“Klezmer and Chassidic music, much like the blues, often possess a bittersweet quality. Even the most joyous melodies can carry an undercurrent of sadness, longing, or pain. Without getting too technical, many klezmer melodies draw on scales that feature a flatted fifth, echoing the “blue note” so characteristic of the blues. This note can be bent, stretched, and inflected, lending the music an expressive depth.”

Jason Rosenblatt:

Music as a Bridge Between Cultures

Jason Rosenblatt is an internationally acclaimed Canadian musician, composer, and pioneer of the diatonic harmonica, who has been living and creating permanently in Israel, in recent years. His performance on the unassuming instrument has helped to open new musical ground for the instrument long associated with “the blues,” into art forms as diverse as jazz, bluegrass, Klezmer and Eastern music. Since 2002 he and his group Shtreiml, for which he serves as musical director, have performed internationally at notable festivals and venues in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. His music has been heard on radio and in films, including the documentaries "Kosher Love" and “Last of the Wild Jews.” In 2010 Jason spearheaded the first Montreal Jewish Music Festival and as artistic director continues to promote Jewish music concerts and workshops to a multi-generational, multi-cultural and multi-lingual audience. Jason is especially concerned with educating the next generation of musicians and has given workshops and lectures on harmonica, and klezmer music to students of all-ages.

(Photo: Jason Rosenblatt)

Jason’s skills as a composer and musician have been recognized through awards granted by the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des Arts du Montreal, CALQ, the Lasko Foundation and PennPAT. In addition to performing in concert and club settings, Jason along with his groups have performed at hundreds of private affairs throughout Canada, The US and Israel and is available to perform at your wedding or private function. The diverse musical offerings of his projects span from traditional Chassidic song, Klezmer, Israeli music, and modern Chassidic style, to classic rock, jam band culture, R&B, and bluegrass.

Interview by Michael Limnios

How do you manage to blend the energy of traditional Jewish music (Klezmer and Chassidic) with the gritty, humorous feel of Mississippi blues? Is there a shared emotional core that connects these two worlds?

Klezmer and the blues share a common foundation as folk music—music of the people-and not exclusively for people of high-society. Both traditions give voice to the full spectrum of emotion, from the exuberant joy of boogie-woogie and freylekhs to the profound melancholy of a slow 12/8 blues or a haunting klezmer doina. At their heart, both are deeply expressive musical languages, telling of everyday struggles, sorrows, but also celebrations of the people who created them.

Klezmer and Chassidic music, much like the blues, often possess a bittersweet quality. Even the most joyous melodies can carry an undercurrent of sadness, longing, or pain. Without getting too technical, many klezmer melodies draw on scales that feature a flatted fifth, echoing the “blue note” so characteristic of the blues. This note can be bent, stretched, and inflected, lending the music an expressive depth.

As a performer who moves between both genres, I find myself incorporating distinctly bluesy elements into my klezmer playing, and vice versa, sometimes intentionally and sometimes instinctively. Having grown up playing both styles, the two musical languages have become so deeply intertwined in my own voice that separating one entirely from the other is almost impossible.

Your piano playing strongly carries the colors of Jelly Roll Morton and Professor Longhair. What fascinates you the most about the New Orleans style?

I’ve loved the music of New Orleans piano legends Professor Longhair, Dr. John, James Booker, and Allen Toussaint since I first heard their records as a 13-year-old. I remember learning the New Orleans classic “Tipitina” from an LP my father had purchased for me. There is an enormous range of music in these pianists’ repertoires, from blues and boogie-woogie to gospel music and minstrel songs. Lately, I’ve been listening to James Booker’s album New Orleans Piano Wizard Live. Each track is a real gem and a masterclass in New Orleans-style piano.

“Klezmer and the blues share a common foundation as folk music—music of the people-and not exclusively for people of high-society. Both traditions give voice to the full spectrum of emotion, from the exuberant joy of boogie-woogie and freylekhs to the profound melancholy of a slow 12/8 blues or a haunting klezmer doina. At their heart, both are deeply expressive musical languages, telling of everyday struggles, sorrows, but also celebrations of the people who created them.” (Photo: Jason Rosenblatt)

As a student of the legendary Howard Levy, you are considered a major innovator of the diatonic harmonica. What were the biggest technical challenges in bringing this "humble" instrument into the world of jazz and the avant-garde?

First and foremost, the diatonic harmonica was never designed to be played chromatically. Originally conceived as a chordal instrument for accompanying simple major-key marches, waltzes, and polkas, it presents a unique set of challenges to anyone seeking to push beyond its traditional limitations. The first is learning to navigate the instrument chromatically across its entire range. This requires internalizing the layout of the harmonica and studying it much as one would any other instrument: practicing scales, arpeggios, and other exercises to develop fluency, technical proficiency, and a thorough understanding of its possibilities.

