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In its heyday, Yiddish radio was heard coast to coast, with a dozen stations in New York alone. All that survives from that incredible era are 1000 fragile discs— rescued from storerooms, attics, and dumpsters— the musical highlights of which are collected on this CD.
This soundtrack is a musical voyage to the wonderful, and sometimes strange, Yiddish radio universe of the 1930s to '50s. The CD includes songs by Sam Medoff and the Yiddish Swing Orchestra, the dueling clarinetists Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein, and Seymour Rexite, the Frank Sinatra of Yiddish radio, universally adored for his Yiddish versions of Surrey with a Fringe on Top and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Also featured on the CD are the unforgettable commercial jingles of Joe and Paul Clothiers, Manischewitz Matzo, and many more. The liner notes include an essay about Yiddish radio by pre-eminent ethnomusicologist and series co-producer Henry Sapoznik.