Jewish Jammin' for Kids - Part I


In the late '90's, we lived in the Toronto suburbs for a couple of years after our daughter was born.  To this small town girl, North York, Ontario felt like a huge Jewish shtetl (Jewish village of Eastern Europe), not to mention the large Iranian and Asia populations settled there as well!  Among the many interesting people that we met there (and there were MANY!), were Judy Adelman Gershon and David Gershon.  We first encountered this lovely young family checking into our rooms for a weekend retreat with all the accoutrements that come with babies!  Our little ones seemed an immediate connection and David approached us and asked me if I had attended Brandeis University, as Judy laughed and warned that he says that to everyone!  Well in this case we had both attended Brandeis during the same years and remembered each other from then!  That weekend we learned why this couple, with guitars and tambourines, were really the hit of the party!!  Judy and David, as this team is professionally called, were, at that time, just launching what was to become a highly successful career in the entertainment world.  They had just been awarded the 1998 Juno award for children’s album of the year, ‘Livin’ in a Shoe’.  This is the equivalent to a Grammy in the USA!  Needless to say, our short two years in Toronto, were greatly enhanced by our friendship with such interesting, funny, and creative people.  But what about their astounding music?  Their music is smart, witty, and tuneful.  They exploit a variety of genres including Jazz, Rap, Hip Hop and Calypso and and tell stories with energy and verve to enrapture your children and make you smile and even
laugh!!! 


The Covers of our CDs have faded from the years spent sitting in the car while we listened!

For a specifically Jewish flavor, their Rock N Roll Matzah Ball CD is a particularly delicious place to start.  Buckle your seat belts and enjoy the ride.  Some of my other personal favorites include BeanStock (their hilarious spin of Jack in the Beanstock) and Livin' In a Shoe (look for more recent recordings at this website as well).  Much of their music is appropriate listening for babies to grade school children and perhaps beyond. It's fresh music and it's pure fun!!!