Eugene Marlow’s Heritage Ensemble

The Heritage Ensemble is a contemporary world music quintet that records and performs Eugene Marlow’s original compositions and arrangements of Hebraic melodies in various  jazz, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and neo-classical styles. In so doing, The Heritage Ensemble looks to build bridges in community among disparate cultures by presenting cultural connections through music.

The concept for The Heritage Ensemble originated in the early 1980s when Eugene Marlow was asked to perform “L’Cha Dodi” at a Shabbaton (loosely translated to mean a Sabbatical). The beginning text of L’Cha Dodi is “Beloved, come to meet Shabbat.” In the process of preparing this piece Dr. Marlow experimentally applied jazz chords underneath the melodic line. From this simple beginning has evolved a portfolio of arrangements, a concert performance quintet, and three CDs:  “Making the Music Our Own” (MEII Enterprises 2006), “Celebrations: Festive Melodies from the Hebraic Songbook” (MEII Enterprises 2010), and “A Fresh Take” (MEII Enterprises 2011). All these CDs are available at cdbaby.com.

The Heritage Ensemble is a reflection of the evolution of “world of music” in the 20^th and early 21^st century.  For example, the quintet’s musicians come from various cultural backgrounds. Multi-Grammy nominee drummer Bobby Sanabria and conguero Cristian Rivera are Nuyoricans: New Yorkers of Puerto Rican heritage. Their backgrounds are rich in West-African, Caribbean, and Afro-Cuban cultures. Saxophonist Michael Hashim is of Lebanese descent. His middle-Eastern heritage together with a broad jazz background fits well with the quintet’s musical approach. Phi Beta Kappa bassist Frank Wagner’s European background adds a certain old-world stability to the group’s performances. Dr. Marlow’s family background is Russian, German, Polish, and British. He has earned degrees in classical and jazz composition. This quintet’s cultural mixture informs a unique musical eclecticism and expresses its multicultural philosophy.

The quintet has performed at Ansche Chesed, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, Bronx High School of Science, Capitale, Congregation Mt. Sinai Congregation Rodeph Sholem, Conservative Synagogue of Fifth Avenue, Dizzy Gillespie Auditorium, Hunter College, Nuyorican Poet’s Café, Riverdale Home for the Aged Riverdale Y, Saint Peter’s (at Citicorp Center), Society for the Advancement of Judaism, Symphony Space, Tavern On The Green (for the Dance Library of Israel), Temple Beth-El (Jersey City, NJ), The Brooklyn Heights Branch/Brooklyn Library, The Eldridge Street Synagogue, The Triad Theatre, and the West Side JASA.

For Booking Information Contact Eugene Marlow.

Read “Making the Music Our Own”: The Adaptability of Jewish Liturgical and Folk Music.

Photos

Recordings

Making the Music Our Own (2006)	Celebrations (2010)	A Fresh Take (2011)

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