The very different styles of my three albums shows a little of that evolution, and also the variety my style can encompass. The “Old Jewish Songs of Russia & Ukraine” album is kind of quasi-klezmer, but not in a purist sense; my goal here was to convey the energy, bounciness and naivete of the music, not to create an historical document. I’ve gotten comments like “this is probably more like what music in the shtetl really sounded like” and “I like this better than klezmer.” You can read about my spin on klezmer in my upcoming book.
The “Healing for the Soul” album was a response to my wife’s request for something with a Jewish feel that could be used as background music for reflexology and massage sessions. She wanted something that would not be based on familiar melodies, or display strong emotion, but just be pleasant and Jewish. There was really nothing like that on the market, and therapists were forced to use the generic new age stuff. So I decided that to do something like that and make it Jewish, it had to be melodic, but in a continuous, unstructured way. This is what I came up with, and besides being therapeutic, I believe it has a lot of musical and emotional depth when you start to get into it. But mainly it’s intended for relaxation, which is, by the way, one of the major “heterim” (dispensations) for listening to music despite the prohibition to do so after the destruction of the Bais Hamikdosh (Holy Temple).
The latest album, “Songs of the Tzaddikim”, is for me both a culmination and a beginning: it represents the first time I’ve been able to do something I really wanted to do all along – to communicate the power and beauty of the great Jewish melodies (particularly Chassidic) in a contemporary form. The style is modern yet classic, and hopefully not too complex to be accessible to a larger public.
So here’s some stylistic analysis:
Classical: As I’ve already admitted, by classical music background is definitely an influence, although I’ve tried to get away from it over the years rather than strengthen it. Some interludes get into some complex counterpoint, but the harmonies are usually pretty straightforward. The fact is, many of the early recordings of Chassidic music and Chazzanus used classical style accompaniments, simply because it matched the seriousness and depth of the music.
Cinematic: In their dramatic sections, some songs have that “soundtrack” quality, particularly “Kel Adon” and “Eliyahu Hanavi.” I really felt the lyrics demanded this approach, and the melodies lend themselves to it. Some might be offended by such literalism, but I think the “power” is appropriate. I do use some synth sounds inspired by Vangelis and Jarre, so that may remind some people of their style.
Folk/Ethnic: That’s probably the most technically accurate classification for this music, after all. I like the use of plucked and hammered instruments, so they appear fairly frequently. The cimbalom was very commonly used in klezmer music. The fiddle also sometimes has a little “folksy” flavor to it.
Jazz: Although I’m very far from using jazz idioms, my basic compositional style is improvisational, and when I’m building one track on top of another for an interlude, for example, it’s almost like jamming (with myself).
Rock: I was never into rock, and I generally feel it’s inappropriate for Jewish music. The outlook and culture are just so different, they will never be truly compatible. However, sometimes I must succumb to using overdrive on my violin to simulate a lead guitar sound, simply because the power of the music requires it. In songs like Bnei Haicholah and Adon Olam, it seemed natural to present them this way. Anyway, now that electric guitar has become so common in Jewish recordings (even if the style is not rock), it’s just another instrument by now.
I’ll leave it to the critics, if there are any, to add to the list. If anyone has any suggestions of other popular artists I sound similar to, please let me know – it would be very useful for marketing purposes.
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One of the most perplexing contradictions facing the musician is this: in order to play or sing properly, the musician must be perfectly relaxed. The vocalist must relax the vocal cords, the violinist must relax his arms and wrists, etc. On the other hand, the music he plays is often dynamic and emotional, requiring pressure, tension, etc. How does he remain physically relaxed and intellectually focused while still expressing feelings which are anything but relaxed? I think this seeming contradiction gives us a great inspiration for life in...
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