Holiday special: Kol Nidre – The Al Jolson Project

Al Jolson in the 20's movie "The Jazz Singer", singing Kol Nidre

Al Jolson in the 20’s movie “The Jazz Singer”, singing Kol Nidre

Just in time for the Jewish High Holy Days, the Entertainment Plus Creations Al Jolson Project releases its recording of tenor Kevin Hanek singing Kol Nidre.

NASHVILLE, TENN, UNITED STATES, October 2, 2016 /EINPresswire.com/ — Central to The Al Jolson Story is the scene in the 1927 “talkie” in which the Jazz Singer leads one of the holiest prayers in the Jewish religion as his cantor father listens from his deathbed across the street from the synagogue.

In this first full-length movie featuring synchronized sound, electrified theatergoers actually got to hear Jolson as he sang melodies like My Gal Sal and Waiting for the Robert E. Lee. Then, as his father lay on his deathbed across the street from the synagogue, the musical mode switches from pop tunes of the day to a 1,300-year standard, as the rebellious Jazz Singer sings the Kol Nidre. “We have our son back,“ are the cantors last words.

To fill out this key musical component of the Al Jolson catalog, The Al Jolson Project has recruited heldentenor Kevin Hanek, who on Sept. 30 recorded his own Kol Nidre accompanied by Kathy Geary on the piano. Continue reading