He’s called “The Prince of Kosher Gospel.” Syracusans will have three opportunities to hear “Prince” Joshua Nelson Friday through Sunday March 30-April 1, at Temple Concord, 319 Madison St., near Syracuse University. A native of New Jersey, Nelson transforms traditional Jewish tunes into powerful gospel music.
As Temple Concord’s Artist-in-Residence, Nelson will lead Friday Sabbath services at 7:30 p.m. March 30, following a 6 p.m. Carnegie Deli-style dinner. On Saturday, March 31, he’ll participate in a morning Sabbath service, lunch and a musical program. On Sunday, Temple Concord hosts a Gospel Brunch and concert.
Joshua Nelson is a black Jewish gospel singer in the tradition of Mahalia Jackson. He is also music director at a Baptist church in Newark, N.J. Born and raised Jewish, Nelson continued his Judaic studies in college and at a kibbutz program in Israel.
Now in his early-30s, Nelson has performed for presidents, Jewish congregations, major music festivals worldwide, and for Oprah Winfrey, who called him a “Next Big Thing.”
All are welcome to Nelson’s performances. There is a charge for the deli dinner and the Gospel Brunch; 475-9952; templeconcord.org.
‘Oh! Dat Low Bridge!’
Whether he’s picking a mandolin or twanging a jaw harp, David Ruch is one of the most entertaining folk musicians in the Empire State. The Buffalo-based troubadour plays a free concert at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at the Erie Canal Museum, 318 Erie Blvd. East in downtown Syracuse. 471-0593; ErieCanalMuseum.org. [Editor’s note: the date for this event was incorrectly published as March 24 in last week’s edition of The Eagle.]
Equal parts historian, entertainer, educator, comedian and folklorist, Ruch finds his song material in dusty archives, obscure songbooks, diaries, old recordings. He occasionally sings a cappella but often accompanies his vocals on banjo, guitar, mandolin, octave mandolin, bones, spoons and washboard.
Ruch’s most recent disc, “The Oldest was Born First,” includes tunes such as “The E-Ri-O Canal,” “Oh! Dat Low Bridge!” and “The Ballad of Blue Mountain Lake;” daveruch.com.
Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ Friday
Symphony Syracuse and Syracuse Opera team up to present Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 30, at Goldstein Auditorium, in the Schine Student Center, at Syracuse University.
The “Requiem” uses a full orchestra, a large chorus and four remarkable soloists. Since Verdi was an opera composer, he wrote the vocal solos in the “Requiem” for operatic voices. The four solo singers are soprano Mihoko Kinoshita, mezzo-soprano Sarah Heltzel, tenor Jonathan Howell, and bass Marc Webster. The Syracuse University Oratorio Society under the direction of Dr. John Warren and Symphony Syracuse will be conducted by Daniel Hege; $20; 476-7372; syracuseopera.com.
‘Bright Young Thing 2’
Aspiring CNY singer Erika Clement performs a show titled “Bright Young Thing 2, An Evening of Jazz, Swing and Cabaret,” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 30-31, at the Twist Ultra Lounge, 252 W. Genesee St., downtown.
Clement’s musical director, pianist Josh Smith will lead an eight-piece orchestra as the vocalist sings swinging tunes from the 1930s to the 1960s including songs made famous by Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland and Mae West. A reprise of Clement’s “Bright Young Thing” show staged last year, the performance features music by composers such as Kurt Weill, Cole Porter and Kander & Ebb.
Twist Ultra Lounge is located one block west of Clinton Square; $15; 479-7469.
Dynamic double bill
Fresh back from a successful European tour, guitarists Loren Barrigar and Mark Mazengarb headline a dynamic double bill also showcasing the Andrew and Noah Band at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 31, at the Palace Theater, 2384 James St., in Eastwood.
Syracuse Area Music Award-winner Barrigar teamed up with New Zealand native Mazengarb on at the Cordes Sensibles Guitar Festival in Bordeaux in France, and played an additional nine dates in France and Germany. The finger-picking six-stringers dazzled their audiences with a flashy rock-guitar medley and of a smattering of bluegrass. Later this summer they will perform at the Chet Atkins Festival in Nashville.
The Andrew and Noah band is an up-and-coming acoustic septet featuring multi-instrumentalist brothers Andrew and Noah Van Norstrand. The brothers, originally from the Fulton area, have become popular on the Northeast contra-dance circuit. They will unveil the band’s new disc, which includes a zydeco-style song named “Pilgrim,” at Saturday’s concert.
Admission costs $15, and $12 for students; 463-9240.
Benefit: Help Maria fight cancer
For 32 years, Maria Herzog Saumier has worked as a waitress at the ever-popular Gardenview Diner, at 650 Old Liverpool Road, in Liverpool. Over all those years Maria has made many friends at the diner – customers and co-workers alike – and now they’re rallying to her side.
In December Maria was diagnosed with stage-4 lung cancer. She’s 52 years old.
Her daughter, Christina Collins, is organizing a benefit set for noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, at the Cicero American Legion Post 787, off Route 31 at 5575 Legionnaire Drive, in Cicero. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Children ages 4 to 12 will be admitted for $5, and toddlers are free.
To buy tickets or to donate, contact Collins at 863-8281, or via email at [email protected].
Ice Hockey: Senators skate here
The Syracuse Crunch clings tenaciously to its playoff aspirations as it hits the home stretch of the 2011-12 American Hockey League season with a home game at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, against the Binghamton Senators at the Onondaga County War Memorial. The Crunch is affiliated with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, while Binghamton is the top farm club of the Ottawa Senators. The War Memorial is downtown at State and Harrison streets. Ticket prices for home games range from $14 to $21; 473-4444.
Film: ‘Magnificent Dope’ on screen
The Syracuse Cinephile Society opens its spring film series with “The Magnificent Dope,” starring Henry Fonda and Don Ameche, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, at the Spaghetti Warehouse, 689 N. Clinton St., near Syracuse’s Inner Harbor.
Directed by Walter Lang, the 1942 comedy also features Lynn Bari, Edward Everett Horton. The plot revolves around a slick motivational speaker (Ameche) who tries to increase enrollment of his seminars by converting a lazy small-town bumpkin (Fonda) into an aggressive go-getter.
The series continues April 9 with a mystery double bill, “Charllie Chan at the Wax Museum” (1940) and “Mystery of the White Room” (1939).
Admission costs $3, or $2.50 for Cinephile members. For dinner reservations, call Spaghetti Warehouse at 475-1807.
