In this foot-stomping, barn-storming celebration of some of the most iconic and best-loved ‘Musicians Of Jewish Origin’, internationally renowned singer-pianist Jeremy Sassoon and his superb band take you on a journey through the golden era of Gershwin and the Great American Songbook right up to the present day.
Honouring artists such as Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Randy Newman and Amy Winehouse with some of their most unforgettable music, MOJO is filled with surprising and hilarious anecdotes and is illuminating and uplifting entertainment for anyone who enjoys a great song.
Former doctor and hospital psychiatrist Jeremy Sassoon, already a classically trained pianist, acted as musical director of his hospital revue for three years, fuelling his passion for a different style of performance. Changing career, he has now become one of the UK’s most in demand singer pianists; he’s headlined at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club during the London 2012 Olympics and his music has been featured on BBC R4’s Desert Island Discs.
In MOJO, Sassoon charts the history of Jewish songwriters, narrating their stories and performing the songs from the piano, with Nicola Farnon on bass and Phil Johnson on drums. With his inimitable style as an entertaining and witty raconteur, Sassoon celebrates the collective musical output of some amazing musicians, spanning every decade of the last century. All the songwriters and artists featured in the show are iconic and world famous but most people wouldn’t know about the common link between them all.
Jeremy Sassoon comments, The songs and stories of MOJO make for great entertainment, but the history behind it is also fascinating. A century ago, the greatest Jewish songwriters were predominantly from immigrant families who had fled persecution and settled in America. Today the biggest selling Jewish artist of all time is a 35-year-old mixed heritage rapper and R&B artist from Toronto. As such, the story of Jewish songwriters parallels that of history and society itself and the songs themselves bring joy to everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. Jewish music makers remain the most enduring and positive of all Jewish tropes. MOJO is a joyful celebration of a vast array of music throughout the last century; the story should be told and the music played, all in good humour!
