You and the Night: Jazz Music Concert with John Sneider and Cantor Gerald Cohen

Shaarei Tikvah transforms itself into a jazz club Saturday, April 25th, at 9 pm for You and the Night and the Music, a concert featuring jazz arrangements of Jewish music and jazz standards by Jewish composers. Produced and performed by our own John Sneider, playing with the John Sneider Scraptet, the concert also features Cantor Gerald Cohen performing jazz arrangements of his and other composers' music. Wine and refreshments will be served.

A highlight of the concert will be Jazz Survivor, John Sneider's homage to Louis Bannet – the Dutch Louis Armstrong – who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau by playing in the camp orchestra. The concert will also feature John and his brother Bob, a guitarist, performing selections from their CD, The Brockton Beat, and Robin Sneider singing a Yiddish song, with Bill Magaliff contributing a piece as well.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have John as part of our Shaarei Tikvah community," says Cantor Cohen, "and thrilled to have him performing in our new 'Shaarei Tikvah Jazz Club'. His arrangements of Jewish melodies, and the performance of his piece Jazz Survivor, will give a very special flavor to this already great jazz concert."

The John Sneider Scraptet includes Bob Sneider, John's brother, on guitar, Andy Farber on sax, Matthew Fries on piano, Phil Palombi on bass, Andy Watson on drums and David Sneider, John's son, on trumpet. Robin Sneider, John's wife and a professional singer, will also appear as guest soloist.
An interview with John Sneider

"I Jazz up Everything I hear" – A Discussion with John Sneider

You may know John Sneider as the trumpeter who plays Kol Nidre so poignantly before Yom Kippur... or just as Marina and David's dad. John is a nationally known jazz trumpeter and composer/arranger. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Rochester and the Eastman School of Music and his Master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He's been playing jazz gigs since he was 14 years old and travels internationally, most recently with Curtis Stigers. John and Robin live in Ardsley. The concert promises to be an amazing evening.

Why did you want to do this concert?
John: "It's a nice way to give back to our community, a way to feel connected. I love working with Cantor Cohen and feel a real kinship with him. He's a great musician and a major reason we were attracted to and stay at Shaarei Tikvah. I also love performing for my friends in Westchester , but most of my gigs are either out of town or late at night. Hopefully this time, we'll avoid another Nor'easter, which made my March 2010 concert very stressful and kept many away."

What made you think about taking Jewish music and setting it to jazz?
John: I jazz up everything I hear and have been doing so since I was a kid. A great melody can exist in any idiom. I find Jewish music to be in its own way very soulful. It's not unlike the blues, which is the undercurrent of jazz."

Tell us about your piece, Jazz Survivor, which you'll be playing at the concert.
John: "It is homage to Louis Bannet, the Dutch Louis Armstrong. Sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, he saved his life by playing in the orchestra and serving as personal bandleader for Dr. Josef Mengele. I was inspired to write it after reading Ken Shuldman's literary tribute and Ken will read a short excerpt at the concert. The primary musical motif in Jazz Survivor is based on the intervals and pitches that correspond to the numbers of Bannet's Birkenau identification tattoo: 93626. My goal was to take something so ugly and turn it into something beautiful artistically."

This concert is somewhat of a family affair. Tell us about your family's involvement.
John: "We're a musical family. My wife Robin is a professional singer and she will be doing a Yiddish solo at the concert. My brother Bob, professor at the Eastman School of Music, plays the jazz guitar and we did a CD together, called The Brockton Beat. And I'm really proud to include our son David, who plays the shofar each year on the High Holidays and the trumpet in our Silly Symphony."

What else should we know about the concert?
John: "We're aiming to create the mood of a jazz club, with seating around tables, and wine and refreshments. There will be serious moments, but the mood will be festive and fun."

Shaarei Tikvah's Jazz Club on Saturday April 25th, 2015 at 9:00pm
Call 914-472-2013 for tickets
General admission $36, Students $20
Wine, cheese and light refreshments included