How I came to notice that Lev Kogan’s “Kaddish” for solo horn is missing a beat. After TWENTY-FIVE YEARS of caring passionately about the piece. Hm.
Category: essays
Mira and Erin writing on themes of death, dying, grief, ritual, music, listening, Kaddish, Lev Kogan’s “Kaddish,” and so on.
the very best sephardi charoset ever, hashisha candy, and the religion of labor
I mean, it’s not really chauvinistic to admit when something is without question and beyond doubt just the very best, right? This is something that can be tested empirically. Blind taste test, right? Well, actually not. There’s the nostalgia factor. People are attached to family traditions, especially with regard to foods, and they become…
bondage, sephardi style
I have heard this bit every single Pesach of my life when my mother has been present. And when she wasn’t, I’ve taken it upon myself to tell it myself (albeit a short short version). All my stories are the short short version, in case you haven’t noticed. Mrs Tzaddik is much better on detail….
next lifetime: on the origins of religious experience
I don’t believe any of this stuff, right? So how come I can see it all so clearly? Maybe I’ve just got no imagination at all. I can see the house vividly. Every detail, from ceilings to secret balconies and sunbathing decks. The place needs a major paint job. You’d think my next lifetime would…
a kiddish for our kaddish — and then al-fatihah —
It’s time to raise our glass and say a Kiddish for our Kaddish in Two-Part Harmony. I sit here in utter amazement that our whimsical little project is chugging along not just functioning but doing what it’s supposed to be doing. When we started this project, I must admit I was a bit of a…
abraham, sarah, and hagar, a kaddish for patterns worth shattering
The question is do we feel sorry for Abraham, or do we say goddamn it, you knew what you were getting us into? Or is there some other way to resolve the whole bit? I’ve been thinking about this for at least a thousand years, maybe two. Maybe three. The whole situation sucks. There’s this…
this is going to end badly, she said
Malkah woke up, and she was healed of her despair. Her body felt light, like it could just float up into the ether — except for the fact that she already resided there to begin with. Her spirit was lighter too for a change. It was an indescribable feeling. She had even slept. Slept like…
on making the “two-part harmony” live, in person
Since Mira and I first met in person several weeks ago, we’ve been planning to start doing Kaddish recordings together occasionally—to start emphasizing the “two-part harmony” of our project title. We released our first collaborative recording last night in daily kaddish: for all the foster children who don’t quite make it.
playing dead — a kaddish for George Leonard
The first time I played the Samurai Game, I died before the War even began. What happened was that our Daimyo had chosen me Second in Command. I was very honored and gave my allegiance willingly, eagerly, and with a complete sense of authenticity. I was ready to play the Game. What in the world…
a kaddish for miss pants
Candy Pants was my dad’s hunting dog, retired to California, endured four dogs’ worth of veterinary crises, and healed me—not exactly in that order.