Saul Kaye Performs for Karol Music Program

FOR THE KAROL MUSIC PROGRAM

By Eric Lass*

Temple Israel hosted the talented singer, songwriter and guitarist Saul Kaye for this year’s Karol Music Program. Kaye, a San Francisco native, combines Jewish stories and his own Jewish experience with African acoustic blues to create a new hybrid. On Friday night, December 11th, Kaye, backed by three fine Berklee School of Music musicians and Temple Israel’s own band, led the congregation through several of his own takes on traditional Shabbat songs. With influences ranging from African rhythms to Bob Dylan’s folk era, Kaye’s variety was remarkable.

In place of a traditional D’var Torah, Kaye and his Berklee musicians jumped into his signature combination of African-American blues music and Jewish lyrics. Kaye began with a Mississippi Delta-style tune, with a simple clapped rhythm and cappella vocals. From there, showing influences from early 20th century bluesman Howlin’ Wolf, to 1960’s British blues-rocker Stevie Winwood, Kaye led the congregation through psalms and personal family stories reflecting the Jewish experience. The congregation sang along with choruses and cheered strong guitar and keyboard solos.

On Sunday morning, Kaye taught and entertained Temple Israel Hebrew School students and members of the congregation, filling our building with spirit and light on the last day of Hanukkah. Saul Kaye has appeared at synagogues around the country, leading services and concerts. He describes the connection between his music and traditional Africanbased blues:

Jews have been enslaved in many countries over the centuries... So, like the African Slave experience proved to be a catalyst for blues, so the path of Jewish history fostered its own form of soulful tears, from Jews crying out in Egyptian slavery (Exodus) to the prophet Jeremiah weeping over the destruction of the Temple in Eicha (Lamentations), Jews know the pain of spiritual crisis and call to Hashem with their own form of blues. You can hear it in the synagogue when the Torah and the books of Prophets are read, chanted in tropes passed down through time, recounting forbearers’ sorrows on days of tragedy like Tisha B’Av, or remembering celebrations of freedom on Passover, when Jews recall the Israelite’s “Song at the Sea,” as the waters of freedom parted.

The Karol Music Program has been bringing talented composers, vocalists and musicians to Temple Israel for 26 years, exposing TI members to a wide variety of styles and genres. The Temple Israel clergy and lay-leadership believe in music as a vehicle for enhancing spirituality at services.

Saul Kaye performed for the Religious School on Sunday, December 13 *Eric Lass has been a Temple Israel member since 1993 and has played bass in the Temple Israel Band since its founding 15 years ago.