Jens Brenke (* 1935; † June 16, 1988 in Hanover ) was a German cabaret artist. Brenke was the tenant of the Hanoverian bar Jenseits , in which he performed his own literary-musical cabaret programs from 1960 to 1980 using texts by well-known authors that were published on records. He had joint programs with Belina and The Three Travelers . Fritz Graßhoff once called Brenke “probably the best entertainer in Germany”.
Belina (born 1925 near Treblinka , Poland ; died December 12, 2006 in Hamburg ; actually Lea-Nina Rodzynek ) was a Jewish folk singer. She was fluent in six languages and sang her songs, chansons and international folklore in original lyrics in 20 different languages. She was born in a village near Treblinka. Her musical talent, which was encouraged by her parents, showed up early. The folk and sacred songs in the family were the first impulses for her later artistic work. As a young woman, Lea-Nina fled to Germany, where she found work in a factory with forged papers and under a false name. When the swindle was discovered, she was arrested and taken to a concentration camp, from which she was able to escape. She managed to stay hidden until the end of National Socialism. The first station in freedom was Paris. There she tinkered as a singer through the many cellar bars. She was called the Black Angel of Montparnasse .
In 1954 the artist went to Switzerland. There she worked as a beautician and had her voice trained. She has had small television and radio appearances and has toured the province. In 1954 she got an engagement at the Yiddish Theater in Paris, and her first records appeared.
The album "Wenn die Jidden lachen" was recorded at the "Jenseits" in Hannover and features Jewish jokes and songs.
From the linernots:
"The Jewish joke has not only a certain spice to offer but also all the healthy crispness of unleavened bread, all the substance and transparent depth of a satisfying clear soup. As well as a punch-line, it shows intellect and an awareness of tradition. You will laugh once, then after further thought again, this time for deeper reasons; or you may just grin, or greet yet another story with surprised silence. The Jewish joke is rarely satisfied with a mere belly-laugh; it sets the grey matter of the brain working too, not to forget the heart.
Jewish songs have just the same measure of unmistakable individuality. They can be enjoyed for themselves, but rarely are they lacking in deeper implications. As well as a surface sparkle, they have depth; their gaiety is often in a distinctly minor key. Text and melody seem fundamentally related, and having heard the first bars, it is difficult not to listen with complete absorption.
There is little point in believe that when Jewish or some related word occurs, we should sit and twiddle our thumbs in embarassed silence. Why should laughter be out of order? The Jewish songs and jokes featured on this record are of the kind where a good laugh also provokes a little thought: perhaps startling thoughts in some cases, but in all of them, as refreshing and worth-while as the proceedings recorded are smooth and accomplished.
This recording is not intended as a carefully rehearsed demonstration of fraternal feeling; no flags, however praiseworthy, are being waved. This is just a brief visit to the Jenseits Bar in Hannover, jenseits being best translated perhaps as hereafter. Everyone was invited, Jews, gentiles and others! And they all drank, ate, danced... and laughed.
The host was Jens Brenke, the blond, crew-cut owener of the Jenseits. He was joined at the microphone by Belina, the raven-haired singer form Poland. For recording managers and the like there was no need!
The whole evening was conducted with a strange feeling of give and take. The doors had been thrown open, a mixed crowd hat gathered, but anyone who was prepared to pay for his laughter with a modest measure of mental activity must have felt quite at home. This long player retains for posterity what was said and sung when the herafter admitted mortal beings to its circle, a circle which may well have been expaded as a result. And what, we may well ask, is wrong that? Shalom!"
Tracklist:
A1 Bei mir biste schön (Performer: Belina, Jens Brenke)
A2 Jiddische Tochter (Performer; Belina)
A3 Ja wie nennt man a bissele Massel (Performer: Jens Brenke)
B1 Die Schwieger (Performer: Jens Brenke)
B2 Havah Nagilah (Organ: W. Keller)
B3 Tumbalalaika (Performer: Belina)
Between the songs, Jens Brenke performed Jewish jokes.
(320 kbps, cover art included)
