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Sample Track 1:
"Didn't It Rain" from Joshua Nelson
Sample Track 2:
"Khurbn Katrina" from Daniel Kahn and The Painted Bird
Sample Track 3:
"God is Good" from Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
Sample Track 4:
"Beatbox Harmonica" from Yuri Lane
Sample Track 5:
"Rawhide" from Andy Statman
Sample Track 6:
"Mandilatos" from Brass Menazeri
Sample Track 7:
"Douce Ambience" from Gaucho
Sample Track 8:
"Ketsele Broyges" from Sisters of Sheynville
Sample Track 9:
"Modeh Ani" from Elana Jagoda
Sample Track 10:
"I Am Handsome, You Are Beautiful" from Flory Jagoda
Layer 2
Joshua Nelson rocks the Jewish Music Fest...
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Examiner, Joshua Nelson rocks the Jewish Music Fest... >>

Bottom line, Joshua Nelson is an incredible performer. He is the progenitor of “Kosher Gospel”: the genre wouldn’t exist without him and would probably disappear if he moved into another style of music. Watching him perform at the First Congregational Church in Oakland last Saturday night, I couldn’t help but be struck by his talent, his showmanship and the diverse musical traditions he brings together. He credits Mahalia Jackson as the primary influences on his vocals but you can’t miss the strong influences of Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and a trace of Claude Jeter (the dramatic vocals of Jeter, lead singer of the Swan Silvertones, influenced generations of Gospel and R & B singers). In his piano playing, Gospel meets early rock ‘n’ roll with so much Jerry Lee that sometimes he seemed to be channeling the “Killer.” And Nelson works a room – he is a showman! Rock ‘n’ roll meets Gospel meets the Borscht Belt. He rocks, he gets sincere, he makes ‘em laugh (song parodies, impersonations, jokes) then he closes with “heart.” It’s a formula that’s worked for performers across a wide range of genres for generations. And it works for Joshua Nelson. I left happy but wondering if I would have gotten more out of the show if Nelson wasn’t so busy playing to the crowd; if he’d let the music speak more and pandered less. In other settings, Nelson has let his artistry shine more and I’d like the chance to see more of that – Check out the YouTube videos below and you’ll know what I’m talking about!

-- Jeffrey Callen 03/24/09 >> go there
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