Afrobeat group Armo and The Fraternal Order of the Society Blues are the first special guests confirmed for the Rosh Hashanah service and concert at New York's Nublu Classic on Friday, September 11 at 7:30pm. As previously reported, the musically driven High Holiday gathering, a 15-year tradition for the venue’s community, is part of a suite of offerings that also includes a service and musical celebration of the holiday at New York's Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday, September 12 at 10am. Both the Nublu and Brooklyn Bowl events will feature a full, traditionally rooted Rosh Hashanah service, plain-sense explanations of the religious aspects of the holiday, prayer, shofar blowing, meditation and live music drawn from throughout the Jewish diaspora.
Rabbi Daniel Brenner will once again lead both services. The musical direction will be helmed by Jeremiah Lockwood, who will lead a core band consisting of vocalist/bassist Yula Beeri, drummer John Bollinger, saxophonist and clarinet player Stuart Bogie (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Arcade Fire and Antibalas), trumpeter Jordan McLean (Antibalas), guitarist Timothy James (Antibalas), percussionist Isaac Gaedner and organist Yusuke Yamamoto. Additional special guests from both the local musical community and the Jewish music scene will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur details will also be announced later this month.
The Fraternal Order of the Society Blues, which features Lockwood, harmonica player Ernesto “Lover Cat” Gomez and Wynton Marsalis drummer Ricky Gordon, worked with blues icon Carolina Slim before his passing.
At Nublu, Sarah Chandler, a Brooklyn-based Jewish educator, artist, activist, healer and poet, will also lead a teaching. Chandler teaches, writes and consults on issues related to Kabbalistic dreamwork, earth-based spiritual practices, mindfulness and farming. As the CEO of Shamir Collective (shamircollective.org), she advises high-profile and emergent musicians and authors on self management, fundraising and long-term planning. She co-authored the recently published Ayin Press zine Expanding the Field: A DIY Rosh Hashanah Companion.
A limited number of Early Bird tickets are currently available for both the September 11 and September 12 services. Children's tickets and a festive lunch option from Blue Ribbon are also available for the September 12 service.
