Reddit reviews Mamaloshen

One of the best purchases I ever made at a Goodwill store (and I've made quite a few) was this album. I saw it in the CD bin and thought, "Yiddish folk songs sung by Inigo Montoya? How cool is that?" Then I took it home and played it. I had no idea what I was in for.

Reading the liner notes, I saw that Patinkin's grand concept was to view all pop music written by Jews in America as part of the larger historic body of Jewish folksong. He expressed that thesis by taking pop songs by Jewish songwriters, from "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" to "Maria" from West Side Story to Paul Simon's "American Tune", translating the lyrics into Yiddish, and singing them with an orchestral accompaniment. The funniest thing I've ever heard. Here is a tantalizing tidbit of Mandy goodness.

Mandy Patinkin has a great Yiddish album, although I don't know how this kind of thing works these days.

I especially love his version of Az Der Rebbe Elimelech.