Songs from a Very Narrow Bridge: Shabbat Shirah Afternoon Concert
As we celebrate Shabbat Shirah (the Shabbat of Song), join us for a restorative afternoon of music elevating themes of love, loss, fragility, and hope for peace.
Israeli musicians Maya Shaw (vocals and piano), Dan Nadel (guitar), and Or Bareket (bass) will feature original interpretations of some of the beloved Israeli songs that have taken on new meaning and resonance during these challenging times.
About the musicians:
Hailing from Nir Yisrael, a small town in the south of Israel, Maya Shaw has been playing piano since the age of four, and is a graduate of Tel Aviv’s esteemed Rimon School of Music. Her artistry extends beyond music, touching realms of fashion, visual art, and cinema. Maya released her first single “Looking Up” in September 2023; a song about uplifting yourself during troubled times, and released her song “Your Heart” in December 2023. A developing singer-songwriter, Maya was stunned when, a couple of years ago, she received a Dropbox folder filled with over 1,000 songs and poems written by her late grandfather Irwin “Baba” Shaw in the 1960s. She then made it her goal to expand on them, adding her own finishing touches and melodies to what were already such deep words. Now, despite the two of them never having met, Maya is about to release the EP collaboration between her and her late grandfather.
Dan Nadel is an Israeli-born guitarist and composer, whose personal style combines flamenco, jazz, and Middle Eastern influences. His debut album Brooklyn Prayer was released in 2005 to critical acclaim, and was followed by recordings and performances as a bandleader, a solo performing artist, and an in-demand collaborator. A busy musician on the New York scene, Nadel has also worked with many world-renowned artists, including jazz musicians Chico Freeman, Dave Liebman and Anat Fort, Israeli-French pop star Yael Naim, jazz vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli, opera soloists Chen Reiss and Maya Lahyani, and genre-crossing musicians from around the world. Dan is BJ’s music director; he is also the director of the 92NY’s new program Bridges in Sound. Nadel attended the jazz program at the prestigious Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts in Tel Aviv, before completing his three-year army duty as the guitarist for the IDF’s Air Force Band. He is a graduate of the BFA jazz program at The New School in NYC and has studied with jazz masters Billy Harper, Hal Galper, and Cecil McBee in New York, and flamenco guitarist Antonio Moya in Seville, Spain.
Born in Jerusalem and raised in Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv, Or Bareket is one of the most in-demand and versatile bassists on the New York City jazz scene, emerging as a bandleader with a unique vision and aesthetic. Winner of first prize at the International Society of Bassists’ jazz competition in 2011, Or’s diverse heritage is clearly present in his music. His approach to improvisation and composition is informed by Mediterranean, Latin American, and North African folklore, all interpreted through his life-long study and appreciation of the American jazz tradition.