Shmorg’s producer, composer, and lyricist, MENACHEM BASCH

Fans of Oorah’s Shmorg albums will always remember Shmorg’s producer, composer, and lyricist, MENACHEM BASCH

Among Menachem’s many compositions is “Kol Dodi” sung by Meydad Tasa on Shmorg 2, and his writing credits include the Oorah Alma Mater (on Shmorg 3, to the tune of “Kol Yisrael Chaverim” composed by Zale Newman) and the song, “Torah Mates.” He's currently managing partner at Universal Elevator, and runs Avos Ubanim and youth programs in Toms River, NJ.

THE BEST ICE-BREAKER FOR A GROUP

It’s really important to know your crowd and choose a song that everyone is familiar with. I’ve found that the best songs are those with no words. They’re very inclusive, with no barriers, which is great when singing or having a kumzitz with less affiliated Jews who struggle with Hebrew.

THE BEST KUMZITZ STARTER

The Berdichev Niggun (think Joey Newcomb’s repurposed version, “You Fall Down, You Get Back Up”). Our family is descended from Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, so it’s always been a niggun in the family, and I’ve known it since I was a kid. It’s amazing how it’s now experienced a rebirth and is being sung at every kumzitz.

OORAH CAMPERS’ FAVORITE SHABBOS ZEMIROS

“We keep, we keep Shabbos (bang, bang, clap),” a parody on the rock classic, “We Will Rock You.” It’s an amazing sight to see hundreds of kids who never experienced a  Shabbos seudah coming together in song. The sheer joy they have singing “We Keep Shabbos” is unforgettable.

MUSIC THAT HELPS ME UNWIND

Zusha is perfect for that. It’s a crowded industry, but there really is so much room on the Jewish music scene for artists who exude emunah and calm.

THE ONE ALBUM I’D TAKE ON A LONG ROAD TRIP

Beri Weber’s Ben Melech. It’s one of those albums that stands out for its originality and sincerity, and is just a joy to listen to.

CAMP OORAH’S ALL-TIME FAVORITE SONG

It’s definitely the original “Oorah Alma Mater,” sung at the end of the summer banquet (“Sitting in my classroom, I can’t seem to concentrate / daydreams painting memories, how much longer can I wait?... Oorah do you know / just how much we’ve grown / the Boyzone magic touches our heart...”)

Years back, we were working on producing a CD to give out to our Oorah campers at the annual shabbaton. Everything was done on a real shoestring budget. One of the songs on the CD was the “Oorah Alma Mater.” When we played the album for Rabbi Eliyohu Mintz, Oorah’s CEO, he immediately gave us his opinion. The “Alma Mater” track shouldn’t just be on this album for internal distribution to our kids, but on the Shmorg, shared with the public. We looked at him incredulously. The song was very simply done, and we had paid pennies to produce it.

“You mean to redo it professionally, right?” I asked.

“No,” Rabbi Mintz said, “leave it as is.” He had the foresight to know it would resonate and help people really understand what Oorah is all about... And he got it right.

AN INSTRUMENT I WISH I PLAYED

I once played a few of my compositions for producer Naftali Schnitzler. His first question was, “What instrument do you play?” The funny thing is that I actually do not play an instrument at all. What I’ve discovered is that as long as you’re musical, you don’t need to actually play an instrument to compose. But if I had to choose one, it would probably be the trumpet. It used to be an instrument for high school bands, but it’s getting pretty popular nowadays.

A SONG I NEVER GET BORED OF

“Only You,” sung by Dovid’l Weinberg on the album Only You, part of the ambitious Shlomo Katz project. There is something so genuine in the way Dovid’l sings that it just feels holy and gets me every time.

A SONG I’D LIKE TO BRING BACK

Rabbi Shmuel Brazil’s “Habet Na,” the title track from his 2002 album by that name. You can feel the varmkeit in all of Reb Shmuel’s music, but this song is unique. These words are usually used together with a slow, hartzige niggun, but Reb Shmuel put them to a faster melody that truly beseeches Hashem out of confidence and simchah.

SOME OF MY FAVORITE ENGLISH LYRICS

Back in 2010, when we were looking for something fresh to put on the Oorah CD, my friend Rabbi Avi Schnall introduced me to a totally new sound: two brothers out of California calling themselves “8th Day.” After listening to their album, I tried every which way to get in touch with them. When they responded to an email I had left on their website, “It’s Shabbos Now” was born. It appeared on Shmorg 2 and the following year on 8^th Day’s Chasing Prophecy album, together with “Yalili,” which soon made 8^th Day a household name. My chosen lyrics would be: “Zaidy always kept that smile / And wiped our tears away / He promised us there will come a time / When we’ll always say… It’s Shabbos now…”

ONCE HEARD, NEVER FORGOTTEN

I must have listened to hundreds of submissions for Oorah’s auditions. It was a unique experience, to say the least, but we were actually pretty good at finding young talent, like Eli Levin (2010), Shragee Gestetner (2009), and Shimmy Engel (2008). There was one submission that blew me away entirely. It was a really young Yoni Z with a voice that was mature beyond his years. Unfortunately for us, he ended up bowing out of the studio auditions as he was well on his way to stardom on his own.

A SONG THAT GETS ME INTO THE SHABBOS SPIRIT

The vintage “Lo Saivoshi” (“Aha, Aha, Aha Aha Aha, lai di dai dai dai dai dai dai dum dum dum dum...”) that you can hear sung by Yecheskel Levy on the Heimish and Geshmak album. It’s a Shabbos niggun our ancestors sang in the shtiblach in the shtetl, and has the timeless feel and staying power of real Jewish song. There’s also the beautiful Breslov “Me’ein Olam Haba.” Eitan Katz recorded a nice version of it as a single. Takes a bit longer to sing, but definitely worth it, especially on a long Friday night.

I’M AN UNLIKELY FAN OF

Nissim Black! Talk about a different style. But the way Nissim injects his passion and his life into his songs is a breath of fresh air.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 936)