A musical journey through a medley of talented Jewish origin musicians
After 5 years since its launch, Jeremy Sassoon is back for round two at the JW3. The first iteration was clearly rather popular and well received as the event was pretty much sold out and for good reason.
Though it seemed to appeal to an older audience on this particular night, the showcase of Jewish artists and their contribution to the music industry – be it singer, songwriter, producer, band – spanned many decades with some songs that everyone knew (and definitely some surprises along the way). It didn’t feel like it was a trip down memory lane but instead an informative musical evening showcasing class acts of Jewish origin.
Jeremy is a warm, funny and friendly host who encouraged the audience to get involved, and easily interacted with audience members throwing out questions and engaging easily with all responses. He was integral to the creation of the lively and fun atmosphere we enjoyed that evening. During the event, we were taken on a musical journey with Jeremy introducing a genre he wanted to explore; his expertise and research on each genre was extensive and he shared with the audience all the particulars of the act’s background; where they started out from and how some stage names came about, how they progressed, the songs that they released and their involvement in the industry. For example, one philanthropist had even set up an academy in the USA. After we learnt a little of the artists history, Jeremy and the band played some of their songs with a jazzy twist, which was done for a handful of artists for each genre. I can honestly say that my musical knowledge has been expanded!
The performers alongside Jeremy were very talented – the guitarist also played the Saxophone and has also performed at Ronnie Scott alongside several singers. The bass player who had flown back from touring in the States and the drummer had performed with many known singers and artists. Jeremy even got out his trumpet, for the first time in fifteen years (when he wasn’t on the piano) which judging by the reaction of the audience was quite a treat! All four musicians really worked well together and they were equally energetic and equally wonderful to hear play.
Jeremy Sassoon’s (Alternative) MOJO is an insightful medley of songs. The information that he gives doesn’t bombard you and it was really interesting to learn the background of some really popular music. I found it to be informative and a rather wonderful evening.