I had the pleasure of seeing Jesse Goldman of Moozika! perform at a party recently and he was great at engaging kids with his catchy tunes and abundant enthusiasm. When the show was over, Jesse told me that after nearly six years of teaching local music classes and performing children’s music in Brooklyn, he is releasing his debut album Moove to the Moozika! on October 25th. For many devoted fans and followers of Moozika!, this is exciting news.
Jesse Goldman, Photos: Alaric Campbell
The album includes many of his popular original songs like “Moose on the Loose” that are guaranteed to get little ones smiling and moving. I like the fact that many of the songs are in Spanish and English; Jesse’s bilingual approach teaches kids Spanish while they have fun and play music. The music also incorporates different musical styles and I enjoyed jazzy songs like “Supa Dupa Soup” and “Wiggle Wagglin.”
Another fun song is “Brooklyn Baby,” whose lyrics are familiar to most young Moozika! fans singing along with Jesse while growing up in Brooklyn: “She’s a Brooklyn Baby / Playing around Prospect Park / Running with her friends ‘til the light gets dark / Brooklyn Baby / Rolling across the Brooklyn Bridge / Brooklyn Baby / Livin’ it up like a Brooklyn kid.” Like some other popular local children’s performers, Moove to the Moozika! reminds us how great it is to be a city kid.
Jesse in concert, Photos: Alaric Campbell
While the music may be overly cheerful for some parents, Jesse has an infectious smile and positively playful disposition that small children love. This playfulness is apparent not just in his live shows, where he encourages children to improvise and play instruments between his original songs, but also on the album itself. As Jesse says, Moove to the Moozika! is really an “invitation to play.” It’s hard to listen to the album without smiling and dancing, and it might even inspire your little ones to pick up a shaker or bang on a drum and make their own music.
The album may be a good way to entertain your kids on a long car ride or recreate Moozika! at home, but I suspect the best way to experience the music is in their live performances. If you want to immerse your kids in the magic of Moozika!, check out the album release show on November 2nd at Dekalb Market Hall (get tickets here). It looks like it will be a fun, interactive musical event where kids will be invited on stage to sing and Jesse will create spontaneous new music with the audience in between performing original songs from the new album.
More info on Moove to the Moozika! can be found here: https://www.moozika.com/
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By Margel Nusbaumer