Chassidic Jazz Musician Shlomo Recu of Crown Heights has released a unique take on the Chabad melody “Anim Zmiros” which expresses the profound longing of the soul for its Creator.
“I will sweetly sing, and weave melodies, for my soul pines for You. My soul craves the shelter of Your hand; to know all Your secret mysteries.”
(The Rebbe taught this Niggun on Simchas Torah, 1961.)
The well-known Crown Heights drummer Shlomo Recu has found inspiration once more, following a challenging past few years after a serious battle with covid. Recu has recently accomplished a long-held aspiration of creating “Niggunim in Jazz.”
Passionate about jazz since childhood, Recu traveled to New York from Israel with the ambition to study music. Not long after his arrival, he encountered Chabad – and chose to attend Yeshiva instead! After some time immersed in Torah studies, with a solid Jewish foundation laid, he subsequently completed a Bachelors in Fine Arts degree at the prestigious Jazz program at The City College of New York.
Recu was embraced warmly by the Jewish wedding and event bandleaders in the Crown Heights community. These musicians mentored Recu in the world of Jewish music education that he had not been exposed to while growing up. Recu became an energetic and joyous participant at the community weddings and celebrations.
With his education and passion are in the genre of jazz, Recu strongly desired to combine jazz with Jewish music, but the task seemed daunting. His unique jazz style was not found in the Jewish music world. With toil, creativity and patience, this new endeavor of bringing his jazz style into Jewish music has proved to be one of a deeply meaningful nature. Recu’s first jazz video is of the chasidic melody “Anim Zmiros”, and is a fitting debut to the jazz project because of the song’s meaning – an expression of the profound longing of the soul for its Creator. It follows that a Baal Teshuva would relate to this in his own personal way and experience this longing to “weave melodies” through his own musical path.
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It would be great if they can record additional Chasidic nigunim.
G-d Bless.
Love this! They should produce an album with a jazz take on all the Chabad classics. As a person who listens to only niggunim, I desperately crave variation in the tunes I listen to. New niggunim, especially nowadays, are seldom composed, so the best I’d welcome a unique take on a classic. Thank you, Mr. Racu
Go Shlomo!
Mazal tov Shlomo and Chaya for this quality edition to elevate the world of Jewish music! May the zechus of your dedicating all of your talents to inspire others in kedusha be a Source of abundant blessings for you in nachas from your children, good health for the whole family and parnassah beharchava!
Love, your LA mishpacha
Avremil & Devorah Leah Wagshul
Very few times I had a chance to enjoy classics as good as this
Soft sweet sounds
Wonderful! What you probably don’t know is that Shlomo, whose standards are exemplary, has put together a jazz group consisting of his colleagues from the world of professional jazz, including at least one who has played for heads of state the world over: U.S. President George Bush, Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and Israeli Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, and Ariel Sharon. There is no one like the Recu Jazz Ensemble in the world of Jewish music today. Enjoy!
This is AMAZING! Shlomo you Rock!!…well actually you Jazz 🙃🤣
Spotify.
B”H
Mazel tov and continued hatzlacha Shlomo!!!
especially love the Nafshi Chomda part in the middle. ty
Outstanding Shlomo. A real kiddush Hashem.
Love your talent
Shlomo, You did a very nice job with this niggun. May you have continued good health, and success in your future endeavors!