Merkavah

See what New Orleans top Funk/Jam Band musicians are saying about merkavah: ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------- "I dig these jams...that's some funky guitar."------------------------------- - Russell Batiste Jr., drummer of The Funky Meters and Vida Blue ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------- "A totally original mix of New Orleans Funk and Jewish Melodies. A brand new gumbo!" ------------------------------------------------------------ - - Jamie McLean, guitarist of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------- Led by electric guitar virtuoso Yerachmiel Altizio, Merkavah (a mystical kabbalistic chariot) is a blend of Jam Band improvisation and melodies from the Lubavitch Chabad movement. This musical experience marries the frenetic energy of a rock concert with the joyous fervor of Hasidic expression. From Crown Heights, home of the Lubavitch movement, Merkavah navigates the sonic straights linking Chabadniks and Phish-heads, playing festivals, Chabad houses and clubs to the delight of all. Their common appreciation is likely spiritual, and that’s by design. In the Kabbalistic tradition, the band’s namesake is the metaphoric meditational chariot used journey inward to the soul and greater understanding and the revelation of the glory of G-d. Aptly named, Merkavah is the soundtrack of that journey.---------------------------------------------------- -------------------- MyGen Profile Generator This record represents a milestone in a journey which began over 18 years ago. At age 12, I experienced my first rock concert. I both saw and felt the power of music. A need to communicate and touch others through music began, as I watched in awe at the effect the music had on the crowd. For my 13th b-day (bar mitzvah) present, my Dad bought me my first guitar. At 16, my friends surprised me with a second guitar. It was then that my band Green had our first gig at the Syosset H.S. Battle of the Bands. Since that night, I’ve known what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. From that stage, the path to this record has been filled with many unexpected twists and turns. In 91', I became a devoted follower of Phish, and in 93' I began to follow the Grateful Dead. After H.S., I (briefly) attended UMASS Amherst. Three semesters in, I put school on hold and I headed cross-country in my ‘73 VW van, finally stopping in Santa Cruz, CA, over 1 year later. In S.C., I soaked up the natural beauty, living by the beach, and in the redwood covered mountains of Boulder Creek. I searched for spirituality in music, and in nature where I spent a lot of time meditating and hiking. It was there in B.C., at the Big Basin National Park, on the China Grade range, that I began to understand that the Creator of the universe was also the Giver of the Torah. I had abandoned Reform Judaism when I was 15, now years later, I felt a surge of spiritual re-discovery. I then joined a synagogue in S.C. called Kol Tefilah, where I met Rabbi Shalom Bochner. I really connected with him, as he was a ‘phan’ of Phish, as well as a guitarist. I began to attend Sabbath services and became involved in the community. While in S.C., I also met Ray Brown, with whom I first began studying jazz at Cabrillo C.C.. It didn’t take long before I decided to completely immerse myself into jazz. Jazz led me to the University of New Orleans for a B.A. in Jazz Guitar Performance. While there, I studied jazz guitar with Hank Mackie and Steve Masakowski, both of whom had a great influence on me. What better place to fall in love with New Orleans funk than the city where it was born I voraciously absorbed its unique sound of New Orleans funk, especially The Meters, with their infectious grooves and syncopated rhythms. On my very first Sabbath in N.O., I found my way to the Chabad House, and into the Chabad- Lubavitch sect of Judaism. This encounter, would eventually change my entire perspective on life. I began to learn Torah with Rabbi Yochanan Rivkin, and through learning the Tanya, authored by the Alter Rebbe, I began to connect to G-d on a deeper lever than I ever imagined possible. In the summer of ‘01, I went to Israel on a 10 day “birthright” trip. Experiencing the holiness of places such as the Wailing Wall, the mikvah of the AriZal, and the cemetery in Tzfat, all had a huge impact on my becoming religious. I decided that I wanted to observe the Sabbath. I had already accepted a job where I had agreed to play guitar on the Sabbath, but I when I returned, my commitment to the Sabbath endured, and I made other arrangements. My friend Zalman Nelson took me to study in Morristown, NJ, and I ended up studying there the entire summer long. After completing my Master’s degree in Music Ed. at Queens College in the summer of ‘05, I have been learning with Rabbi Goldberg at Hadar HaTorah, a yeshivah for returnees to Orthodox Judaism in Crown Heights. I have spent the last 2 years of my life immersed in prayer, and in the study of Chassidus - the mystical inner secrets of the Torah, as well as the revealed parts of Torah such as the Shulchan Aruch, and the Talmud. The yeshivah environment has led me to find an inner peace, and has helped me to comprehend my purpose in the universe. This album is the result of all of these experiences. It is my hope that my music will touch you and raise you up to a higher place on your journey through life.