Eugene Marlow's Heritage Ensemble: Celebrations

Eugene Marlow’s Heritage Ensemble has made its name with its jazz renditions of pieces from the Hebraic songbook, as well as Israeli folksongs.

 

Now, being unfamiliar with both those categories of song, I can’t really give input as to how well the songs on Celebrations are covered, or what (if any) changes to pacing or tempo were made to the songs by the Heritage Ensemble.

 

Being an instrumental album, though, familiarity with the music of Celebrations as it is traditionally done isn’t a necessity. Even without having a basis for comparison, Celebrations can be appreciated as a top-notch jazz album.

 

Celebrations presents a variety of jazz styles, ranging from the hip, almost Latin-flavored take on “Chanukah, O Chanukah,” whose instrumental focus is the saxophone, to the soft, piano-dominant “Halleluyah.” Regardless of the style, the Heritage Ensemble delivers flawlessly.

 

Not only is the instrument-playing itself superb, but the Heritage Ensemble presents the songs in such a way that they feel like they are meant to be jazz songs, rather than jazz covers of religious songs or folksongs....MORE