City - Baltimore State - MARYLAND Country - United States
About
I had read about this man, Matisyahu, the Hasidic Reggae Superstar from Crown Heights by way of Berkeley and White Plains, but had never seen or heard him until yesterday.
I arrived at the Jewish American Reunion Festival in downtown Baltimore yesterday just in time to see Matisyahu take the stage. There I heard his improbable and amazing fusion of the Hasidic tradition of nigunim (wordless songs) and Reggae. and Matisyahu conveys the Hasidic message of faith and spirituality using the power of Reggae. And, as far as I'm concerned, it works!... both spiritually and musically.
Matisyahu was born Matthew Miller. "Matthew" is the English (via Greek) form of the ancient Hebrew name,"Matisyahu."
"...Torah food for my brain let it rain til I drown, Thunder! Let the blessings come down!" from "King Without a Crown" by Matisyahu
Yes, I can imagine - being Jewish myself, the first time I heard about this Hasidic Reggae singer, the combination struck me as so odd, my first reaction was to laugh. But he is the real thing - a great entertainer with a great message. Eclectic is the word, indeed - fusing the best of several cultures.
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{K:25603} 9/6/2004
