Musician Yosef Gutman Levitt has had an unusual journey. He grew up on a farm in South Africa, where he developed a deep appreciation for jazz. Then, he came to America to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, played bass guitar in New York’s jazz circuit and ended up producing 100 pieces of music for “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” He became a baal teshuva, decided to put down his instrument and go into coding. For the next decade, he developed a technology company that was acquired by GoDaddy, and he moved to Israel.
Now, Gutman Levitt has returned to his musical roots with his new album “River of Eden,” which weaves together contemporary composition with nigunim, or wordless Jewish melodies. The record company Soul Song – which helps artists create their “soul song” – put out the album, which was recorded in Jerusalem and features multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick, Yonathan Avishai (piano), Itay Sher (nylon-string guitar) and Yoed Nir (cello). The music is full of depth and touches the soul with songs like “The Open Door,” “The Old City” and “Reflection.”
The Jewish Journal caught up with Gutman-Levitt to discuss his life and his impressive new work. Answers have been edited for clarity.
Jewish Journal: Why did you decide to release this album?
Yosef Gutman-Levitt: I’m particularly interested in bringing music with Jewish character and Jewish depth into certain categories of music that are typically devoid of such a voice. Contemporary classical and jazz, in particular, require a specific level of instrumental integrity and credibility, a certain sound spectrum and other delicate musical characteristics that typically haven’t been adopted or nourished by Jewish musicians on a large scale. It’s exciting to me to put a Hasidic Jewish voice into these places where it’s missing.
JJ: How did you become a baal teshuva?
YGL: It all started one night on the F train from Manhattan to Park Slope in Brooklyn. I was questioning my commitment to improvised music. Things weren’t easy, breakthrough moments were rare and success was limited. A group of young Israelis on the train asked me for directions to Coney Island. Hearing my South African accent, they asked if I was Jewish. They were from Ra’anana, a town in Israel known for its South African community, so they were familiar with the accent. They invited me to join them for late-night karaoke and hummus. I declined, but when I tried to exit at my stop on Seventh Avenue and 9th Street, a moment’s hesitation left me on the wrong side of the closing doors. I guess I was going with them after all.
That night, around 2:30 a.m., with my bass guitar and leather jacket, I found myself in Flatbush. It was my first time seeing a religious area. During the evening, I was introduced to an elderly woman with penetrating gray eyes. She looked at me and asked in Hebrew, “Who is Yosef?” At the time, I went by Gary and hadn’t heard my Hebrew name in years. When I acknowledged that was me, she asked if I had tefillin. When I said no, she told me I should get them, because they would bring me good luck.
The next day, I called my mom in South Africa and asked her to send my tefillin. I began laying tefillin every morning at 7 o’clock, eventually made my way on a Birthright trip to Israel, and through discovering a small, warm Jewish community and the beauty of Shabbat, my perspective started shifting away from jazz toward things of greater importance that would become the foundation of my new life.
JJ: What does your everyday life look like now?
YGL: My daily life in Jerusalem centers around family, prayer and music. Each morning begins with helping prepare my children for school. One of the day’s highlights is sharing morning coffee with my wife while listening to the Tanya. After that, I head to shul for prayers with a minyan, followed by kollel studies. My afternoons are dedicated to a blend of musical work and community service. While I’ve primarily been focused on creating and producing music from home, I’m looking to expand my touring activities in the coming months and years. When I do tour, I envision it as a family journey, possibly taking shorter tours that allow us to explore different parts of the world together, remaining open to Divine providence wherever we go.
JJ: What kind of feeling do you hope people get from your music?
YGL: I hope listeners play my music all day long in their homes. I aim to provide the right spectrum that allows people to simply be, instead of paying attention to what’s happening in the music itself. Each piece and each album are meant to take someone somewhere, like a journey. For listeners who are deeply connected to Jewish growth, I hope the music serves as an accompaniment to their lives, something that stays out of the way.
JJ: How does being a musician help you carry out your mission in this world?
YGL: Being a musician presents a profound opportunity to impact others. The Admor HaZaken, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, says that music is the quill of the soul. If music is made honestly, it can reach other people in a deep way. Things that leave from the heart can enter the heart of another. Therefore, music helps me impact others, both Jews and non-Jews alike. It’s a vector for deep messages and connections. It lets us skip the complexity of thoughts and speech and move in a deeper, more inner way that unifies, brings one together and brings delight.
“Being a musician presents a profound opportunity to impact others.”
“River of Eden” is available on all major streaming platforms via http://orcd.co/riverofeden. Physical copies and high-quality digital downloads can be purchased through yosefgutman.bandcamp.com.
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