The Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies and the Department of Music in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design are proud to present Saxophonist and Composer, Uri Gurvich, among the leading Israeli Jazz musicians working in New York City for the past two decades, with his latest work, ‘The Sasha Argov Project’. Gurvich won great acclaim as a sideman and as a bandleader with his three albums – The Storyteller (Tzadik), BabEl (Tzadik) and KINSHIP, released on the French label, Jazz Family. All Music Guide called Gurvich “a major new voice in jazz” while The Los Angeles Times wrote that his music “transcends borders”.
The project features new contemporary jazz arrangements to the iconic music of Sasha Argov. Argov, one of the preeminent composers of modern Hebrew song, created a unique and complex musical language, which integrated popular and classical elements. He composed approximately 1,200 works, which have become a central part of modern Hebrew musical culture and an inseparable part of Israeli identity. Gurvich will be joined on this special occasion by a stellar Canadian rhythm section featuring York Music professor Noam Lemish (piano), Andrew Downing (bass) and Ernesto Cervini (drums).
“Sound and Sense: Jewish Music @ York” is a performance and lecture series dedicated to showcasing the multicultural diversity of Jewish musical expression as well as the ongoing intersections between Jewish and non-Jewish musical practices and communities. The initiative is driven by an inclusive philosophy that believes in the power of music to serve as a bridge-builder and a vehicle for cultural exchange and dialogue.
The series has been made possible via the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation.
