Avromy is a passionate and ultra-knowledgeable Jewish music fan who works to bring musical dreams to life for KMR guests
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vromy Werner, along with his brothers, is one of the directors of KMR Luxury Kosher Retreats. Avromy is a passionate and ultra-knowledgeable Jewish music fan who works to bring musical dreams to life for KMR guests.
What I’ll Be Singing After Lighting My Menorah
I’ll be singing the Lubavitcher niggun for Haneiros Hallalu — that’s the one Avraham Fried sings on his Hupp Cossack album.
A Song That Made Me Want To Look Up A Pasuk
“Shimu Melochim” from the London School of Jewish Song. Powerful words from Shiras Devorah, and a melody that’s endured for close to five decades. Generally, about the music that came out back in the day, we were always curious to look up the words.
Someone I Consider A Musical Genius
Sheya Mendlowitz. He always finds great songs, exactly the type of music that will work. He found Reb Chaim Banet’s “Machnisei Rachamim” and Shlomo Carlebach’s “Moshe V’Aharon” — the prelude to Mizmor L’Dovid in Kabbalas Shabbos — and selected them for Shlomo Simcha. He found some outstanding songs, like “Keil Hahoda’os” and “Atah Vechartanu” for Avraham Fried’s early albums.
My Favorite Yiddish Song
“A Tatteh Bist Du / Tatenyu” from Fried’s 1983 Forever One album. The words are beautiful, put to an old, powerful tune that’s often used for Yom Kippur davening.
Another favorite is MBD’s “Mamme Ruchel.” It’s been recorded several times, but if you listen to the original recording on The Double Album, you hear how poignantly he sings it.
How I End A Kumzitz
I’ve learned that you have to end a kumzitz while it’s still going strong, because you don’t want it to just fade out. You can let it spill over its allotted time if the crowd is enjoying, but not more than that, because you want to leave them wanting more.
The Kind Of Chassidic Music I Enjoy
I’m drawn to Chabad niggunim. They were often composed by big baalei madreigah, so singing them is far more than entertainment. It takes you back to that place, that time. That’s why some people sing niggunim before davening, and on Shabbos and Yom Tov. The niggun has the power to really transport you to a higher, more refined world, a place you may not be able to reach without it. That’s also why we are so careful about the type of music we listen to.
A Song I Consider Underrated
“Eliyahu Hanavi,” another one by Avraham Fried. It’s on We Are Ready, the same album that features “Tanyeh,” “Avraham Yagel” and “Emes Atah Hu Yotzram,” but somehow it never got to be as famous. There’s another hidden gem I’ve always really liked — “Ve’ani Ashir Uzecha” from Yeedle’s Lev Echad album.
My Favorite Shabbos Zemiros
One that I always enjoy is the traditional “Racheim Bechasdescha.” Another is the Vizhnitz “Kah Ribon,” especially the Ravrevin section. Both of those are sung by Mordche on MBD and Friends. The oilam knows them well and always sings along with harmony.
An English Song That Strikes A Special Chord
Well, I’ll go right back through the years to “Hineni,” the title track of MBD’s 1974 album. It’s a beautiful concept. I’ve also always liked another oldie, Miami Boys Choir’s “B’Siyata Dishmaya.”
A Song That Takes Me Back To My Childhood
“It Happened Yom Kippur,” a real inspirational oldie from 1980 on Avrohom Rosenberg’s Wake Up Yid’n with Gan Yisroel.
A Forgotten Song I’d Love To See Make A Comeback
There are so many! I think the old songs are great, and some classic albums of Jewish music should be required listening. I’m especially thinking of the beautiful old kids’ choir tapes from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s — the classic Sdei Chemed, Pirchei, and Tzlil V’zemer albums that are really irreplaceable.
Our Most Memorable Musical Moments
I’ll never forget how Rabbi Baruch Chait, composer of “Lo Amus,” played and sang it for the crowd, while Rabbi Yitzy Hurwitz, an unbelievable Chabad shaliach from California who has ALS and can now only communicate through eye movements, was with us. It was a very moving moment.
Close runners-up: We once did an Avraham Fried medley with the entire Friedman family singing — Avremel, Benny, 8th Day, and Eli Marcus. Unforgettable. Then there was the first time we brought 8th Day onto a big stage. That was Pesach 2010, when not too many people had heard of them, and the crowd was amazed. And on Pesach 2017, we had Meilech Kohn singing “Ve’Ahavtu,” which was in its heyday. When he came on stage as the last item of a concert, the place was on wheels.
My Favorite Melaveh Malkah Song
I go for the classic “Hamavdil,” composed by Reb Ben Zion Shenker. Everyone loves it. Avraham Fried has a really special Yiddish “A Gutte Voch” on his A Melaveh Malkah album (on which he also sings that “Hamavdil”) — the words and lyrics are a special combination.
