Video: Music by the Sy Kushner Jewish Music Ensemble. “KlezSqueeze!”
“Nor Gelebt, Nor Gelakht”
The Brooklyn Accordion Club will present a “Klezmer Music Workshop” with Sy Kushner on Sunday, March 6th, 2016 3-5 pm at 61 Local . Admission: $5.00 per person B.Y.O. Instrument (Open for all kinds of instruments and levels) . Please spread the words to all your musician friends!
Lead sheet will be emailed to the participants prior to the meeting date. Not on BAC email list? Email to: brooklynaccordionclub@gmail.com
From the Sy Kushner website: Nulite Music Inc., formerly Kush Publications Inc., has been dedicated to the dissemination of classic klezmer melodies through books and recordings for over a decade. With the release of the Klezmer Music Fakebook Volume One and Volume Two for C and Bb instruments, many musicians have access to previously unpublished klezmer music. In addition, the release of the CD, KlezSqueeze!
The Sy Kushner Jewish Music Ensemble, recreated the music and sound of the early 1900’s klezmer ensemble, and features accordion, tsimbl (hammered dulcimer) and string bass. In 2008, Nulite Music released the first of an ongoing project of Sy’s original works – Arise! New Jewish Music by Sy Kushner, and the books, Arise! Volume One for C and for Bb instruments, which contain the music on the CD.
This was followed by “Journeys”, New Jewish Music by Sy Kushner, Vol. 2, in 2009, and from my soul, Vol. 3 in 2010.
In November 2013, Nulite Music released “The Sy Kushner Jewish Music Ensemble”, Volume Four: Klez, Kush & Son. The album features Sy Kushner on accordion with third generation klezmer musician, Aaron Kushner on alto sax backed up by some of New York’s finest klezmer musicians. Influenced by Israeli folk dance, Mideast, Latin, Chassidic and klezmer music, the album breaks new ground in the field of Jewish music.
It has been over 40 years since Sy Kushner, along with Ben Hulkower and Jordan Penkower, released “The New Jewish Sound-The Mark 3 Orchestra and Singers Volume One”. It was to become the seminal opus-an album that was to influence the course of Jewish music for years to come.
Combining New World Jewish melodies with an Old World klezmer beat, Sy, Musical Director and accordionist of the group, used the accordion, alto sax, string bass, clarinet, trombone and drums in a manner not previously heard in Jewish music.
Each instrument had an equal voice in the ensemble sound while the solo quality of each instrument was also highlighted. With the Mark 3, Sy concertized extensively, selling out venues such as Brooklyn College’s Whitman Hall and performing for thousands at the Shriners’ Hall in Los Angeles.
The Mark 3 travelled extensively for NCSY (National Conference of Synagogue Youth), playing concerts at conventions around the country. Sy was also the staff accordionist at the Pineview Hotel where he honed his craft during the day performing for guests.
Sy grew up in the Bronx in a house full of Jewish music. His father was a drummer and lover of cantorial music as well as klezmer music. While growing up listening to the old 78s, Sy’s father also took him to “gigs” where he played the accordion, maracas and sang Hatikvah. Finally, when Sy turned 13 he ventured out to do his first professional gig.
His uncle Sam, a gabai(sexton) at the Young Israel of Manhattan, hired Sy to perform for a synagogue function. The featured artist that night was an unknown singer-guitarist by the name of Shlomo Carlebach. The year was 1956.
Sy realized the importance of passing on tradition. Just like his father before him, Sy took his son, Aaron, with him on gigs to listen, watch, and eventually sit in with the band. Aaron went on to become a member of the Klezminors, the most popular teen klezmer band in the country. On Oct. 31, 1999, in front of a packed house at the Tonic Club in Manhattan, Sy’s band and the Klezminors performed separately, then together. Billed as, “The Klezmer Legacy: Two Generations in Harmony,” the passing on of a tradition was realized. Sy and Aaron went on to perform at another sold out performance at the Tonic billed as “Klezmer, Kushner and Son.”
Aaron can also be heard on Sy’s Arise and Journeys albums. He also designed the CD covers for those albums as well as created the artwork for the “KlezSqueeze!” album.
After a lifetime of performing music composed by other people, Sy decided to devote himself to composing and recording his own works. He has composed over 200 melodies and has embarked on a project to record and share many of them with the world. His first CD of his compostions, Arise! , was released in 2008. This was followed by Journeys Vol 2 (2009), ..from my soul.. Vol 3 (2010) and The Sy Kushner Jewish Music Ensemble, Vol.4: Klez, Kush & Son(2013)
For further information on Sy Kushner: nulitemusic@verizon.net
