21th May 2021 – Shabbat is almost here
And today we will listen to a cantor who is just 37 years old and has learnt from the best maestros from the old and contemporary times to develop his captivating and thrilling personal style. With you today, the outstanding Yaakov ‘Yanky” Lemmer, Chief Cantor at Lincoln Square Synagogue, NYC
Hello, how are you? I hope well. It seems today is a good day with a good news for the world, with the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. In Spain (and I think is most of Europe) the vaccination is speeding and some Summer plans related to music may finally arise and be developed.
Two editions before I mentioned our today’s protagonist, Yaakov “Yanky” Lemmer, on the occasion of the edition about Frank London‘s latest album, with whom Yanky has a project called Ahava Raba. In this project they count on Michael Winograd, clarinetist, too. But today, the star is Yanky.
I don’t remember how I learned about him. Maybe on Facebook. I have him as a friend there since 2013 and had the pleasure to interchange a few words from time to time. Lemmer is one of the best singers alive nowadays, in general in any kind of music. Don’t you think so?
– NOTE THAT Yanky has accepted to answer some questions for a future edition of MBS so, if you want to know anything about him, just let me know and I will send him the question. ? |
About Yaakov “Yanky” Lemmer, Chief Cantor at Lincoln Square Synagogue, NYC
This portrait is from Lemmer’s facebook profile, a former profile picture ?According to his website:
“He began his singing career as the star soloist of the Young Israel of Bethel Choir, where world renowned Cantor Ben Zion Miller took him under his private tutelage. Yaakov earned a scholarship to the Belz School of Jewish Music at Yeshiva University, where he studied with Cantors Joseph Malovany and Bernard Beer. He also studied with cantorial legend Cantor Noach Schall, and has won a scholarship for vocal training in N.Y.C. […] In additional to his Cantorial vocation, Yaakov is a Licensed Special Education Therapist, working with special needs children in Brooklyn, NY. He currently serves as Cantor of Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York City.”
So Yanky was a pupil of Cantor Ben Zion Miller… Very interesting! A few weeks ago I ended up at this video you have here below, from the Youtube channel of the Yiddish Book Center, in which the maestro explains how he improvises on the prayers. It’s an absolute jewel and I think this is the ideal moment to bring it to MBS. Under the video we’ll turn our attention to another master, who I think has had a great influence on Yanky’s singing as well.
Cantor Benzion Miller on improvisation in cantorial music
Wow. What do you think? He keeps you speechless, doesn’t he? Pinchik is one of my favourite hazzanim. The song is for the Sefiras ho’Omer time, that has just ended this week (Shavuot puts the end for this period of days).
More about Yanky, his brother is also a singer, Shulem Lemmer, who has a huge talent too and a strong career in the music industry. Check, for instance, this videoclip. Yanky is also not restricted to the religious repertoire. There are many videos in Youtube of him, so if you like him, just check but this is one example: a humorous song composed by Leo Low. Yanky and Shulem are grandsons of Polish Jews. You know that in MBS all the roads leads to Poland… Anyway, that is an information from Wikipedia, so I will try to confirm with Yanky. In Shulem’s page in Wikipedia it is said that:
“Lemmer was born and raised in Borough Park, Brooklyn, in New York City. He is a fifth-generation American, from a Hasidic family of the Belz movement. Belz is a town in Galicia, in eastern Europe, where the Belz dynasty originated.”
Belz was part of Poland at the time when the Belz movement started (now it is in Ukraine). This is interesting so it may appear in a future edition.
? Do you want to know more about what happened with the Jews from Belz? The International Jewish Cemetery Project has a page about that. It won’t surprise you that the story is tragic.
? The Yiddish song “Mein shtetele Belz” (lyrics by Jacob Jacobs and music by Alexander Olshanetsky) is a nostalgic recall to the childhood spent in Belz. Listen for instance this old recording of the song.
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Click the picture to listen to Sefiras Ha’omer arranged by Frank London and sang by Yaakov “Yanky” Lemmer:
Shabbat Shalom!
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