Skirball Cultural Center (Venue Partner)
2701 N Sepulveda Blvd.
310.440.4500
This event has passed.
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Bagels and Bongos Irving Fields Trio, Decca, 1959. Courtesy of Josh Kun and Roger Bennett
- When
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May 12, 2010 – Sep 5, 2010
Tuesdays–Fridays (noon–5pm)
Saturdays–Sundays (10am–5pm)
- Where
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- Price
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$5 - 10 / Free on Thursdays
- Links
“Jews on Vinyl is an auditory history of the influence of Jewish traditions on American pop culture from 1948, the year the LP format was born, through the 1980s. The exhibition space replicates a typical 1950s living room, the perfect showcase for visitors to lounge on period furniture, admire album artwork and listen to audio tracks, many of which are no longer available in any format. The curators' nationwide vinyl hunt yielded treasures ranging from Catskills bands and The Temptations' Fiddler on the Roof medley, to Yiddish lessons and Dick Dale's surf version of "Hava Nagila." A series of events, lectures, and special presentations throughout the run of the show bring this little known and occasionally kitschy history to the fore.
“ ”
Karin E. Baker, Flavorpill
To create this multisensory exhibition, guest curators Roger Bennett and Josh Kun embarked on a far-reaching journey, scouring the country to collect thousands of vinyl LPs from attics, garage sales, and dusty archives. Pieced together, these scratched, once loved, and now forgotten audio gems tell a vibrant tale: the story of Jews in America.
The exhibition Jews on Vinyl spans the history of Jewish recorded music from the 1940s to the 1980s, weaving an account that begins with sacred songs and ends with the triumvirate of Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, and Barry Manilow. Set in a retro 1950s-style living room equipped with listening stations, the exhibition features a soundtrack of LP highlights—much of it no longer available in any format— providing an unprecedented opportunity to experience lost moments in American Jewish pop history. Complementing the music is an abundance of often kitschy and surprising album art to discover and enjoy!
