The Heritage Ensemble Chanukah Concert

The Heritage Ensemble is a quintet devoted to the concert performance of traditional and familiar Hebraic melodies in various jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian styles, with a touch of classicism for good measure. However, the Heritage Ensemble is not merely about taking Hebraic melodies and giving them new musical twists. Our concerts are about an amalgam of musical and cultural backgrounds that, when combined, result in what we feel is a fresh and compelling sound.

The concept for The Heritage Ensemble originated in the early 1980s when Eugene Marlow was asked to perform a version of "L’Cha Dodi" at a week-end Shabbaton. The beginning text of L’Cha Dodi is "Beloved, come to meet Shabbat." In the process of preparing "L’Cha Dodi" for the Shabbaton he explored the jazz chord possibilities underneath the melodic line. From this simple beginning has evolved a portfolio of arrangements of Hebraic liturgical and folksong melodies. It also resulted in an album, "Making the Music Our Own" released in 2006.