INTERVIEW: Sam Sadigursky, Nathan Koci are back with more ‘Solomon Diaries’
Photo: Sam Sadigursky and Nathan Koci are releasing The Solomon Diaries, volumes IV and V, on April 11. Photo courtesy of Desmond White / Provided by AMT PR with permission.
There are a lot of ways to describe Sam Sadigursky and Nathan Koci’s recording project known as The Solomon Diaries. Press notes indicate the music is post-minimalism classical, while others will hear obvious jazz influences. There is also Jewish spiritual music represented, accompanied by Klezmer rhythms. Add in some American folk, and it becomes obvious this is a diverse musical project that keeps Sadigursky, a clarinetist, and Koci, an accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, busy with creativity and creation.
The Solomon Diaries, in total, consists of five albums that are inspired by the Borsch Belt region, according to an official news release. This area, in and around the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York, was a historic region for Jewish resort communities in the 20th century. A lot of of culture, including music and comedy, were born in this region thanks to the individuals and families who enjoyed the natural landscapes during the summer months.
The Solomon Diaries’ final two volumes will be released Friday, April 11, and there will be a special release party Saturday, April 12, in Brooklyn at Barbés. This will be something of a homecoming for the two musicians because this entire recording project was first envisioned while the two were in residency at Barbés in 2022-2023.
Joining Sadigursky and Koci on this journey are pianist Timo Andres (Tony Award nominee for Illinoise), mandolinist Joe Brent (founder of Adhyraropa Records), kaval/alto saxophonist Matt Darriau (The Klezmatics), pianist Danny Fox (Nefesh Mountain) and violinist Meg Okura (Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble), according to press notes.
Recently Sadigursky exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox. His recording catalog is extensive, with 11 albums to his name and an additional 60 where he appears as a guest musician. He’s also a member of the Philip Glass Ensemble, who will perform this month at The Town Hall in New York City. His recording partners over the years have been some of the greats in the business, including David Byrne, Bruce Hornsby and Brad Mehldau, among others. Sadigursky also served as the on-stage clarinetist for the Tony-winning musical The Band’s Visit, according to his official biography. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What was your residency at Barbés like in 2022-2023?
When Barbés opened in the early 2000s, I lived two blocks away and heard so many things there, so it’s a place that’s very sacred to me. We did our album release gig there in 2022, and so many people turned up that about 30 of them couldn’t even get into the back room where we played. So it really was intensely moving and showed us the interest that people had in our music. I had never had a steady gig anywhere as a leader, so this really allowed us to develop the music and try new things with different guests. I don’t get to Brooklyn as much as I’d like now, so it was also a great way of catching up with old friends who came through.
What makes volumes IV and IV different from the first three entries in this quintet?
For better or worse, every album I’ve ever made has been an effort to turn the last one over on its head. I don’t know if this one does that as much, but the music certainly has a different energy. Even though it was a deep partnership between Nathan Koci and me from the beginning, it grew into something where we’re both leaders now, and we’re recording some of Nathan’s songs now and making decisions much more collectively now.
There’s much more playfulness overall to the new albums, and we start to veer from the Borscht Belt theme a little more. Also, losing my father in 2023 continues to have a huge impact on me, and I think I really needed to counter a lot of the sadness of that with some more playful music that I know we would’ve gotten a rise out of.
Did you have to conduct some research on the Borscht Belt to gather inspiration?
Besides spending a lot of time looking at Marisa Sheinfeld’s book of photos, which originally sparked my interest in it all, I did read all the books I could about it. Phil Brown’s work was really valuable, as were some great documentaries and videos I found on YouTube. I’m a first generation child of immigrants and grew up in L.A., so I have no personal connection to the region. My connection to it was as a story about the immigrant experience, the preserving and inevitable loss of old culture in new places, and the general impermanence of everything, even the greatest and most indestructible seeming things.
Why is honoring this chapter of modern Jewish history so important?
I’ve seen such a shocking resurgence of anti-semitism since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, things I thought I’d never see and that I’m not nearly as afraid or hesitant to call out as I might’ve been before. This chapter is such a strong reminder of Jewish independence, survival and ingenuity in the face of it. The Borscht Belt was such a beautiful thing, but also something that rose out of the darkness of discrimination and exclusion that Jews faced in earlier years of migration. It’s sad that these places no longer exist and are increasingly forgotten, but I hope we’re not returning to anything like those times of darkness we experienced before.
What do you love about Klezmer music?
More than anything, it’s music I grew up hearing my late father play. I’m by no means a studied Klezmer musician, but it’s somehow in my bones. And I can mimic the style pretty well, which has taken me to some interesting places in my career. With The Solomon Diaries music, I really wanted to explore how I could incorporate it into the rest of my musical and creative universe, and come up with something that felt unique and personal.
How would you say these albums “look to the future” as they simultaneously honor the past?
Personally, I’ve gone through a lot of chapters of my Jewish identity. Somehow now that I’ve comfortably (and uncomfortably) reached middle age, and also in the midst of raising my kids into what I hope will be smart and proud Jews, it’s become more and more important to celebrate and carry forward the little bit of the history and culture that I myself know.
Musically, I don’t have a path mapped out for myself other than just continuing to get better and deepen musical relationships (particularly the one I have with Nathan) and find new opportunities to do meaningful and challenging work. Nathan and I have been called to play some other people’s music the past few years, and I’m really proud and growingly confident in a unique and personal sound that we have together, which makes me very encouraged to keep going deeper with this series of ours.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Solomon Diaries, volumes IV and V, will be released Friday, April 11. An album release party at Barbés in Brooklyn is set for Saturday, April 12. Click here for more information and tickets.
