Hasidic doom jazz? Meet Deveykus

Deveykus: Pillar Without Mercy (Tzadik, 6/18/13)

“Wordless Ecstasy”

Deveykus: Wordless Ecstasy

For many, knowledge of Hasidic music is next to nil, with scenes of wedding-chair dances and bar mitzvahs gleaned from television and film. Trombonist Dan Blacksberg, however, has made a career out of reinterpreting Ashkenazic Jewish music in interesting ways. After broaching hardcore with Electric Simcha, Blacksberg recruited four other musicians and combined traditional wordless melodies with doom metal for a new project called Deveykus.

The band’s first track, “Wordless Ecstasy,” is a slow burn, built of trombone, electricity, and weighty, slow-motion beats. Moments of complexity flirt with the ear, building a deceptive drone. It’s a Zen kōan through a Jewish lens.