26 January 17 • 2019
jn

O

ne day before the Michigan
debut of his film about Jewish
identity, Adam Zucker will be in
the state to applaud the Michigan debut
of his favorite jazz pianist and composer,
son Gabriel Zucker.
The two, whose professional travels
frequently take them out of New York,
had no idea they had scheduled overlap-
ping Michigan appearances until they
recently talked about upcoming book-
ings.
Adam will be presenting The Return,
as sponsored by Michigan Hillel in
Ann Arbor on Jan. 24, the same night
Gabriel will be performing at Cliff Bell’
s
in Detroit, as well as Canterbury House
in Ann Arbor on Jan. 22 and Ziggy’
s in
Ypsilanti on Jan. 23.
Dad, 61, a longtime film editor for

PBS programming, created a docu-
mentary focusing on four young Polish
women who delve into their heritage
and ultimately forge different religious
outlooks.
“
Although I am a documentary film-
maker and Jewish, I never made a Jewish
film or was particularly drawn to do so;
but I read an article in 2008 about the
interest in Jewish culture among non-
Jews in Poland,
” Adam explains.
“Non-Jewish Poles put on a Jewish
cultural festival, and I went. While I was
there, I met a lot of young Jews, and
there was a common theme of people
who had not known they were Jewish
but discovered that in their teens.
”
He personalized this theme with those
who had been raised Catholic before
learning of their religious roots.
“The film captures their journey of
discovering, exploring and figuring out
what their Judaism means to them,
” says
Adam. He went to Poland a dozen times
over four years to complete the film.
Adam describes his approach to films
as sharing stories to understand people.

Greensboro: Closer to the Truth, an earlier
film, recalls a massacre by the Ku Klux
Klan in 1979, and a commission that
investigated the killings and their after-
math 25 years later. His current project
is American Muslim, another exploration
of religious identity.
After majoring in filmmaking, he con-
centrated on documentaries, principally
as an editor. He has worked with direc-
tors Ken Burns, Rory Kennedy, Dori
Bernstein and Michael Kantor, among
many other notables. He started making
his own independent films about 15
years ago.
“Having the opportunity to tell other
people’
s stories — having them be open
to that and earning their trust in sharing
their stories with other people — feels a
bit like a calling. I take that very serious-

ly, relish that opportunity and feel very
fortunate.
”
In Ann Arbor, he will speak after the
screening, updating what has happened
to the people in the film. He often finds
young adults steer the discussion to their
own experiences with Jewish identity.
As Adam looks forward to watching
Gabriel on stage, he credits his wife, Amy
Mereson, a flutist, with guiding their
son’
s musical education.
“She has a master’
s in music com-
position and has been a composer for
quite some time,
” Adam says. “When
Gabriel expressed an interest in music,
she worked with him very closely to help
find teachers and write his first song.
”
Gabriel’
s original musical numbers,
combined with a couple of artful inter-
pretations of others’
songs, fill the con-
certs scheduled for Michigan. While he
plays piano and sings, leaning toward
a style he calls indie jazz rock, he will
be joined by his band, The Delegation,
which includes Tal Yahalom on guitar,
Alex Goldberg and Connor Parks on
drums, and David Leon on saxophone.

Audiences will hear numbers from
his 2016 recording Evergreen (Canceled
World) and Leftover Beats from the Edges
of Time, due out this year. “Shallow
Time,
” one song that joins his lyrics and
music, hopes for better days.
“Our Michigan appearances will be
unique because of the double drums,
”
says Gabriel, 28, who has received two
ASCAP composition awards and 4.5
stars in Downbeat magazine. “Some of
the percussion parts would be a little
challenging for one drummer. With two,
they also can have interlocking rhythms
presenting more complexity and inten-
sity.
”
Gabriel graduated summa cum laude
from Yale, where a double major focused
him on music as well as ethics, politics
and economics. A master’
s degree in

applied statistics was earned at Oxford.
His first serious professional achieve-
ment came during his senior year in
college. He was commissioned to write
a piece for the orchestra and jazz band
of the New York Youth Symphony for its
50th anniversary gala.
“Music interests me in the way that
art can move people,
” Gabriel says. “It’
s
unlike anything else I know because it
brings another dimension to experience.
Sound can bring people in and change
their reality.
”
Aside from music, Gabriel feels a
commitment to social activism. He
has worked on poverty policy research
at MIT and co-led a campaign to end
veteran homelessness in Connecticut.
His day job, as his music career is being
established, is with the U.S. Digital
Service providing homeless services and
healthcare access at the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
“I’
m increasingly aware of the degree
to which the American Jewish commu-
nity culture impacts my world view,
” he
says. “It affects the way I think.
” ■

arts&life

Details
Adam Zucker will present The Return
at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, in the
Dana Building, Room 1040, 440
Church St., Ann Arbor. Free. (734) 769-
0500. michiganhillel.org.
Gabriel Zucker will perform three
concerts: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22, at
Canterbury House, 721 E. Huron, Ann
Arbor, $5-$10, (734) 665-0606, cater-
buryhouse.org; 8 p.m., Wednesday,
Jan. 23, at Ziggy’
s, 206 W. Michigan
Ave., Ypsilanti, possible admission fee
to be announced, (734) 221-3961,
facebook.com/ziggysypsi; and 8 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 24, at Cliff Bell’
s, 2030
Park Ave., Detroit, $10, (313) 961-
2543, cliffbells.com.

Gabriel Zucker

at the piano
Dynamic

Duo

Filmmaker dad, musician son present
their work in Michigan simultaneously.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Filmmaker

Adam Zucker

fi
lm/music