[HANASHIR:8003] RE: Percussion

[Fifth Avenue <jbielan...>]

My two cents regarding instrumentations:

For fourteen years, I've been Music Director for a reform congregation in a Los
Angeles suburb called Valley Outreach Synagogue (originally started by Rabbi
Richard Schachet, whose posts I've see here sometimes - now led by Rabbi Jerry
Fisher).

Dick's attitude from the inception of the congregation was "do what feels honest
and will get people in the seats."  One of the primary goals of Valley Outreach
was - and continues to be - to attract those Jews who, for whatever reasons, had
become disenfranchised from their Judaism.

I am incredibly fortunate that the congregation has pretty much let me have free
rein to do anything musically that I've wanted (within reason).  Given my
original musical background was more Motown than Moses, I think I've probably
broken a lot of rules out of sheer ignorance, but I live with it.

The next instance will be on February 2, when we will hold our annual "Shabbat
Service With Gospel Music", which we have been doing for ten years (long before
the screenwriter from "Keep The Faith" got the idea).

At this service, myself on piano - along with a dear guitar player friend of
mine named Peter Hume - and the V.O.S. choir (approximately 35 voices) will be
joined by the 50-plus voices of the First African Methodist Episcopal Unity
Church Unity Choir.  As they have in the past, I'm sure they'll be bringing in a
rhythm section of piano, bass, guitar and drums, plus a sax player, as well.
The service usually draws in excess of 1,200 people and the liturgical rules are
pretty simple: their Music Director and I go over the service, and each pick
tunes and settings appropriate for the readings.  They graciously understand
that there is no use of "Jesus", but rather that the selections remain universal
and directly address God.

This service is going to be especially meaningful for me this year, because the
repertoire is going to also include both choirs doing some songs (here comes the
shameless plug....) from my new album, "From The Heart Of A Jewish Soul").  I'm
fifty-two years old, and though I've been a studio musician for much of my life,
this is the first work which has ever caused me to take out a second mortgage
and is under my name rather than someone else's.

For High Holidays, Cantor Ron Li-Paz and I utilize our choir, plus classical
guitar, flute and three violins.  We typically draw 1,500+ attendees, and
as a result, both for the Gospel Service and High Holidays, the congregation is
rents a larger sanctuary to accomodate the numbers.

I fully understand that this approach isn't for everyone.  Ron once invited an
Orthodox friend to a High Holiday service, and when it was over, asked the
friend's opinion.  The gentleman's gracious response was, "....well, it was very
nice... I just didn't know that I was going to see 'Rosh Hashanah - The
Musical'".

Who knows? Maybe he was right.  All I know is that, as I sit up on the bimah
playing, I see the faces of an awful lot of people who seem genuinely involved
and appear to really be trying to find some meaning in the prayers they're
reading and singing.  For you and I as Jewish musicians, what more can we ask
for?

Personally (as long as this soapbox hasn't given way yet), I don't think any
approach is any more wrong or right than another.  For me, I think that any
reasonable instrumentation which: a) makes people feel closer to God and their
Judaism,  b) is true to the music, and c) doesn't take the focus from the
worship.. is a good one.  I know there are lots of valid arguments pro and con,
like questions about when the music crosses the line and becomes more about
"performance" than about inspiring worship.

I have no definitive answer, but speaking only for myself, I think there is
almost always an element of performance in the presentation of liturgical
music.  I've heard that a cantor is supposed to, in some way, be the
congregation's "representative" to sing to God.  However, I have yet to see
either a great cantor or songleader  who wasn't concerned about pitch and
phrasing and shading as well... all elements of good performance.

Just one more point, and I'll shut up.

For me, and I would be interested to hear the learned opinion of others herein
-, sometimes, not all the time certainly - but definately much of the time -
the musical bottom lines are sincerity and accessibility.

As we all know, sometimes the beautiful traditional melodies which we  grew up
with are the ones which bring us to the brink of tears.  Another time it might
be a choir doing a sensitive version of Issacson's "Venehehmar".   Other times,
maybe it's the whole congregation standing up at the end of a service, arms over
each other's shoulders while a single strumming guitarist leads Friedman's
"T'fillat Haderech".  For me, sometimes it's my congregation singing along with
some of my original settings and coming up to me after words and telling me that
my music has helped bring them closer to God for a few minutes.

Bottom line: they were touched, in a Jewish setting.

My little opinion:

Drums? Hell yes (probably not during "Kol Nidre", however).

"Ave Maria?" No... even though it's got a good beat, I just can't dance to it.

Jack Bielan