Joshua Nelson and the Klezmatics: Kosher Gospel

So I’m nine years old being dragged to synagogue every Saturday morning so that my older brother can prepare for his Bar Mitzvah and I’m wishing, no I’m actually praying to God to intervene with something just a little bit jazzier; you know a little bit of _doo-wop_, a little bit of _ooh wah baby_. But no such luck. There was nothing hip going down in my synagogue days.

Fast forward a couple of decades and I find myself an auditory voyeur to the Friday night prayers of the Hasids who live in my neighbourhood in Montréal, my apartment there backing onto their makeshift synagogue. My concrete backyard was their house of worship, and in a long distance sort of way I was moved by their near-ecstatic devotion. Likewise, during the summer I spent living in Brooklyn, I loiter, timidly, outside Baptist churches on Sunday mornings ears aching for the rejoicing sound of voices lifted, and I’m thinking: the Hasids and the Baptists, they know how to get down and make themselves heard by God Almighty.

Little did I know that there is one "Joshua Nelson":http://www.joshuanelson.com/ an African American Jewish gospel singer, who has made a star-studded name for himself by fusing these two traditions. Motown meets Saturday morning prayers? Check. Hebrew cantorials a la Louis Armstrong? Absolutely. Aretha Franklin style vocals doing the Elijah Rock? Oh yeah.

And that’s not all. Nelson blazed onto a stage that was already full with the Eastern European/multicultural soulful sounds of "The Klezmatics":http://www.klezmatics.com/. This New York-based Klezmer band has, as its most recent claim to fame, a Grammy for best contemporary world music album, awarded in 2006 for their release _Wonder Wheel_ that was inspired by the left-behind lyrics of the late "Woody Guthrie":http://www.woodyguthrie.org/. Like Guthrie’s work, The Klezmatics’ music frequently handles themes of social and political concern; with their rich, extraordinarily variable sound, however, they manage to do this in the spirit of unrestrained joyfulness. Put together The Klezmatics’ musical diversity and Joshua Nelson’s vocal acrobatics and you’ve got one unstoppable evening of outstanding music.

Setting the tone for the evening, The Klezmatics started off the show with one of their signature Eastern European style pieces; you could almost call their opener a Klezmer standard, except that there is nothing standard about what this band does. From the low notes of the bass guitar to the highest notes of the virtuosic trumpet solo, this band excels in its vibrant liveliness, reveling in the audience’s boisterous response. What was remarkable about this show was that all of the excellent musicianship did not seem staid or overly rehearsed for even a second. There was a playful spontaneity throughout the concert that allowed the audience to jump right in, clapping their hands and eventually getting on their feet to dance, a sight that is probably rarely seen at the respectable Chan Centre.

A couple of songs into the Klezmatics’ routine, Nelson made his entrance, and it was nothing short of grand. The lead vocalist for The Klezmatics had joked that Nelson didn’t come on stage at the same time as the band did because he was still getting dressed. And when he finally did appear, it was clear that he definitely would have needed the extra time to assume his wardrobe. Clad in a gold embroidered cape and a robe that was so ornate it could only be called baroque in its detailing, Joshua Nelson appeared as though he were a king at his coronation. But, this is not a man to stand still and wave at the crowd. Before you could say "Thelonious Monk":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelonious_Monk, Nelson took to the piano like a man whose hands were on fire, making it clear that his outfit, indeed the Chan Centre itself, could barely contain a talent like his.

I have no idea how many octaves his voice can cover but Joshua Nelson has a vocal range and an emotional depth that soars to the heavens above before diving to the depths and back again. Perhaps that range comes from his background. After all, as he so aptly said, “growing up black and Jewish wasn’t always easy.” I have no doubt that this presented any number of challenges, but this is clearly a case of what doesn’t kill you makes you magnificent. With Nelson’s humour and his obvious love of being on stage, he had the audience in the palm of his talented hands throughout the all-too-short show. I should say that the crowd was older than I would have expected, yet Joshua Nelson got even the bubbies and zadies dancing in their sensible shoes. In fact, I feel sure that the Klezmatics and Joshua Nelson together could stir the hearts of even the deaf and uplift the souls of the most cynical skeptic.

_The Klezmatics with African American Kosher Gospel singer Joshua Nelson appeared at The Chan Centre on February 28 as part of the Chutzpah! Festival._