Jay Rapoport
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
PRAISE FOR JAY RAPOPORT AND HIS RUACH ROCK…
Some of the most engaging new Jewish music out there. It's lyrical, sensitive, with a beat that makes you feel good. I like JAY!!!!
-Craig Taubman
Jay's music really rocked our congregation this summer with over 200 camp kids jammin' to these new hits! Jay is a fabulous musician, pianist and songwriter and knows how to appeal to the teens of our movement with his contemporary rhythms, singable melodies and rockin' spirit!
-Cantor Michael Shochet, Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA
I love it! As a Jewish educator, I am always looking for relevant, cool music like this that transmits Jewish values—quality music that our students can connect to and learn from at the same time. Our kids and our teachers love Jay’s songs!
-Tirza Arad, Director of Education at Congregation Rodeph Sholom, NY, NY
Jay Rapoport was an absolute pleasure to work with. He performed new songs as well as old songs for everyone to enjoy. He entertained non-stop for over 90 minutes and NFTY-PAR and MAR loved every minute of it.
-Amanda Wachstein, NFTY-PAR Advisor
Jay really knows how to make Torah and Hebrew rock! In his music, he has managed to encase the pleasures, joys, and wonders of Judaism in a vernacular that will especially appeal to the younger generation. For this, he is to be greatly praised, and I hope he will continue to use his great talents to bring Yiddishkeit to Jews of all ages!
-Larry Gevirtz, Executive Producer, “With All Your Heart”
Jay Rapoport came to Penn State Hillel to play a show for our Purim party. Jay's enthusiasm and charisma combined with his extensive repertoire made this event unforgettable. Jay was able to, through his strong background in Jewish education, make this event both fun and relevant. Jay is easy and professional to work with and was very flexible and accommodating.
-Alex Bolotovsky, Penn State Hillel President 2009
Talmud Torah K'Neged Kulam is FANTASTIC!! I would LOVE to have my Temple band learn this song. I'm impressed! Keep up the good work!
-Cantor Sally Neff, Temple Beth Torah, Upper Nyack, NY
I enjoyed listening to the CD, it was great...and then my daughters stole it from me!
I have been the recipient of Jay Rapaport’s musical gifts and love of Judaism for many years. He has been singing his songs to the members of our congregation for years and we all love them. It’s wonderful to hear Jay’s passion for Jewish values and tradition come out in this original, creative and joyous CD!
-Rabbi Amy Schwartzman, Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA
We brought Jay in to perform as the headliner for our Hillel-sponsored Open Mic Night of music and poetry. It was our first campus-wide event of the semester and we, the Hillel Board, were a little nervous about how to run the show. Not only did Jay perform, but he also helped emcee and was very encouraging to other students hesitant to perform. His performance at the end was great, too, with a down-to-earth style that people really got into. But there's more...because he was already staying in town Saturday night after the show, he then volunteered to do a small performance (and eat free lox and bagels) at our weekly Hillel Sunday Bagel Brunch!! A great guy and a great performer. We are looking forward to bringing him back in the future.
-Daniel Shore, Bradley Hillel president, 2008-9
I shared the music with my teens and they thoroughly enjoyed Jay’s songs!
-Amanda Swartz TEEN/BBYO Director, NOVA Council BBYO
“With All Your Heart” has songs with such a catchy and fun way to learn about Judaism! Who does not want to sing along with B’chol Le’vav’cha and many others?! My kids love listening to the CD—it appeals to elementary kids to tweens to adults. Jay has such a wonderful voice and we look forward to his concert here!
-Barbara Brot Bailey, K-3 Principal at TRS Religious School, Falls Church, VA
I truly loved Jay’s album! I love the catchy tunes as well as the Jewish/Gospel fusion, which is something that is very unique to the world of Jewish music.
-Rob Aronson, Jewish songleader
I wanted to let you know how much my family has enjoyed the CD! We have been listening to it non-stop since we got it and we just love it. My daughter especially screams "Jay!" when one of his songs comes on in the car and she can't help but sing along.
-Elisabeth Galotto
It was a pleasure working with Jay Rapoport. His group handled the logistics smoothly, and our students loved their performance!
-Aaron Kaufman, Penn State Hillel Advisor
I love his version of that prayer “On This Day”, which we included when I was rabbi each year since he wrote it.
-Rabbi Sylvia Scholnick, Temple Beth El, Williamsburg VA
From 'Open My Lips' to 'Pushups' to 'Ruach Rockin', Jay Rapoport infuses his music with ruach that is contagious!"
-Babette Cohn, TRS 4-6 Assistant Principal, Falls Church, VA
Makes me want to get up and dance!!