The second, and perhaps more elusive, challenge is making the harmonica a convincing voice in genres such as jazz, klezmer, bluegrass, and even classical music. This goes beyond technical mastery; it means developing a sound, an approach, and a repertoire that work naturally on the instrument—one that feels musically authentic while capturing the imagination of the listener.

After years of a successful career with Shtreiml in the Eastern-European and Klezmer scene, you released Wiseman's Rag in 2015, focusing purely on roots, blues, and early jazz. What prompted this creative turn?

My early musical education was rooted in the blues and early jazz. I was first introduced to the harmonica through the music of Sonny Terry and Paul Butterfield, whose playing had a lasting influence on me.

After a decade of recording and performing almost exclusively in the realms of traditional and neo-traditional Jewish music, I felt a desire to reconnect with my roots as a blues musician. While Wiseman’s Rag is not strictly a traditional blues or roots-jazz album, it offered a welcome departure from klezmer and an opportunity to pay homage to the other musical traditions I know and love.

“I encourage my students to explore the instrument’s potential across a wide range of keys and musical styles, and I teach them to play songs from beginning to end rather than simply learning riffs. Ultimately, my goal is to encourage them to push their own boundaries, continue exploring the instrument’s possibilities, and enjoy playing the harmonica for a lifetime.” (Photo: Jason Rosenblatt)

Your music has been featured in documentaries like CBC's "Kosher Love". How different is the composition process when it has to serve a visual story compared to a live album?

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to view rough cuts of the film before beginning to compose the score. Typically, my compositional inspiration comes from the imagery of liturgical texts, Jewish history, my own personal experiences or based on folk song traditions. In this case, however, I was guided by the imagery and dialogue unfolding on screen, which helped shape my melodic ideas and orchestration. Having the visual narrative as a point of reference eliminated much of the guesswork involved in deciding what kind of music each scene called for.

You have been living and creating in Israel for the past few years. How would you describe the jazz scene in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv compared to that of Montreal?

Israel has a wonderful and creative jazz scene, centred primarily in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Venues such as Shablul and festivals like the New Orleans Tel Aviv Jazz Festival do a great job of promoting different facets of jazz while providing a platform for local artists. I do feel that Israeli audiences perhaps have a greater affinity for classic jazz, particularly from the swing and bebop eras. As a result, you can find concerts throughout the year at various community centres, wineries, and private house events.

The music education system here, at both the conservatory and university levels, is very well developed, and the level of musicianship is consequently quite high. Many musicians leave Israel after university to pursue further studies and career opportunities in the US or Europe, though many ultimately return to develop their careers here.

I would say the biggest difference between the Montreal and Israeli jazz scenes is that, in Montreal, jazz musicians are more likely to perform across a variety of genres, with greater cross-pollination between musical styles. It would not be unusual to find a formally trained jazz musician playing in a bluegrass band or in the rhythm section of an indie rock group. In Israel, however, many of the jazz musicians I’ve encountered tend to remain within a particular genre or even focus on jazz from a specific era.

“After a decade of recording and performing almost exclusively in the realms of traditional and neo-traditional Jewish music, I felt a desire to reconnect with my roots as a blues musician. While Wiseman’s Rag is not strictly a traditional blues or roots-jazz album, it offered a welcome departure from klezmer and an opportunity to pay homage to the other musical traditions I know and love.” (Photo: Jason Rosenblatt, an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, and pioneer of the diatonic harmonica)

You have written tracks like Har Meron, inspired by the music of Jewish mystics. How much has the atmosphere and history of the Middle East influenced the way you compose today?

When composing instrumental music, I often turn to liturgical texts for inspiration. On Har Meron, in particular, they helped shape the melodic arcs, rhythms and overall mood of the pieces. Over the past five to ten years, and especially since moving to Israel, the surrounding landscape has also become an important influence on my writing. Whether it’s a view of Jerusalem’s Old City, a vista across the Judean Desert or the bustle of Mahane Yehuda Market, these places have a way of sparking the imagination. Living in the Middle East has also exposed me to traditional and folk music from across the region. Just as I found it difficult not to absorb elements of Québécois folk music into my klezmer writing, I’m drawn to incorporating the ornamentation, modes and rhythms of the diverse musical traditions I encounter here.

You have vast experience teaching the harmonica. What is the very first thing you try to teach a student, beyond the technicalities of bending or overblowing?

The first thing I teach my students is to brush their teeth before playing. The second is that the harmonica is an instrument like any other: developing proficiency requires practice, patience, and commitment. I encourage my students to explore the instrument’s potential across a wide range of keys and musical styles, and I teach them to play songs from beginning to end rather than simply learning riffs. Ultimately, my goal is to encourage them to push their own boundaries, continue exploring the instrument’s possibilities, and enjoy playing the harmonica for a lifetime.

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(Photo: Jason Rosenblatt)