Kinky Friedman @KofflerArts

“I’ll be moving in the next few years to an oceanfront Florida retirement community. I sure don’t want to, but I’m Jewish, and it’s the law.” - Kinky Friedman

I could go on, and frankly, I don’t know where he gets his energy! Rather than read about Kinky Friedman, the best thing to do is watch and listen.

Richard Friedman - aka Kinky Friedman - is known for being a funny guy, but comedy is just the way he communicates. If you want to know what he really does, you’re better off asking what he doesn’t do.

Friedman’s a musician who has worked with Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, he has twice run for Governor of Texas, he has a summer camp called Echo Hill Ranch, he founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, he has served in the peace corps, earned a bachelor of arts - majoring in psychology - and he has even played chess against Samuel Reshevsky. He has written detective novels and a column for the magazine Texas Monthly, and even done some acting. Oh, and Kinky Friedman sells cigars.

Does the word politically incorrect come to mind? Yup, that seems to be what Kinky Friedman does best - in the best way possible! He'll be making a stop at the Koffler on Wednesday as part of his Springtime For Kinky tour and he won't be holding back. Join us for a hilarious evening of entertainment in Kinky Friedman's only tour date in Canada.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Smokin' Hot Reception 6:30pm | Performance 8pm

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East

Tickets: $100 or $250 | 416.638.1881 x4269 | akocsis@kofflerarts.org

Check out the Facebook event for more details and follow us on Twitter.

Casandra Campbell

Kosher Gospel

What exactly is kosher gospel? Can gospel be kosher? Joshua Nelson, a Black Jew living in New Jersey, sure thinks so--he basically created the genre.

Nelson attended a Black Hebrew synagogue growing up and, at the age of eight, he discovered Mahalia Jackson and the style of music known as gospel. He fell in love with the music and Nelson later became well-known as a gospel singer. At the same time, Nelson continued studying Judaism and also spent some time on a kibbutz in Israel. He came to believe that Judaism has often flourished while embracing the cultural context it's grown in and decided to marry these two parts of his heritage--soul music, and Judaism.

Joshua Nelson and the Kosher Gospel Singers

As a kosher gospel singer, Nelson has performed all over with the world, recently at Beth Shalom Synagogue here in Toronto. The concert was part of a tribute to their chazzan, Cantor Moses, for his 10th anniversary with the synagogue. Nelson had a full audience as he belted out Hine Ma Tov to the tune of The Saints Go Marching In, (and on one occasion in the voice of Louis Armstrong), and Siman Tov u’Mazel Tov with a passion you’ve never heard before. His performance brought so much energy to the room, that in addition to clapping along--on the correct beats 2 and 4, I might add--people were dancing the horah around the room.

Joshua Nelson singing with Cantor Ben Meisner from Holy Blossom

Nelson has also taught Hebrew School for 15 years. I have to say I believed him when he said his students never fall asleep in class!

Click to watch video of Nelson and his Kosher Gospel Singers.

Casandra Campbell

(Photos courtesy of Henry Campbell)