https://www.risingsong.org/hadar-ensemble
Deeply rooted in old Jewish musical styles such as nigunim, prayer, and cantorial music, the Hadar Ensemble branches out to encompass an eclectic range of sounds and musical influences. Lush harmonies merge with contemporary American soundscapes in songs that are soulful and intimate.
Under the leadership of musical director, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Joey Weisenberg, the Hadar Ensemble brings together master musicians to collaborate, create, and listen. The sounds and influences of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco, American blues, and Balkan brass are brought to life by Jake Shulman-Ment on violin, Yoshie Fruchter on bass, Myk Freedman on lap steel, and Ilusha Tsinadze on banjo. The open rhythms of Sam Weisenberg’s drumming and the rich and fluid harmonies of Anat Hochberg, Eléonore Weill, Deborah Sacks Mintz, and Rabbi Yosef Goldman come together in songs that are spiritual and spontaneous, marked as much by thoughtful listening as by beautifully crafted sound.
The Hadar Ensemble blurs boundaries between performance and ritual, and between musicians and audience. Spurning stages, the ensemble prefers to play from the middle of the room, and is often the spark that sets off the amazing singing of the assembled audience and participants. Their music transcends Jewish denominational boundaries, and engages both Jews and non-Jews in the extraordinary power of song to connect, inspire, and transform people.