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Drummer Reuben Hoch from Brooklyn, who now resides in Southern Florida, is one of the many Jewish jazz musicians that make a remarkable career in the States. In 1998 with his twenty-year experience and collaborations with the likes of Greg Osby and Dave Liebman, he formed the Chassidic Jazz Project. A septet with unusual instrumentation (including viola and cello) that plays jazz using elements from the Jewish music tradition. The project’s name hails from the Chassidic movement that emphasizes the close relationship between god and people. A relationship that people conceive better through their deeds than through meditation and is expressed with celebration, music and dance. Reuben Hoch is trying to infuse these spiritual and celebrating qualities in his music. The melodies of the seven tracks of this live recording emanate from psalms, prayers, traditional and modern Jewish songs and match up wonderfully with the jazz influences of Hoch (Charlie Haden, Joe Zawinul, Coltrane) under the polyrhythmic guidance of his drums. It’s a recording that utterly captures the liveliness of the concert and the spirituality that drives Hoch’s art.