAN: 0824247014022
ASIN: B000J3Q0Y8
Release Date: November 14, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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| Tracks:
| • | Pittsburgh, PA. | | • | My Yiddisha Mammy | | • | Cohen Owes Me 97 Dollars | | • | My Friends, Morris And Max | | • | Marry A Yiddisher Boy | | • | I'm A Yiddish Cowboy | | • | Under The Matzos Tree | | • | When Mose With His Nose Leads The Band | | • | No Hot Water Way Up In The Bronx | | • | Becky Is Back In Ballet | | • | That's Yiddish Love | | • | Nat'an | | • | The Original Cohans | | • | Becky The Spanish Dancer | | • | The Yiddisha Professor | | • | Then I'd Be Satisfied With Life |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Where popular music is concerned, most immigrant populations begin by looking back toward their homelands before developing styles that reflect their own take on the slow, arduous process of assimilation. Eastern European Jewish musicians had especially rich traditions to draw upon, although in the old country, professional players were often treated like social pariahs. But this began to change in the New World; many vaudeville and big band tunes evolved from klezmer tunes and owe as much to long-ago shtetl weddings as Tin Pan Alley. The cover says it all: "Jewface" is a wry reference to "blackface," yet another form of ethnic minstrelsy that is presently regarded as unspeakably un-PC. Recorded as early as 1905 and rescued from fragile wax cylinders and 78-rpm recordings, the tunes collected here are chock-full of Yiddish-inflected dialect pieces (comedian Jackie Mason is a modern descendant). They are often crudely, raucously funny, if one can get past the now-repugnant stereotypes. These ditties, which must have cheered up thousands of lonely newcomers, are heard in understandably antique yet remarkably clear sound. All are well worth the price of admission but Irving Kaufman's "My Yiddisha Mammy," which probably inspired Al Jolson, and "Becky Is Back in the Ballet," recorded by Fanny Brice in 1922, are both falling-on-the-floor, boffo numbers--in more ways than one! --Christina Roden
Album Description
What did the dawn of American pop music sound like? The answer can be found on the new Reboot Stereophonic release Jewface, consisting of Jewish minstrel songs that took vaudeville stages by storm at the turn of the twentieth century. Composed by legendary tunesmiths like Irving Berlin and Gus Kahn, many of these songs made use of authentically Jewish musical motifs, fusing them with every Jewish stereotype under the sun. From "Under the Matzos Tree" to "I'm a Yiddish Cowboy," exploring the Jewface recordings reveals one of the dirty little secrets of American culture: some of the very first hit records were fiendishly catchy Jewish musical creations! All of these songs have been re mastered from cylinder recordings to create one of the most remarkable, and perhaps offensive, albums ever.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
The Yiddish are comming! April 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I remember recordings on this album. I got it for my Step father. If you'r from the lower East Side in NYC & Grew up in the 1920's 30's You'll like it.
I really prefer Miky Katz.
from this they made a living ??? February 24, 2008
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
Jewface is a CD that gives us sixteen musical numbers recorded in the very early 1900s about the Jewish experience in America. Naturally, some of the humor in these songs is today considered to be rather politically incorrect. Indeed, many Jews were displeased by these songs even then! However, those Jews had difficulty stopping this genre of music because it was mostly Jewish people themselves making these recordings. I think that although some of these songs are sometimes offensive, it's also important for us to be able to laugh at ourselves. That was the original intent of these musical numbers.
The quality of the sound is rather good considering the age of these recordings. Sometimes I had trouble hearing a word or two but overall I could easily follow along.
There are all sorts of songs on this CD performed mostly by Jews who were poking fun at their own culture. The track set opens with "Pittsburgh, PA." This song tells the story of a group of Jews, all of whom have last names ending in "burg" or "berg"--and, naturally, they have their affair in Pittsburgh! "My Yiddisha Mammy" is a takeoff on Al Jolson's "My Mammy;" this actually made me smile; it's kid of cute and somewhat amusing. Listen also for a less appealing view of an old Jew who can't rest until he gets back the money he's loaned out; "Cohen Owes Me 97 Dollars" pictures a man who can't die happy unless his son collects his debts. Sigh.
"My Friends, Morris And Max" is very funny! It's a song about two men, Morris and Max, who pinch pennies constantly in their mom and pop business--but there's always money for a new automobile! I like how Maurice Burkhart sings that if you asked one of the two business partners for money, they would always refer you to the other partner. I think I've met small business owners from several different ethnic backgrounds who were just like this; that's why I had to laugh when I heard "My Friends, Morris And Max."
"I'm A Yiddish Cowboy" deals with Jewish cowboys and interracial love; and "No Hot Water Way Up In The Bronx" tells a very funny story about just why there's no hot water in The Bronx! Fanny Brice also performs a funny song called "Becky Is Back In The Ballet;" I sure laughed at this!
The CD ends strong with a silly number entitled "Then I'd Be Satisfied With Life."
As for the musical accompaniments to these numbers; they are relatively simple. There are horns and occasionally some percussion kicks in for effect. "My Friends Morris And Max" sounds like it might have used some wind instruments but the sound quality is such that I can't be certain of this. Sorry! "No Hot Water Way Up In The Bronx" does have wind instruments; that I can tell.
Overall, this is certainly a CD that gives it to you as it really was--no museum stuffiness in this look back into olden days. I recommend this for anyone who appreciates classic Jewish humor from the days of vaudeville; but you must prepare yourself for a line or two here and there that is far from today's much more sensitive and polite political correctness. Anyway, I hope you get this CD and enjoy it as much as I have.
A PIECE OF HISTORY December 1, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This CD is a piece of history that is barely remembered today, but helped to form what was to become American Popular music in the 20th century. These are original recordings from the years 1905-1924 of Jewish vaudevillians doing their musical routines, complete with over-the-top accents. I'm Jewish but I am not offended by any of the subject matter, which is very stereotypical of the day (songs like "Cohen Owes Me 97 Dollars" or "My Friends, Morris And Max"). The earliest songs were lifted off of Edison wax cylinder recordings. Some of the songs have pops, hisses and scratches, but you will never find any of these recordings anywhere else.
Fasicnating but not PC May 7, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
These classic performances might offend a few people, but they are a wonderful souvenir of an earlier time in America when ethic material of this type was commonplace.
And many of the performances are terrific.
 Yiddish vaudeville February 22, 2007
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
This album is exactly what it advertises itself to be: a compendium of songs and comedy routines featuring the stereotypical Jewish immigrant parodies popular in vaudeville before the 1930's. PC it ain't, but a necessary piece of theatre history it is. To listen to Fanny Brice singing "Becky Is Back In The Ballet" is worth the price.
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