Saturday, February 12, 2011
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Article on Merkavah - by Chabad.org writer Reuvena Leah Grodnitzky
When guitarist Yerachmiel Altizio and keyboardist Reuven Kasten met in New Orleans seven years ago, neither could have known the dramatic changes that would occur in their lives after their meeting. Both students in New Orleans, the two began playing music and eventually became more observant of Jewish law together.
With the encouragement of Rabbi Yochanan Rivkin, director of the Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center at Tulane University, the pair began exploring Jewish music and playing Hasidic melodies, or nigunim together. Later joined by the legendary 7-foot tall bass player Ephraim Schwab (of Raya Mehemna with Yitzchak Bitton), and drummer David Butler (who has performed and recorded with reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry, Medeski Martin and Wood, and Joe Russo of The Duo, just to name a few), they created the band “Merkavah”, which means chariot in Hebrew.
Merkavah’s repertoire consists of nigunim associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. However, as a result of the band members’ previous music training and interests, they employ arrangements behind the traditional melodies that are a “mixture of New Orleans funk, improvisational ‘jamband’ music, rock ‘n’ roll and jazz.”
“These songs cross the gamut of what people like,” said Schwab, the 47-year-old Queens resident who has been in the music industry for most of his adult life. “The melodies have so much to them, that you can’t strip them of their spirituality by bringing secular influences to them. The secular influence doesn’t overwhelm the Jewish music because it’s anchored in something very deep.”
With these modern, secular genres of music coupling with traditional Jewish melodies, Merkavah hopes to reach out musically to people who may not have experienced Judaism, or Jewish music before. Their goal is to enable more people to appreciate and familiarize themselves with nigunim by “enclothing” them in a package that will appeal to the musical tastes of secular audiences.
“We’re all really connected to these nigunim,” said Schwab. “Their spirit reaches out to people and there’s an immediate connection there, even to people who have never heard them before. It’s unbelievable how people right away feel the essence and joy of the music. They break the barrier between musician and listener.”
According to Altizio, music’s joyful nature is what enables listeners to be so greatly affected by it. He says that through performing these melodies, Merkavah can “serve the Jewish people.” This is also because, as the band members attest, the music also has an ability to bring about achdus (unity) among listeners, because each listener is able to find their own personal connection to the music.
“There is an inherent joy to this music,” said Altizio. “The melodies come from the higher worlds, and we’re trying to bring them down into this physical world. Sharing this music is part of our G-dly service, and we feel that we are fulfilling the purpose of which we were created for when we perform. The music enables us to express our souls in a way of holiness. These nigunim are bigger than all of us. It’s not who we are that matters, it’s the music that we play.”
Since playing at Tulane’s Chabad center, Merkavah has grown in experience and influence over its years. The band has played at a variety of venues, including Chabad houses in many American communities and college campuses, music cafes, weddings, bar mitzvahs, synagogues, holiday events and even at 770 Eastern Parkway, Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters. The band’s first album, “Merkavah: When Will the Master Come?” was released in 2005, and their second album is scheduled to be released in the coming months.
But Merkavah doesn’t limit itself to only musical influences. At each of its performances, Altizio provides words of Torah and background or stories associated with the various nigunim. This helps to heighten the appreciation and understanding of the melodies to the listener.
“What’s great about these nigunim is that the average music listener can appreciate them immediately,” said Altizio, age 33, whose been studying at the Hadar HaTorah Yeshivah in Crown Heights for the past four years. “You don’t need any preparation or training in order to appreciate nigunim, like you do with Torah study. One can be instantly transported and taken to a higher level just by listening.”
For Kasten, age 26 and resident of Morristown, New Jersey, the Hasidic melodies are what initially attracted him to return to his Jewish roots. That is why he feels particularly compelled to share the music with others who may have had similar experiences to his own.
“Like the name of our band, we hope to become like chariots and only go in the direction that our Creator wants us to go,” he said. “As a band, we hope to get rid of our individual egos and pursue our common goal of Jewish inspiration.”