'Kosher gospel' to rock Schecter concert

By Seth Mandel
The Jewish State

There aren't many performers who have shared the stage with Billy Preston, Aretha Franklin, and the Klezmatics.

But that's just a small part of the career of Joshua Nelson, the Jewish African-American "kosher gospel" singer who the New York Times called "a soothsayer? with the power to humble and shepherd."

Nelson, dubbed by Oprah Winfrey to be "the next big thing," will be appearing Sunday, Oct. 21, at 3 p.m. at Temple Beth Shalom, Manalapan. The event is the Solomon Schechter Academy of Ocean and Monmouth Counties' annual Fall Concert, and school officials are expecting about 1,000 people to attend.

"His music is very gospel, it's very inspirational, it makes you feel good and want to get up and dance," school fund raising vice president Mauri Ann Kwartin said. "This is our kick-off into the fund raising year."

The event, which in the past has featured Sam Glazer, Debbie Friedman, and KlezmerFest, is being held for the first time in Monmouth County. The event usually draws about 500 people, but Kwartin said that because of the more central N.J. location, larger concert hall, and big-ticket draw of Nelson, this year they may double that.

In addition, Nelson has a Jersey connection: he's a Hebrew school teacher in South Orange when he's not on tour, and he is a graduate of Newark's Performing Arts High School.

"So we thought it would be kind of neat to have somebody like him, a little different than the regular, everyday kind of singer," Kwartin said.

Winton Marsales, Cab Calloway, and Dizzy Gillespie are also on Nelson's list of collaborations, though his first "duet" came when he was 8 years old; he found his parents' Mahalia Jackson album and began singing along.

He was asked to perform Jackson's "How I Got Over" at the funeral of jazz performer Sarah Vaughan when he was 13, and performed at the 1993 JVC Jazz Festival at Lincoln Center when he was 15.

In 2001, Nelson added "ambassador" to his resume, when he was made an Ambassador of Peace Through Song by Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson. "Keep on Walking," a documentary on Nelson, has been aired in Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Japan, Israel, and Italy, and garnered the Paul Robeson Award for best film at the Newark Black Film Festival.

A prolific performer of traditional gospel music, Nelson blends soul music with Jewish prayer lyrics, and has performed for former President Bill Clinton and former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"I want to let people hear it and realize that it is not just good to listen to -- it is good for the soul," Nelson wrote on his Web site.

"He inspired people to clap and dance to his ecstatic fusion of spiritual tunes, Motown and Jewish lyrics, his rich voice equally at ease in a cantorial wail and in hard-driving gospel," wrote the Chicago Tribune after a live performance by Nelson of his gospel version of "Mi Kamocha."

"He shapes notes carefully, infusing old gospel standards with a richness and feeling that's seldom heard anymore," wrote the Star-Ledger after watching Nelson sing at the Hopewell Baptist Church in Newark.

Kwartin said the school is planning to expand the prizes for this year's winter raffle, another of the school's big fund raisers, along with the Hilda Lubcher Memorial Lecture. She said the fund raising outlook is positive so far.

"So far, so good," Kwartin said. "Things really look like their happening, and the fliers (for the concert) are out all over the place, and we're trying to get as much publicity as we can. We're taking it step by step."

Kwartin's son is in second grade at Schechter this year. She has been active with the school for the last couple of years, but this is the first year her involvement has been in an official capacity.

"Somebody had left last year, the parent of an eighth-grade graduate, and I really thought that I could help," Kwartin said of the opportunity to step up her involvement. "And I figured, if I'm going to open my mouth and have something to say, then I might as well put my money where my mouth is and help out a lot."

She said she has always wanted to have a positive impact on the school, and this was a great chance for her to do that.

"It's a great school," she said, adding that she would hate to see the school unable to meet the needs of the students for lack of funding. "So, if I can help, I will."

Tickets are $36 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for students, and children 5 years old and younger are free.

There are also patron and sponsorship opportunities available. Patron tickets are $180 for two tickets, and include priority seating and complimentary CDs. Silver and gold benefactors also include the CDs and priority seating, and are $360 and $540 respectively.

For more information, call the school at (732) 370-1767.