The Enjoyment of Music-Article originally featured in The Voice of Chicago

Purim and Pesach season is upon us, which means many singers and musicians will be traveling, especially for special events or programs to enhance these holidays.

Audiences generally enjoy these functions without necessarily recognizing the effort that went into getting the singers to the stage. The truth is that the ability to perform publicly is an arduous process, as there is a specific physical and mental grind that has the potential to make any performance difficult. Sometimes the gigs themselves can cause musicians to lose their zeal for the craft. Usually, these are the ones who leave the industry or are left behind because their music reflects their attitude.

I was speaking recently to a good friend who is considered to be one of the top musicians on the east coast. He is fully booked and is even a sought-out accompanist for many of the highest-profile performers in the Jewish music scene. He commented to me that people don’t realize the time and effort it takes to stay on top of all the new releases that come out, or how long it takes to set up beforehand and pack up afterward. He travels a great deal and told me that there are times he won’t get home until 2 a.m., but has to be at the airport for a 6 a.m. flight! People will routinely come over to him and ask how he spends his millions of miles accumulated from all his traveling (spoiler alert: it doesn’t even add up to enough for him and his wife to take a short vacation). When you watch him on stage though, you will still see how much he enjoys the music he is playing, and it is evident in the events he produces.

Incidentally, I once had the occasion to work with a different musician from the east coast who had a mitzvah tantz go longer than planned at the wedding he was playing at the night before he was scheduled to fly into Chicago. Instead of heading home, he decided to drive straight from the hall in Williamsburg to the airport and caught the earliest flight to Chicago. Once here, he davened and took a nice long nap in the hotel where we were going to perform that evening. That way, he showed up rested and ready to delight the crowd. So, when you see musicians on stage playing and enjoying what they do, remember the physical and mental strength involved to entertain you and all those around you.

It has been a while since I gave any recommendations for recent releases, and I wanted to give a quick shout out to two of my friends for their recent releases:

Holy Chutzpah is the third album released by the Breslov Bar Band, led by Binyomin Ginzburg. While not a mainstream album, their adaptations of some of the older Breslov classics are very enjoyable and worth a listen.

Also, the first known Chassidish EP, an album comprised of half the songs that would normally be on an album, was released by the popular singer and Rav, R’ Shloime Taussig. All five songs on this album have the potential to be big hits and are playing on repeat at my desk.

Wishing you a freilichen Purim!