Kosher Gospel

Jewish A ican-American singer Joshua Nelson
headlines liturgical concert at Temple Israel.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special to the Jewish News

G

"I've met other

black Jews who

sing gospel but not

— Joshua Nelson

ospel singer Joshua Nelson, planning a
rousing concert at Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield, can recall a program
at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.
Nelson, a Grammy-nominated recording
artist recently featured on the Oprah Winfrey
Show, had a personal invitation from Motown
legend Aretha Franklin, whose father had been
spiritual leader of the Christian congregation.
His upcoming engagement is at the invitation
of Temple Israel Cantor Michael Smolash, who
also commissioned original music by a friend,
Toronto composer Ari Posner.
Nelson, a third-generation
African-American Jew, dubs his
style "kosher gospel" and will
enlarge the sound with the
Mosaic Singers, a 50-voice,
multi-ethnic youth choir based
in Detroit. Posner, who gave a
Motown sound to "Mi
Chamocha" in celebration of the
singular greatness of God, will
be in the audience to hear the
piece's performance debut.
The concert, free and open to
the public, begins 3 p.m. Sunday, April 10, when
Jerry Williams, trained by Nelson, will be at the
piano. The concert was planned to connect with
many programs across the country marking the
350th anniversary of Jews in America.

Joyous Expressions

"I take Jewish liturgical music, mix in the
sound of soul and gear it all for synagogue and
other audiences," explains Nelson, 28, the sub-
ject of a 60-minute documentary, Keep on
Walking, which is making the rounds of inter-
national film festivals and European television.
"The soul sound started with slaves brought to
America. They came from different countries
and spoke different languages, so they communi-
cated through chants, moans and groans. Those
sounds were preambles to the blues and gospel,

and I want to create an interest so that religious
artists can express themselves in a joyous way."
Nelson, whose family attended Brooklyn's
Congregation of the House of Israel in America,
became interested in gospel at age 8, when he
listened to recordings of Mahalia Jackson in the
home of his grandparents. He practiced singing
to the recordings, learned the piano and gradu-
ated from Newark's Arts High School, where he
was the school's official soloist.
"My family was accepted in our neighbor-
hood, but at the same time, we were considered
strange," says Nelson, one of six children in his
observant household.
Although public interest in Nelson's talents
kept growing, the singer put religion first and
studied the Hebrew language at the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem, eventually earning his
language degree at Philadelphia's Temple
University in 1994. It was during his time in
Israel that he got the idea for mixing Jewish text
with gospel melodies — although he avoids
songs that reference worshipping Christ.
"I've met other black Jews who sing gospel
but not as a career," says Nelson, who defines
his religious observation as a mix between
Orthodox and Conservative. "I think music
offers a strong spiritual connection, and I like
to perform music that puts ethical and moral
values over ritual."
Nelson counts many live performances
among the highlights of his career, which also
includes teaching Hebrew at Temple Sharey
Tefilo-Israel in South Orange, N.J., and serving
as music director at Hopewell Baptist Church
in Newark, N.J.
He has sung at New York City's Lincoln
Center Jazz Festival, in Alabama before President
Bill Clinton and an audience of 10,000 in a
commemoration of the Voters Rights Act of
1965 and at the Globe Arena in Stockholm in
front of a crowd of 30,000.
Besides appearing as a solo artist, Nelson has
worked with Wynton Marsalis, Billy Preston,
Stephanie Mills, Albertina Walker and the

KOSHER GOSPEL on page 59

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