I am proud to announce that my second CD of original Jewish music, entitled Journeys, has been released and is now available through my website either as a hard copy with a 12 page booklet or as an mp3 download of the entire album. The CD features some of New York’s top klezmer musicians. Some outstanding klezmer clarinet playing by Ken Maltz can be heard as well as outstanding klezmer violin playing by Jeremy Brown. Aaron Alexander provides the beat with some wonderful drumming while Marty Confurius, a legend on the klezmer bass provides the foundation. My son, Aaron, who also plays on my Arise! album, provides some beautiful and soulful alto sax renditions.
Also performing on the CD are George Zorko:trombone, Jeff Ausfahl: acoustic guitar, Mike Coon:electric guitar,and Ron Horton:trumpet, all veterans of the Jewish music scene for many years. I, of course, am playing the accordion. I hope that you will purchase a copy and let me know what you think by sending me an email.
Wishing all my blog readers and their families and friends a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Musical New Year.

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

2/10/2009

Greetings and welcome to my blog. I set this up in response to the many questions I’ve received ranging from my days with the Mark Three, to the instrument I use, and to the meaning of the names of the tunes on the Arise! album. I will use this blog to answer those and many other questions which have been and might be asked.

Each musical project in my life has been special. Some have been more commercially successful than others, but I’ve always been true to myself and have followed my musical interests to wherever they’ve taken me without regard for their commercial potential.

Please feel free to write to me through my website at nulitemusic.com and I will do my best to answer your inquiries through my blog.

I will write again soon with a post dealing with my newest project, the Arise! CD and book of transcriptions of tunes from the CD. In the meantime, stay well, keep listening to and playing that beautiful thing called music.

All the Best.

Sy Kushner