I am pleased to announce that at long last, the 1966 recording of “The New Jewish Sound- The Mark 3 Orchestra and Singers” is now available on CD with the original cover art work and liner notes. On the album is the first recording of Simen Tov as well as other popular Chassidic songs of the era, such as the Bostoner Rebbe’s son, Avraham Horowitz’s Hatov. Other songs on the album are Rom’mu, Tsavei, Mizmor L”Dovid(Ben Zion Shenker), Vahaviosim(Rabbi Yitschak Alster), Es Tsemach, Pischu Li(Shlomo Carlebach), and Omdos(Melitzer Rebbe). Also on the album are two Israeli songs, V’Ulai, and Dabeir Eilai Bifrachim.

The original founders and members of the Mark 3 are Sy Kushner(accordion), Jordan Penkower(alto sax) and Ben Hulkower(Drums). Other musicians performing on the album are Chizik Epstein(clarinet), Hy Simon(trombone), Rick Heckendorn(bass), Harvey Goldin(tenor sax, flute, clarinet), and Jack Leone(electric guitar). Singers were Mike Chernick, Jackie Gross and Monty Penkower.

The Mark 3 played many concerts and NCSY(National Conference of Synagogue Youth) conferences as well as weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.

The accordion used on KlezSqueeze! and most of my new CD, Arise! is a custom built  Titano with 5 sets of hand-made reeds on the keyboard as well as on the bass. Two bassoon sets are in the tone chamber. Two middle, one of which is detuned(musette) and one piccolo set are out of the chamber. The lowest note on the bass side is an A rather than the more customary C. Since many klezmer tunes as well as other Jewish music tunes are in D, this allows the dominant A to sound below the tonic D.  On the Arise CD, I used the musette stop my Borsini Bell Vienna 96 bass on the following tunes: A Story, The Bronx Waltz, and Jewrish Dance. The tuning of the Borsini is more typical of klezmer accordion tuning, that is, a bit sharper than the Titano.

I have recently sold my Titano and have purchased a wonderful new Bell accordion with hand-made reeds which I will use on my next CD along with my Borsini. The Bell has one set of bassoon and one middle set in the chamber and one middle and piccolo outside the chamber. The tuning is closer to 440 and thus no musette. The sound of the instrument is wonderful. I hope you will agree when you hear it on my next CD of original tunes which should be released early this summer.

Keep practising and listening. Keep those questions coming. Thank you for your interest in my music.

Sy Kushner