“The very embodiment of the term Crooner. Knows his way round the ivories better than most, with an unbeatable repertoire of Classics and originals to keep you entertained."
Island Records artist
BS'D
OPERETTA format 1
A boudoir piece / half hour recital of originals by Tosh, entitled:
PAPER GUN
An exercise in expressing things
you can never express
Baby Tosh, a Scottish-born jazz singer and pianist, presents “Paper Gun” as part of a half-hour operetta—a blend of music and theatrical performance. This format allows for a rich exploration of complex emotions and narratives, offering listeners a multifaceted experience. Indicating its deep introspective nature the operetta has been described as
"Baby Tosh held up a mirror to the audience, inviting us to wrestle with ourselves, with each other, and with G-d. And isn’t that the truest form of art? Unforgettable performance!"
- Tzipporah Naim,
at Libbys & Daniels home concert
The piece resonates with listeners by addressing the universal struggle of maintaining a facade of strength while grappling with internal challenges. Its jazz-inflected melodies and heartfelt lyrics create an intimate atmosphere that invites reflection and emotional connection.
“Last night made me feel like pre WWII era of the arts in Jewish society!
Loved it”
Libby Fox
Director: swampfoxdockandmarine.com
at Charleston home
where Operetta performed
Ideal for fund raising events
in PRIVATE HOMES
for friends, family, neighbors
or small theatre space RECITALS
For the visual and auditory experience of “Paper Gun,” book your
Baby Tosh performance through me"
Alan Gestetner management
Monsey NY
Be on time or miss the thread…
PAPER GUN
“Paper Gun" by Baby Tosh is a poignant musical piece that delves into themes of vulnerability, emotional fragility, and the human experience. The operetta uses the metaphor of a “paper gun” to illustrate the contrast between outward appearances and inner realities. While a gun typically symbolizes power and aggression, rendering it in paper suggests delicacy and impermanence, highlighting the disparity between perceived strength and actual fragility.
AUTHORS NOTES
ULTIMATELY the whole thing is a commentary on the prevalent danger that “writing it down” is like “going to the psychiatrist” in that talking about it / talking it out… if you are NOT dealing with it, you are not stepping up to the plate, LIVING up to what are clearly your deeply held convictions. In ANOTHER OLD SONG the emphasis is on the “old” not “song” i.e. same old story - it’s down on paper and nothing changed. The closing lines…..“is it the beginning my friends …. There's something needs to be done” is asking; are you going to do something about it and not just “paper gun” it….. try to communicate - or cut off
In FEAR HATE no matter the kind of evil that people can think each other are, or are afraid of... "don’t let fear turn into hate"; that’s all our mutual obligation. A person can only be cruel as a self defense mechanism. If no other way exists to prevent that than cutting off for a time, then that’s what must be done. Either way it’s worth to note, that no-one will ever take you seriously unless you take yourself seriously.
Belief in G-d is the first step in strengthening a person’s character to be able to “live up to".
In YOU MKE ME ROK N ROLL it was all Hashem, and ‘U make me rot n roll’ is my conversation with Him.
A word from Alan
“Two points are raised by Rabbi Lord Jonathon Sax in an interview quoted and linked below;
• Where did we write our esthetic music? To tell people what the life of faith actually does to you.
• The issue of 90%+ losing Jews on campus, all be it we have a minyan etc there (read below)
"It is my conclusion that the very issue of not having our esthetic art piece is what that prevents making strides on campus in particular, it is my belief that this is what Paper Gun the Operetta was created for.
And that it is part of Pauls / Pinchas’s job to go out to universities, among other places, to perform Paper Gun – that’s Kiruv with the esthetic.
On reading or hearing the interview below can there be anyone better, as also the performer of “the six decades of the Jewish songwriters”, for the job."
Alan Gestetner management
Monsey NY
RABBI LORD SAX INTERVIEW:
https://rabbisacks.org/archive/behind-the-bima/
QUESTION to Rabbi Sax
"What could the orthodox community spend time on that is being overlooked, apart from appropriately so, more Talmud Torah, chesed, activism, social justice. Is the orthodox community neglecting anything."
ANSWER
"I ment Avrom Yoshua Heschel, author of “G-d in search of man”, grandson of the Abter Rov was a poet of the spirit, and he wasn’t really a philosopher. And so I think there are two things we are missing:
• All that goes with the “affective” dimension of Judaism, the emotional life.
There is some nice Jewish music, but some of the most popular is actually non-Jewish pop set to Jewish words, sang acappella – which is great, I love it. But I like to see music coming from the Jewish soul. So I think we haven’t done enough with the “affective” dimension. And music is probably the most important, I mean we wrote everyone else’s music, Irving Berlin wrote I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”, Mahler’s 8thsymphony is a catholic mass. Where did we write our music? To tell people what the life of faith actually does to you.
• And the other thing is, and I absolutely think modern orthodoxy is missing out on this badly, is kiruv. And the reason I say this is because the difference between a material and physical possession is, that with a material one the more you share the less you have, when it comes to a spiritual one the opposite. And that is why Chabad can send people out to where there is no Yiddishkeit, where you and I would lose our Yiddishkeit overnight almost, because there is no support system, and yet they keep it, why? Because they’re busy sharing it.
Modern orthodox people should be going out on campuses. Do you know how many Jews we lose on campus, 90% minimum. On every campus you’ll find a nice modern orthodox minyan, davening three times a day, daf yomi, everything la/mahadrin. But they’re not taking it out to people who don’t have it. (and I'd say even harder to do in modern times). And when you don’t give something in your spirit dies."
OPERETTA format II
The "frumy" version
entitled: The Visitors
CUSTOMERS SERVED
the frum oilam
the not so frum oilam
the secular oilam
the oilam of the other nations
YT playlist to come
A set of cover and original songs that bridge two worlds, some of the best Jewish and non Jewish written ideas delivered all with a Jewish twist
Hotel California The Eagles (musser shmeez)
Across the universe (ain od milvado)
The Visitors
Havanagila jazz looping version
Hakol yochol by a famous Monsey Rov
Becoming alone again. Regina Spektor
Precious angel. Bob Dylan
Forever young. Bob Dylan
Lord is it mine. Supertramp
Broken man. Bob Dylan
G-d bless. baby Tosh
Rainbow (chizuk song)
Stars Nina Simone
+ MORE MKAREVED SONGS
ALSO FEATURING
Original songs
Some history of the J writers
Divray Toirah:
The Rabbi puppet.
Followed by a dvar T / Talmudic insights and perki avos (ethics of the fathers)