‘Jews and Blues’ combines old spirituals with funky soul

A musical collaboration between the Boston-based blues ensemble Housekwake and the Zamir Chorale, “Jews and Blues” debuts this weekend at Newton’s Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, with the five-piece band and the 50-member chorus exploring the traditions of African American and Jewish music.

“It’s a musical feast of brisket and ribs, black eyed peas and hamentaschen (holiday cookies). And it’s all good,” said Housekwake leader Nathaniel Stringfield, who described the program as “a melding of two cultures to create a happy and festive form of family entertainment — the message being that the two cultures can not only live together, but we can play and sing together and entertain you.”

With such diverse selections as “Oh, Rachel, Don’t You Weep” and “Hine Ma Tov Umanaim” playing alongside Etta James’ “At Last” and the closing number “Wake Up Everybody,” the musical lineup jumps from Jewish liturgical pieces spanning thousands of years of both popular and classical styles to a potent brew of soul/funk and R&B.

Known for its solid grooves, soulful vocals and tight arrangements, Housekwake will offer an engaging contrast to the 36-year-old Zamir Chorale, led by Joshua Jacobson, who Stringfield describes as “a hell of a technician and a very serious choral director.”

“I’m more loosey-goosey,” said Stringfield, who does not read music but does all the arranging and harmonies for his group. For the “Jews and Blues” concert at the JCC, where Stringfield worked for seven years, his conducting style will be more improvisational compared to Jacobson’s directing technique.

“I’m a very hyper-energetic kind of guy, whereas Josh is more conservative and straight ahead. We’re trying to be the new Righteous Brothers,” quipped Stringfield, who will lead his band, along with three female members of Zamir Chorale, in “old-school Supreme choreography” for the closing number, which he described as “a jubilant spiritual with a nice R&B beat.”

Born into a musical family — mom was an opera singer and dad played the drums — Stringfield was raised outside of Pittsburgh with eight siblings in a poverty-stricken household that had to alternate between paying the electric bill one month and the gas bill the next.

“We didn’t have much of anything. And my dad couldn’t find consistent work. He worked odd jobs at laundromats and synagogues,” recalled Stringfield, whose father often returned home with bags of food donated by various temples.

“The only thing we had was music,” continued Stringfield, who has appeared with the Temptations, Led Zeppelin, Sister Sledge and Melba Moore. “At the time, I didn’t have a drum set. So I used a rack from the oven and a broken mop. My brother had a guitar with two strings. And the rest of the brothers and sisters sang.”

Despite these humble beginnings, the siblings started making a name for themselves.

“We started out by singing and entertaining ourselves. Then we played local clubs. We set out to become total rock stars,” said Stringfield. “People thought we were like the Jackson Five.”

Stringfield recalls one night in particular that set him on the path he travels to this day.

“We opened for Three Dog Night. And then everything snowballed. I was the lead vocalist. But in my heart I wanted to play the drums,” he said.

And now he does. With his band. Out front.

“I have a Jewish guy on bass. An Irish on drums. A Japanese on guitar. And a Korean guy on keyboard. We’re like the United Nations,” noted Stringfield, whose day job at Hebrew College as a maintenance supervisor, security person and receptionist continues the life lessons learned from his father.

“He taught me about Jewish culture,” said the Newton resident. “He gave the family the gift of music. If not for music, I don’t think I’d be alive today. Half my friends I grew up with no longer exist ... from shootings and drugs.”

Having chosen a different path, Stringfield today finds himself thankful for the means to his salvation.

“God gave me the vehicle to get the hell out of there,” he said. “My music was my exodus.”

“Jews and Blues,” Jan. 27 & 28; Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton. Tickets are $24 & $26; For tickets, call 617-965-5226 or visit www.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/191.