In the soup today, Isa sits down with our very first guest, the incredible, inventive, soulful, multi-talented Marni Loffman, otherwise known as the SingingJewess. Marni is a self-described collaborative being as well as song/prayer creator, performer, educator, and so much more. Most often their work surrounds music, education, connection, and healing. And for those who may not know… they’re the composer behind our show’s theme music!
So, in this episode, you will hear Marni muse over something called nigunim which translates into English most simply as wordless melodies, often heard in different prayer spaces and across the expansive and diverse Jewish music world. And in their words, it’s something that “exists in everyone and is even a language of our soul beyond words.”
We are so excited for you to sit with Marni’s reflective and wise words about its fascinating history, contemporary revival, and the generative, healing, and creative life that nigunim has taken on within Marni’s own musical, religious, and spiritual world. And they’ve even offered us a musical treat of a new song they’ve chosen to debut right here, on the House of Neshama (we’re kvelling). So, you’ll definitely want to stick around after the interview for that!
So, get comfortable and prepare yourself for an insightful and beautiful journey, we hope this episode takes you on (it certainly did for us).
We want to acknowledge that this episode dives into Marni’s personal experience and relationship to nigunim. However, the full history of nigunim is multifaceted, complex, and cannot be covered in a single episode. So, we invite you to learn more by visiting the following resources:
The Nigun | My Jewish Learning
Introduction to Volume 6 - Milken Archive of Jewish Music
Sephardic Music: A Century of Recordings
For kosher love notes sent from our neshama to your inbox, full of tasty spillover from this episode and more Jewish musings, subscribe here! (http://eepurl.com/h0GQAb!) 💌
If you are interested in being a guest on our podcast, collaborating, or know someone who may be interested --- write to us at [email protected].
Produced by Ariel Rachel Peckler and Isa K.G.
Starring Guest: Marni Loffman
Hosted and Edited by Isa K.G
Social Media Artwork by Ariel Rachel Peckler
Original music featured in this episode, including our show music, all composed by Marni Loffman. You can find their original and covered music on TikTok, SoundCloud and Instagram under the handle @singing_jewess
Original melodies all by Marni Loffman, of the following songs featured:
Nigun Gaaguah / Yehid Nefesh
Tefilat HaDerech (The Traveler’s Prayer)
