Jewish Edinburgh show wins Dowden’s approval
CULTURE SECRETARY Oliver Dowden has praised a “foot-tapping” show of Jewish popular music classics which enjoyed a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Mr Dowden raved about Music Of Jewish Origin (Mojo) by jazz pianist and singer Jeremy Sassoon, describing it as “great fun and the perfect way to end a jam-packed day”.
The show goes from Gershwin to Elvis and beyond, offering some revealing Jewish connections along the way.
Mr Sassoon said his inspiration was that “the Jew who makes music remains the most enduring and positive of all Jewish tropes.
“A century ago, the greatest Jewish songwriters were predominantly from immigrant Russian families fleeing the pogroms. Today, the biggest selling Jewish artist of all time is a 34-year-old mixed race rapper and R&B artist from Toronto [Drake].”
He added that the positive reaction to the show — first performed in 2019 at London’s JW3 —had “consistently astounded me”.
The Manchester native studied piano and trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music’s junior department for 11 years.
He “rebelled”, however, training as a doctor in London before becoming a psychiatrist. But he latterly decided to pursue music full-time.
“I guess I’m an all or nothing person and whilst I still love the world of medicine
and psychiatry, I think the stage is probably where I belong.”
He is bringing the show back to JW3 at the end of the month and will also play Liverpool’s Princes Road Synagogue in November.