Hanukkah – Oren Levine, jazz pianist and songwriter

Tunes on Tuesday: Hanukkah Time

Why this tune? This week’s tune “Hanukkah Time” is brand new, written earlier the same day as this post and the Tunes on Tuesday video. Songwriters are often asked if the words or the melody come first when writing a song. The answer for this one is neither. This song started with that drum loopContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Hanukkah Time”

Tunes on Tuesday: Maoz Tsur מעוז צור (A Mighty Rock)

Why this tune? On this fifth day of Hanukkah I’m sharing a contemporary take on the oldest of Hanukkah classics, “Maoz Tsur.” The text is a Jewish liturgical poem that was likely written in Germany in the 13th century, and possibly earlier, perhaps in response to the Crusades. The poem recall stories from Jewish historyContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Maoz Tsur מעוז צור (A Mighty Rock)”

Tunes on Tuesday: Nerot Dolkim נרות דולקים (Candles Lit)

Why this tune? I’m sharing a Hanukkah song this week to mark the start of the eight day holiday on the evening of December 7. “Nerot Dolkim” (“Candles Lit”) was written by Hanina Karchevsky and Levin Kipnis, two pioneers of modern Hebrew song in the early 20th century. According to the National Library of Israel,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Nerot Dolkim נרות דולקים (Candles Lit)”

Tunes on Tuesday: Hanukkah Light

Why this tune? For Tunes on Tuesday during Hanukkah I’m sharing a solo piano version of my song “Hanukkah Light” that I recorded in 2020 as part of a series for the holiday (which you can find on Bandcamp). I recorded the song first in 2015 with Aaron Myers, and released it on his holidayContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Hanukkah Light”

Tunes on Tuesday: Mi Yimalel

Why this tune? Last year around this time I released a collection of eight short interpretations of Hanukkah songs, one for each of the eight days of the Festival of Lights. The oldest arrangement in the collection is one I’ve played with for several years, a jazz version of the Hanukkah classic Mi Yimalel (מיContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Mi Yimalel”