Zusha Brings Hasidic Soul To Beachland Tavern on Jan. 19

There’s a Jewish saying that prayer without kavana, or intention, is like a body without a soul. It’s there, but it has no meaning, no depth. The words are attributed to the wise Rabbi Bachya, one of the inspirations for New York-based band Zusha, and most immediately for their first full-length album, Kavana (released January 5, 2016).

Following the release of their eponymous EP in Fall 2014, which debuted at #9 on Billboard’s World Music, Zusha has been growing rapidly amidst the New York City scene, where they’ve played to sold-out crowds at the famed Knitting Factory, Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom and Highline Ballroom venues. Since then, they’ve toured the U.S., Israel and Australia.

“To us, kavana means giving more of yourself,” says percussionist Elisha Mlotek. “It’s the direction of the heart.”

For the album, the trio of guitar, percussion, and voice worked together with Brooklyn’s famous Audio/Visual collective Mason Jar Music, whose members are also featured on the album. Their studio is built on analog principles and authentic recordings. “Their ethos is like ours, explains guitarist Zachariah Goldschmiedt, real people making real sound. This music is genuine.”

“We began playing together when we were in college,” Mlotek recalls. “I grew up with Yiddish theatre and klezmer, Zachariah had been producing in an electro-funk band, and singer Shlomo Gaisin had played saxophone and classical piano. The three met in the East Village, where they would gather and sing in apartments filled with friends, “by the time we were booking more legit venues we already had a grassroots community.”

One of the things that attracted those fans as well as many others is Zusha’s trademark: the wordless, soaring 3-part harmonies, gliding to the powerful voice of Shlomo Gaisin that ranges from glorious sweetness to mindful soul. It’s an ancient technique, known in Hebrew as neegoon, and it has brought rave reviews from the Huffington Post, which said that the “raw emotion is palpable” and Tablet, which praised the “crescendos of musical mastery and…exploratory, religious incantation.”

“Neegoon is well-rooted in Jewish history,” Mlotek observes. “Because there are no words, the song can mean anything, it’s completely universal and never the same song. Listeners add their own kavana, their own direction.” “We’re surrounded by so many words in our lives, adds Gaisin. “For us, these tunes are much more about what we don’t say. The secret of our tunes and the essence of a neegoon is the intention.”

That music as prayer and meditation is especially true when Zusha performs as a trio, it’s far more intimate and introspective. They collaborate with horn sections, string quartets, drums, accordion, re-interpreting the musical horizons of the meditative experience. While every song comes with written arrangements, the musicians are encouraged to forget everything and simply trust their hearts. Every performance breathes new life into the Zusha repertoire.

Kavana is an amalgamation of so many incredible musical inspirations, offering tunes as infectious as pop radio but permeating with heartfelt authenticity. It’s Beirut, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens meets the Crosby, Stills, and Nash of Hasidic music.

With Kavana, Zusha will undoubtedly inspire many to join them on a journey to the center of the heart.