by will reisman
correspondent
Mah Tovu playing to the home crowd
will reisman | correspondent
Mah Tovu, a rock ‘n’ roll band comprised of Rabbis Josh Zweiback and Ken Chasen, will cap off the entertainment on To Life’s main stage at 3:45 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9 in Palo Alto.
Chasen, a senior rabbi at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, and Zweiback, a rabbi at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, will share their unique combination of contemporary music and traditional teachings.
For this performance, they will be joined by former band member and co-founder Steve Brodsky.
“It’s always a lot of fun to play these festivals,” said Zweiback. “I’m from the area, so hopefully there will be people here that know our songs. But if not, we also enjoy introducing new people to our music.”
Mah Tovu originally formed in 1991 when Zweiback and friend and fellow guitarist Brodsky began writing and performing songs together. The twosome worked as counselors at the National Federation of Temple Youth’s Missouri Valley Region, and both had an affinity for classic ’60s rock and pop such as the Beatles and Crosby Stills and Nash.
They recorded one track together, entitled “Jewish Rock and Roll Singer,” and played at various gatherings across the country, steadily building up exposure.
As Mah Tovu they put out their first full-length release, “Only This,” in 1996, before expanding to include Chasen, a keyboardist and guitarist.
As a threesome Mah Tovu recorded “Pharaoh, Pharaoh,” a Jewish-inspired interpretation of “Louie, Louie,” as well as another full-length CD, “Turn It,” in 2001. They have also released two songbooks, a greatest-hits album, and are tentatively scheduled to put out their latest recording sometime next year.
Brodsky elected to leave the group this year and start his own musical project, Sababa, but will rejoin the others for this performance.
Mah Tovu’s sound ranges from traditional rock and folk offerings to reggae-inflected lilts and jazzy tunes, with educational, Jewish-inspired lyrics in both English and Hebrew.
Even though Chasen and Zweiback only get to play about six or seven gigs a year due to other professional commitments and their geographical separation, the camaraderie they have built over the band’s tenure assures a seamless transition whenever they reunite for live performances.
“We have played together for so long, that all it takes is a look from either of us on stage to understand what we’re trying to do,” said Zweiback. “It doesn’t really matter how long we go in between gigs, because we just feel so comfortable playing together.”
Throughout the years, Mah Tovu has begun to embrace burgeoning recording technology as a way to help bridge the gap between the times Zweiback and Chasen physically meet up with each other.
“Because we only get to play together a handful of times a year, it might take us a year just to master and record a couple of songs,” said Zweiback. “With digital technology, we can record a couple of songs in a matter of days, and have it up online soon afterward.”
Mah Tovu used that approach for its latest song, “The Garden,” which was recorded at Camp Newman in Santa Rosa and then posted on the group’s Web site, www.mahtovu.com, and MySpace page.
“The Garden,” which featured the vocals from a slew of contributing campers, was a song commissioned specifically for Mah Tovu. It is a process the band partakes in frequently.
“It’s very exciting to make these kind of recordings,” said Zweiback. “With ‘The Garden’ we had something like 50 vocalists, so you can find some really creative ways to make a composition.”
As much as the duo enjoys recording the aforementioned arrangements, they still relish the chance to get back on the stage and play live music as Mah Tovu.
“It’s such a great experience to be up in front of an audience, collaborating with someone you really respect and enjoy to be around,” said Zweiback. “I think we both see this as something we can always come back to.”
Chasen agreed, adding that “because of Josh’s roots” in the community, “it’s a big event for us, and we feel very much at home.”
He added, “We put so much time into writing and recording these songs, so when we get a chance to perform, it’s kind of like when the rubber meets the road.
“We really look forward to the times when we get to play live together.”
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California