​We Are Partners is our first new album in over 30 years. It contains 30 songs, recorded by us for the first time, including two previously unfinished songs from the 1970s we found in the archives. The bulk of this new CD was recorded near Boston beginning in late 2023. Jeff was suffering from a brutal cold and laryngitis. Fortunately, he had recorded a number of unreleased demos at the late Stuart Rosenberg’s Long Dog Studios in Skokie, IL in 2004, and these ten tracks allowed his voice to be fully present in what will most certainly be our final album. 

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The title track, “We Are Partners,” like the name of our group, has multiple meanings. Inspired by “Partners,” a story by Rabbi Marc Gellman, the song celebrates the partnership between God and humanity, which offers hope in this broken world. And now, nearing the culmination of a five-decades long musical journey, we celebrate our partnership — our friendship and collaboration, and the partnership we have always treasured with you, our audience of supporters, colleagues, teachers, friends and family. 

Recordings have been an integral part of our musical journey for over 50 years. During that time we have ridden the waves of technology, releasing two vinyl LPs in the 1980s, followed by three cassette tapes and — finally! — a CD in the 1990s. 

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We are very proud of our recordings, especially those made in Evanston, IL while Jeff was serving as a cantor there. When Jeff arrived in Chicago in 1982 he found a vibrant music scene spanning nearly every musical genre. Soon he was introduced to Howard Levy, whose brilliant jazz harmonica playing had brought him international acclaim. During the ‘80s and ‘90s Howard appeared on all of Kol B’Seder’s (and Jeff’s solo) albums, for which he brought together the best session musicians in the city. To our ears, the talent of these incredible players makes every track a sonic delight. (You can see videos of Howard and Jeff here.)

Early in the 21st century we consolidated all of our previous albums onto three CDs called Snapshots, Vols. 1-3, and a CD for children, Songs for Growin’. Together with the 110-song Kol B’Seder Anthology, published by Transcontinental Music, our CDs (available in streaming formats and at Bandcamp.com) represent a ‘snapshot’ of Jewish musical expression in our time, a legacy of music dedicated to future generations of the Jewish people, here, there, and everywhere.