If you listen closely to the opening notes of “West Side Story,” you’ll hear the gentle blow of the shofar. That’s because the shofar is a musical instrument, not just a ritual one, according to ...

Since I was a boy, my musical heroes have been jazz musicians — Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, John Coltrane. My own trumpet playing was good enough to get me the solo chair in the school ...

With our intentions — and especially our ears — tuned to the month of Elul, we might ask: Who turned up the shofar? For Jews, its soulful sound is not just for High Holy Days anymore, and today, a ...