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In all of human history, it's likely no fervently observant Jew ever shouted the words "Surf's up!" and meant it. But all that is about to change. "Meshugga Beach Party: Sixteen Songs of the Chosen Surfers," a new CD on the independent and S.F.-based imprint Halakahiki Records (yeah, like that's a real label) is one of those oddball albums that attempts to shed new light on two utterly dissimilar musical traditions by blending them. It may be a shotgun wedding, but even if the marriage isn't likely to stick, there's definitely some raucous partying to be had in the meantime. Truth is, not even a superconductor supercollider could have made traditional Jewish songs, chants and prayers easily merge with Southern California surf music a la The Surfaris and The Ventures. "Meshugga Beach Party" creator and longtime surf guitar avatar Mel Waldorf certainly gives it a go with his minimalist approach: a Fender Stratocaster on maximum reverb, a few synthesizer brush strokes and that wild surf beat, provided by drummer Shig "Shecky" Komiyama, just about does it. Waldorf chose mostly familiar tunes from across the Jewish music spectrum, sacred and secular, Yiddish and Israeli. The CD's "Hava Nagila," "Shalom Alechem," "Oh Hanukkah," "Dayenu," "Ma Otsur," "Hine Ma Tov," and "Ose Shalom" are among the most recognizable. While most performances fall into the unadorned garage band-style of surf music, some interpretations do stretch the conventional boundaries of the genre. "Kol Nidre" (the solemn "All Vows" chant sung on Erev Yom Kippur) is here given a steely "Bolero" spin with a haunting martial beat. "Baklava," a klezmer standard, is reinvented by Waldorf as a reggae-flavored surf tune. The album ends, appropriately, with "Hatikvah," the Israeli national anthem. A word of warning though. As you listen to this track, please do not attempt to picture in your mind Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon paddling into the waters off of Huntington Beach, wearing Speedos and a tank top. It could be hazardous to your health. For some, the surf music genre simply doesn't bear enough cultural and musical significance to resonate beyond a core audience, Jewish or otherwise. On the other hand, the single greatest pleasure to be had from "Meshugga Beach Party" is the incongruity of hearing bedrock Jewish music interpreted in the most utterly non-Jewish of genres. Surf music pioneers, such as The Beach Boys and The Ventures, were all Orange County non-Jews, far removed from anything even remotely Jewish. Try picturing Jan & Dean davening at the Western Wall, or The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson dancing the hora at the Chabad Telethon, and you'll probably fry a few brain cells. But Waldorf thinks he's on to something. In the album's liner notes, he spells out his mission statement: "Something in these melodies -- the moods that range from the boisterous to melancholy, from somber to schmaltz -- seems to transition so well from the bar mitzvah to the beach." Having been a surf music maven for decades (Waldorf's original surf compositions have been featured in episodes of Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" and the Disney film "My Favorite Martian"), he lives and breathes the style just as much as he does Jewish music. So what may seem at first unnatural to most listeners gradually becomes more natural, thanks to Waldorf's earnest effort. Who knows? Maybe if Moses and the children of Israel had had Waldorf among them, they could have boogie-boarded their way to freedom down the Red Sea pipeline? Bottom line: "Meshugga Beach Party" may have limited appeal, but thanks to Waldorf's skill and sincerity, it's not a total wipeout. |