The Idelsohn Society, which brought us Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations and Songs for the Jewish-American Jet Set, is back with a swinging two-CD set, It’s a Scream How Levine Does the Rhumba: The Latin-Jewish Musical Story, 1940s-1980. The title song is performed by Ruth Wallis, and other artists include the orchestras of Xavier Cugat, Mickey Katz (“My Yiddishe Mambo”), Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri and Celia Cruz; and ace musicians like Slim Galliard, Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd, Larry Harlow, and Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass. A booklet in the package features essays by jazz pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill and Steve Berlin, who has played for Los Lobos for 30 years. It’s a Scream is available wherever better Latin-Jewish records are sold. — M.S.
(American Jewish World, 1.17.14)
