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What happens when you mix African-American music tradition with the Jewish faith? You get kosher gospel — a blending of Hebrew and Jewish music with soul.
It may not be a genre most are familiar with, but for musician Joshua Nelson, the intersection of race and religion has given birth to a unique niche.
Nelson has performed for presidents, been on Oprah, and has been called the modern incarnation of famed gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. On Sunday, the New Jersey-based artist will headline an all-faiths concert at the Orpheum.
Moti Rieber, executive director of the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation, is excited about the event and the symbolism behind it.
"Because of Mr. Nelson's unique blending of Jewish content with African-American form, this concert will be an opportunity for people from across the spectrum of ethnicity and religion to join together in song," Rieber said.
Nelson, who is a third-generation African-American Jew, attended a black synagogue in Brooklyn as a child. It was there that his passion for soul and gospel emerged, along with his steadfast faith.
Though his family's tradition had been Orthodox, logistics presented a challenge for Nelson to pursue that tradition.
"About the time of my bar mitzvah, around age 12, I wanted to learn more about my religion. The nearest Orthodox temple was quite a distance, though. However, there was a reform synagogue within walking distance of the house," Nelson said. His mother deliberated what she would allow her son to do, but was swayed when she learned of the rabbi's past activism. "The rabbi had actually marched with Dr. King. My mom had to choose between ritual and ethics. Ethics won out," Nelson said.
A natural entertainer at a young age, Nelson soaked up the spirit of his grandparents' gospel and jazz records as a child. He quickly became a key leader within his congregation, where he developed his teaching ability and musical talent simultaneously. While still in high school, he was invited to perform at jazz legend Sarah Vaughn's funeral in 1990.
Later, Nelson studied in Israel as part of a two-year college and kibbutz program. The experience was both humbling and creatively inspiring.
"In my orthodox background, there's a sense that we're the chosen people and that we have been chosen above someone else. I was brought down to reality. My own religion became reformed and it leaked over to my music," he said.
His music began to infuse with the traditions he was embracing. A sound he describes as safartic gospel emerged. His exposure to other cultures and other ways of life opened up his mind and his music to explore a larger spectrum of the human condition.
When he's not touring the world, he resides in South Orange, N.J., where he teaches Hebrew at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, and serves as minister of music at Hopewell Baptist Church in Newark.
It's touring he loves most, though, because on the road his message reaches the masses.
"People ask me all the time what kosher gospel is," Nelson said. "It's lively, historic and cultural in nature, and ultimately a different take on music that is waking people up. Really, though, it's just straight-up good music."
If you go>
joshua nelson
What: Concert fusing African-American music tradition with the Jewish faith
Where: Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway
When: 3 p.m. Sun.
How much: Tickets $10-$54 at Select-A-Seat outlets, www.selectaseat.com, and employee clubs. Charge by phone, 316-755-SEAT. Box office, 316-263-0884.
