Newspaper Page Text
Continued from page 20.
shofars before he found one that
sounded “special.” Like trumpets,
every shofar produces a distinc
tively different tone. The one Sey
mour could not resist was of
Yemenite origin, about three feet
long, majestically twisted and
curled. It was indeed a shofar fit
for a stage performance.
Quickly, Seymour mastered sho
far technique, and then invented a
whole new playing style. Each
phrase tells its own emotional story
with expressive sweetness, plain
tive wails, and ascending delicacy.
Flutters, octave jumps, and mag
nificent high notes sail on and on
as though the player’s breath is
limitless.
Naturally, the performer in him
wouldn’t sit still. The regular shofar
blower at surburban Chicago syn
agogue Beth Hillel generally did
not rise in time for morning servi
ces during the month of Elul, when
the shofar is normally blown. “Elul
is a time of introspection on your
life prior to Rosh Hashana,” says
Seymour, “so this was a great way
for me to start.”
Soon Beth Hillel’s Rabbi David
Lincoln agreed to allow Seymour
to blow at the regular Rosh Ha
shana and Yom Kippur services.
The first time he played, the con
gregation was stunned. Beth Hillel
prides itself as a Conservative shul
led by a rabbi with a high regard
for tradition. Yet Seymour’s inno
vative blowing affected everyone
as reverent, beautiful and perfectly
natural.
“He evoked a feeling of awe,”
remembers congregant Zev Weiss.
“I couldn’t help becoming emo
tional.” Another congregant re
members, “1 was so thoroughly
captured by the music, that the
whole feeling of Atonement just
suddenly came inside me. I can
The cutting edge
hear him now. So light, so pene
trating, so mysterious.”
Rabbi Lincoln acknowledges,
“Blowing shofar is a warning to
arouse our souls, and a note of tri
umph over ourenemies. It is some
thing very special to our people. To
have somebody so masterful—the
likes of which 1 have never heard
before—is deeply moving, especially
for those who may only come to
synagogue on these High Holy
Days.”
Knowing he is inspiring others,
Seymour derives the Jewish artist’s
sense of gratification. “It’s more
than a performance, it’s perform
ing a mitzva. When I blow the
shofar. I’m blowing for every per
son in that synagogue, and what a
wonderful feeling that is.”
But at the same time, says Sey
mour, “I’m trying to project how I
feel personally at that very moment
about my own Jewishness.” In a
tenor of rising excitement, he ex
claims, “When those notes go sail
ing out, I go with them. I’m in
Israel, I’m at the Kotel. Only then,
yeah, do 1 really know that I’m
starting to cook.”
Even as he verbalizes it, one
senses the wave of arousal his play
ing can produce. But only by being
there, only by hearing the music as
it strikes deep into the atmosphere
Wishing you
and your family
Happy
Holidays.
Sheraton
Parkway 75 Hotel
Th« hospitality people of
1775 PARKWAY PLACE
(I-75 & SOUTH 120 LOOP)
MARIETTA. GEORGIA 30067
(404) 428-4400
of the holiday and then straight
through to your own spirit, only
then, can you join Seymour in his
soaring moment. Invariably, if you
are listening, you too, will start to
cook.
*> 1986 International Features
Edwin Black is a former jazz
critic for Downbeat, Earth and
International Musician magazines.
He was present at Seymour Schwartz'
first Rosh Hashana performance
at Beth Hillel. —Editor.
7m
Happy Holidays
janet ronkin's
For Student Athletes . . .
For Students Who Work . . .
For Students With A Heavy
Academic and Activity Schedule
0X0
WE ARE NOW OFFERING
SUNDAY SAT
PREPARATION CLASSES
The course is scheduled to conclude prior to Thanksgiving Break
and the December SAT Exam.
TIME: 2-5 PM
WHEN: October 5th - November 23rd
WHERE: College Bound
1776 Old Spring House Lane
Suite 300
Dunwoody, Georgia 30338
CALL NOW TO
RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION
452-7074
FACIAL
&BODY
SCULPTURING
through Liposuction
Liposuction is a special surgical
technique used to remove fat deposits
from areas of the face and body.
Keeping your figure in shape is a
constant battle. It is known that
certain fat deposits are diet and
exercise resistant. Liposuction
provides a permanent, improved
contour in both men and women.
These procedures can be done in
conjunction with face and eyelid lifts,
chin and cheek implants, rhinoplasty,
breast implants and reductions,
tummy tucks and other cosmetic
surgery procedures.
If you are interested in learning
more about facial and body
sculpturing through Liposuction, cal)
the experts at the Cosmetic Surgery
Center of Atlanta for a free
consultation and see what takes
shape.
Shaded areas indicate areas where
Liposuction can be performed.
Cosmetic Surgery Center of Atlanta
Northlake Atrium Building
4053 LaVista Road, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30084
(404) 939-8062
PAGE 21 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 10, 1986