The New York City trio Zusha has found a way to spin wordless Hasidic chant into contemporary rock. On Zusha’s first full-length album, Kavana, the trio augments its busker-ready sound with a gamut of additional musicians, bringing accordion, kit drum, electric bass and a pocket horn section to play.
The rhythm sometimes slips easily into reggae and the tonalities into edgy jazz without losing sight of its street-level interpretation of traditional Eastern European Jewish modes.
