See what New Orleans top Funk/Jam Band musicians are saying about merkavah: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I dig these jams...that's some funky guitar."------------------------------- - Russell Batiste Jr., drummer of The Funky Meters and Vida Blue ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A totally original mix of New Orleans Funk and Jewish Melodies. A brand new gumbo!" ------------------------------------------------------------- - Jamie McLean, guitarist of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Led by electric guitar virtuoso Yerachmiel Altizio, Merkavah (a mystical kabbalistic chariot) is a blend of Jam Band improvisation and melodies from the Lubavitch Chabad movement. This musical experience marries the frenetic energy of a rock concert with the joyous fervor of Hasidic expression. From Crown Heights, home of the Lubavitch movement, Merkavah navigates the sonic straights linking Chabadniks and Phish-heads, playing festivals, Chabad houses and clubs to the delight of all. Their common appreciation is likely spiritual, and that’s by design. In the Kabbalistic tradition, the band’s namesake is the metaphoric meditational chariot used journey inward to the soul and greater understanding and the revelation of the glory of G-d. Aptly named, Merkavah is the soundtrack of that journey.------------------------------------------------------------------------ Article 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.”
-------From the liner notes of "When Will the Master Come?" : This record represents a milestone in a journey which began over 18 years ago. At age 12, I experienced my first rock concert. I both saw and felt the power of music. A need to communicate and touch others through music began, as I watched in awe at the effect the music had on the crowd. For my 13th b-day (bar mitzvah) present, my Dad bought me my first guitar. At 16, my friends surprised me with a second guitar. It was then that my band Green had our first gig at the Syosset H.S. Battle of the Bands. Since that night, I’ve known what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. From that stage, the path to this record has been filled with many unexpected twists and turns. In 91', I became a devoted follower of Phish, and in 93' I began to follow the Grateful Dead. After H.S., I (briefly) attended UMASS Amherst. Three semesters in, I put school on hold and I headed cross-country in my ‘73 VW van, finally stopping in Santa Cruz, CA, over 1 year later. In S.C., I soaked up the natural beauty, living by the beach, and in the redwood covered mountains of Boulder Creek. I searched for spirituality in music, and in nature where I spent a lot of time meditating and hiking. It was there in B.C., at the Big Basin National Park, on the China Grade range, that I began to understand that the Creator of the universe was also the Giver of the Torah. I had abandoned Reform Judaism when I was 15, now years later, I felt a surge of spiritual re-discovery. I then joined a synagogue in S.C. called Kol Tefilah, where I met Rabbi Shalom Bochner. I really connected with him, as he was a ‘phan’ of Phish, as well as a guitarist. I began to attend Sabbath services and became involved in the community. While in S.C., I also met Ray Brown, with whom I first began studying jazz at Cabrillo C.C.. It didn’t take long before I decided to completely immerse myself into jazz. Jazz led me to the University of New Orleans for a B.A. in Jazz Guitar Performance. While there, I studied jazz guitar with Hank Mackie and Steve Masakowski, both of whom had a great influence on me. What better place to fall in love with New Orleans funk than the city where it was born I voraciously absorbed its unique sound of New Orleans funk, especially The Meters, with their infectious grooves and syncopated rhythms. On my very first Sabbath in N.O., I found my way to the Chabad House, and into the Chabad- Lubavitch sect of Judaism. This encounter, would eventually change my entire perspective on life. I began to learn Torah with Rabbi Yochanan Rivkin, and through learning the Tanya, authored by the Alter Rebbe, I began to connect to G-d on a deeper lever than I ever imagined possible. In the summer of ‘01, I went to Israel on a 10 day “birthright” trip. Experiencing the holiness of places such as the Wailing Wall, the mikvah of the AriZal, and the cemetery in Tzfat, all had a huge impact on my becoming religious. I decided that I wanted to observe the Sabbath. I had already accepted a job where I had agreed to play guitar on the Sabbath, but I when I returned, my commitment to the Sabbath endured, and I made other arrangements. My friend Zalman Nelson took me to study in Morristown, NJ, and I ended up studying there the entire summer long. After completing my Master’s degree in Music Ed. at Queens College in the summer of ‘05, I have been learning with Rabbi Goldberg at Hadar HaTorah, a yeshivah for returnees to Orthodox Judaism in Crown Heights. I have spent the last 4 years of my life immersed in prayer, and in the study of Chassidus - the mystical inner secrets of the Torah, as well as the revealed parts of Torah such as the Shulchan Aruch, and the Talmud. The yeshivah environment has led me to find an inner peace, and has helped me to comprehend my purpose in the universe. This album is the result of all of these experiences. It is my hope that my music will touch you and raise you up to a higher place on your journey through life.
Shalom aleichem... to my new friends in Merkavah... what a great experience to meet and hear you. It was very gracious of you to invite me to play music with you. I wish you all the best in all that you do. Please keep in touch when you can.
Online Now!