-Nancy Reder, Jay’s mother
- various
Hello Jay,
Thank you for a wonderful show! I said it last night and I'll say it again.... you are truly talented and destine to do great things. You definitely gained a lot of new fans last night! Your voice is amazing and your lyrics are real and relatable. The students really enjoyed themselves. Thanks again for the CD, I'm sure I'll get some of your other songs stuck in my head too!
I wish you all the best.
Caneil McDonald
Coordinator of Residence Life and Student Activities
- St. John's
Dangerous Kid played an awesome show when we booked them. They were punctual, organized, and flexible, in addition to being a great band!
Joshua Marx
Goucher College - Goucher College
Thursday April 12th brought not only a snow emergency but a musician from New York. Jay Rapoport performed an hour of piano rock music. Jay hails from Washington DC, and has been performing for several years with a steady gig on Thursday nights at Bar 169 in New York City. This snowy evening Jay brought a great mixture of original material and some great cover songs.
Jay, who sings and plays piano in the trio Dangerous Kid, played all the tracks off of the band's debut "On the Loose," and some new tracks that were just recorded in Nashville. My favorite track off both the album and to hear live is the song "Suzannah". On this song, Jay sings about a girl he longs for, who is in love with a drug addict. During the show Jay sang some better-known songs such as "Your Song" and "Hallelujah". Although the turn-out was small everyone left the show feeling great. After the show Jay greeted all of those who came and signed CDs and T-shirts. Jay was the first rock pianist to come to FPC, but he certainly will not be the last.
Erin Freeman
- Pierce Arrow
I was hooked from the beginning--if you like Ben Folds, you'll love this band! - "Capitol Scene"
This is the show to hit! - Village Voice
“Jay was an absolute pleasure to work with. He performed new songs as well as old songs for everyone to enjoy. He entertained non-stop for over 90 minutes and we loved every minute of it.”
-Amanda Wachstein, NFTY-PAR Advisor
- n/a
Discography
Jay's new children's album, "With All Your Heart" was released in November 2010.
The first full-length Dangerous Kid CD, “The Day Has Come,” was released in fall 2007.
"On The Loose", the debut Dangerous Kid EP was released in October 2005.
All three albums are available on Itunes and CD Baby.
Dangerous Kid songs have been played on Washington's Z104 and California's Inside The Edge. Jay has also released two solo albums, “Don't Look Down” (1998) and “Live At Jammin' Java” (2004), and two albums with his previous band Worry Stones, “NOVA Custom” (2000) and “You Don't Know What You're In For” (2003), each selling several thousand copies locally and on regional East Coast and Southern tours. Jay was also featured on Shwa Losben's “Just A Thought” (2004) and "Good Times, Good Times" (2010).
Photos
Bio
Jay Rapoport started playing piano by ear at five years old, and was a professional pianist by age 19. He attended Berklee School of Music in Boston, where he was an award-winning singer-songwriter, and was named one of America’s “100 Best College Performers” in Mastercard ACTS Talent Search. A fan of pop as well as underground rock, Jay counts Gavin Degraw, Tori Amos, Ben Folds Five, Radiohead, and Jason Mraz among his influences. He honed his piano, vocal, and songwriting talents with several bands before founding the piano rock trio Dangerous Kid in 2005 with drummer Paul Withers and bassist Matt Dosberg. His new children's album "With All Your Heart" was released in November 2010.
A passionate singer, Jay has a penchant for heart-on-sleeve ballads complimented by a dark sense of humor, and he can be found alternately pounding on his piano or playing with quiet intensity. Jay loves to tell stories about his adventures, and they find their way into songs as well as the spaces in between during live shows. Jay is described by fans as a “human jukebox,” as he knows hundreds of songs and can learn new ones pretty much on the spot. After growing up in the DC area, Jay moved to New York City in 2005, and the events leading up to the move are reflected in Dangerous Kid’s debut “On The Loose”.
Dangerous Kid's full-length album, “The Day Has Come” is the story of Jay’s first year in New York, which took him to Nashville, Tennessee to record. The songs were refined at a weekly residency at Bar 169 on the lower east side of Manhattan, often accompanied by random drumming and dancing from the crowd. “The Day Has Come” features Jay on lead and harmony vocals, piano, organ, Wurlitzer, and harmonica, along with Matt on bass and acoustic guitar, and Paul on drums, and was released in fall 2007.
Jay's new solo album, "With All Your Heart" applies his piano rock sensibilities to fun and uplifting themes and messages. In addition to performing regularly in NYC at clubs and touring colleges, Jay is now rocking for children, teens, and families, recently taking his music to the NFTY convention in Dallas, TX and communities along the East Coast.
The most popular aspects of Jay's shows are his hilarious rock songs delivered in deadpan style, and his long list of cover songs that get audiences singing (and dancing!) along. A veteran of piano bars as well as rock clubs, Jay delivers an energetic show guaranteed to please.
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