Sam Sadigursky and Nathan Koci Detail 'The Solomon Diaries: Volumes IV & V'

Combining Jewish spiritual and Klezmer music with post-minimalism classical, jazz, and tinges of American folk, clarinetist Sam Sadigursky and accordionist/multi-instrumentalist Nathan Koci have set the release of the next two volumes of The Solomon Diaries (Adhyaropa Records), a quintet of evocative albums reflecting on the Borscht Belt region—the primary Jewish resort community that helped shape 20th-century American culture—and also exploring contemporary immigrant and Jewish experiences. The albums will be released on April 11th.

Both a compelling musical remembrance of a bygone era and a look to the future, The Solomon Diaries: Vol. IV & V combines the Sadigursky-Koci Duo with notable multi-genre guest artists: 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).
 
Developed during their 2022-23 monthly residency at Barbés in Brooklyn, New York, the 21 original songs comprising Vol. IV & V, penned by both Sadigursky and Koci, are often more joyful follow-ups to the debut Vol. I-III set (Adhyaropa Records, 2022). Many of the songs are dedicated to prominent figures in their respective musical and personal lives, including Sadigursky's late father Isaac (a prominent clarinetist and accordionist himself), accordion legend Guy Klucevsek (Koci's mentor and teacher), violist/composer Ljova, clarinet/mandolin legend Andy Statman, and others.
 
“This is so much more than a nostalgia project that looks backwards. While continuing to reflect on the deep themes of the first set of albums, the dedications and collaborations on this album reflect our identities as musicians and challenge us to explore new musical territory. In the first set of albums, we augmented our sound by mixing in a lot of found audio material. Here we bring in actual musicians."  - Sam Sadigursky, composer/clarinetist

The Sadigursky-Koci Duo is applauded for defying the traditional and often narrow Klezmer and polka expectations of the clarinet-accordion pairing by pushing the instruments’ boundaries and incorporating broad influences: jazz, folk, and postmodern new music. “The interplay between the duet partners is strikingly telepathic...where clarinet and accordion perform such speedy, acrobatic flips that they seem to morph into one another (Chronogram Magazine).” Their ambitious, cross-genre hybrid blends Sadigursky’s wealth of experience from playing with the Philip Glass Ensemble with the contributions from Koci (music director of recent Broadway productions Oklahoma! and Illinoise). Both deeply involved in the theater community, the duo’s collaboration was also heard on Daniel Kluger's music for the 2024 Broadway play Prayer for the French Republic.

Sadigursky-Koci Duo in Concert:

Sun 3.23 @ 3:00 p.m., Concert + Panel Discussion: The Borscht Belt-Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland, Museum of Eldridge Street, New York, NY
Sat 4.12 @ 3:00 p.m., CD Release Concert, Barbes, Brooklyn, NY
Sun 4.27 @ 5:30 p.m., Idea Kitchen, Larchmont, NY
Thu 6.19 @ time TBA, The Hester, Brooklyn, NY
Sat 7.05 @ 8:00 p.m., iBeam, Brooklyn, NY
Sat 7.19 @ time TBA, Panther Creek Arts, West Fulton, NY

About Sam Sadigursky   

Sam Sadigursky has released 11 acclaimed albums as a leader (New Amsterdam Records, Brooklyn Jazz Underground, and Adhyaropa Records), and appears on over 60 albums as a side musician, including on numerous Grammy nominees and winners, most recently on David Byrne’s Here Lies Love (2023). He’s a member of the Philip Glass Ensemble, and has also toured and recorded with Brad Mehldau, David Byrne, Bruce Hornsby and yMusic, Fred Hersch, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Gabriel Kahane, Tom Jones, Yuka Honda, Edmar Castaneda, the Mingus Orchestra, and U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. From 2017-2019 he was the onstage clarinetist for the Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning show The Band’s Visit and has also performed for many other Broadway productions. He has published six volumes of original etudes and duets for clarinet, and is also currently collaborating on an original musical about the life of Joseph Pulitzer. As a composer, he is the recipient of grants from Chamber Music America, ASCAP, and the Jerome Foundation.

About Nathan Koci     

Nathan Koci is a composer, performer, and music director working across a variety of styles and disciplines, from theater to dance to improvised and experimental musics. As an accordionist, he has performed and recorded with Sam Sadigursky, Guy Klucevsek, South African artist William Kentridge, Maira Kalman, the Micheal Leonhart Orchestra, and the improvising chamber quartet The Hands Free (Caroline Shaw, Eleonore Oppenheimer, James Moore). As a seasoned music director, he has conducted Tony Award-winning shows on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and internationally. Credits include Sufjan Stevens and Justin Peck’s Illinoise, Anais Mitchell’s Hadestown (first national tour), Daniel Fish’s reimagined Oklahoma! and Most Happy In Concert, and Ted Hearne’s The Source. He gravitates towards new works, having recently collaborated with William Kentridge on his latest multi-modal theater work The Great Yes, The Great No as a musical arranger and performer, touring internationally through 2026. 

Photo credit: Desmond White