Free concert Sunday to launch CD
Singer-songwriter Avi Wisnia will celebrate the debut of his full-length studio album “Something New” with a free full-band performance on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Temple Beth Chaim, located at 329 Village Road East, West Windsor (Princeton Junction). It’s a homecoming for Mr. Wisnia, whose father, Eric B. Wisnia, has been rabbi at Beth Chaim since 1977.
“I could think of no better place to kick off my CD release events than the place where I first recorded my music, the place where I grew up, the place I consider my second home,” Mr. Wisnia told The Packet. “I invite the entire community to come and celebrate this album with me, with friends, fans and family.”
According to Mr. Wisnia’s press material, “Avi Wisnia presents an eclectic mix of refreshingly original songs, finding inspiration in classic Brazilian bossa nova, acoustic American folk, 1950s West Coast jazz, and contemporary pop. Avi released his debut EP in 2007 to rave reviews … Now, his debut full-length studio album, ‘Something New,’ recorded with Grammy-winning producer Glenn Barratt, positions Avi as a formidable talent and a true artist on the rise … Avi showcases his own music with unexpected arrangements, and he experiments with contemporary pop tunes from artists like Lauryn Hill, Bjork, Wilco and The Cure, stripping them down, taking them apart and reviving them with a dynamic new spirit. He has performed at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center and renowned festivals such as South by SouthWest.”
“Because my father is a rabbi, I literally grew up at the synagogue,” Mr. Wisnia said. “The congregation was my family, and — with my father being the friendly and extroverted guy that he is — I certainly felt like I knew every member of the Jewish community in New Jersey.
“When I began performing my own original music in earnest five years ago, I could not have anticipated eventually coming back to Temple Beth Chaim to record and perform. Yet, in 2007, there was enough demand to motivate me to record a small EP. With the help of my uncle, also the Beth Chaim cantor, I recorded seven tracks in two days in the sanctuary of our synagogue. The EP, titled ‘Avi Wisnia Presents,’ was released in the fall of that year with sold-out shows at The Bitter End in New York City, where I live, and at The Tin Angel in Philadelphia,” Mr. Wisnia said.
Other CD release events are planned for Philadelphia — at World Cafe Live, Friday, April 9 — and New York City, with a larger East Coast tour planned for the summer and a worldwide release online coming in the next few weeks.
For more information, visit www.bethchaim.org and www.aviwisnia.com.