TBK Music
Project
‘Jazz Shabbat’
Self-released
The Old Testament
has a lot of rules but nowhere does it say Friday night services can’t swing.
Tradition, you say? The Jazz Shabbat tradition is pushing 15 years at Temple
B’rith Kodesh. And now the program, a collaboration
with members of the Eastman School of Music Jazz Department, has released a CD
celebrating Keri Lopatin Berger’s 20th anniversary as cantorial soloist and
director of music at the synagogue.
The usual way of
spicing up a Shabbat service is to add a bit of Klezmer music, but pianist Max
Berlin and guitarist Bob Sneider opt for straight-ahead jazz arrangements of
contemporary Shabbat standards. Berger’s voice is gorgeously showcased on “Oseh
Shalom.” On most of the other tunes, she is skillfully joined in harmony or
call-and-response with her husband, Jason Berger. Sneider, Berlin, and trumpeter
John Sneider contribute smokin’ solos throughout, while bassist Danny Ziemann
and drummer Chase Ellison provide solid support.
A Shabbat service
and CD release featuring Keri Lopatin Berger, Jason Berger, Sneider, and Berlin
— along with saxophonist Colin Gordon, bassist Eugene Bisdikian, and Ryan
Barski on drums — take place Friday, November 8, 7 p.m. at Temple B’rith
Kodesh, 2131 Elmwood Avenue. Free. 244-7060.
This article appears in Nov 6-12, 2019.
