Joshua Horowitz

I looked up «stupendous» on
and was going to just fill this review with words like «mind-​blowing», «phenomenal» and «superb», which all basically describe how I feel about Josh. But it was hard to weave all of that into a sentence.
The Bay Area has some real treasures and I definitely count Josh Horowitz among them. He is an incredibly talented musician, holds a wealth of knowledge about the roots of klezmer (and other) music, and plays an esoteric 19^th-​century accordion. On top of all that, he’s a real mensch of a guy. And did I mention funny?
Ok, enough already. Take a lesson with Josh. You’ll love it.

Josh is awesome as a musician, teacher, and improviser.
He is an expert on Jewish music, and a sweet guy as well. Highly recommended!!!

I’ve taken workshops with Josh at a number of festivals and camps, and he’s a delight to learn from. His encyclopedic knowledge of klezmer style, Jewish traditions, and both jazz and general music theory, coupled with his kind demeanor and exceeding amounts of patience, make him a fine teacher. The warm-​up improvisatory exercises alone would be worth the time spent, but then he adds tunes and technique. I wish I lived in the Bay Area so I could take regular lessons from Josh and really raise my game.

When I started a lesson, I told him that I just don’t get Jazz improv. I was super nervous, since I have taken lots of Jazz theory lessons and come away more confused than ever. But he gave me some simple ways to get started. He breaks down the steps necessary to understand the theory behind improvisation. He is also very gentle, but obviously really knowledgeable! He gave me some stuff to work on, and some recommendations for reading/​practicing material. A really good teacher!

I have taken both individual and group music lessons from Joshua Horowitz and I don’t know where to begin to tell you how lucky you would be to take music lessons from Josh. He is a remarkable musician and person and is a master of the chromatic button accordion, cimbalom and piano. He is not only a master musician but also a highly trained composer and is too humble to mention that he taught advanced jazz theory at Stanford University with the late saxophonist Stan Getz, as well as touring with Itzhak Perlman and many others. But don’t let his experience and skill scare you away, as he is extremely able to simplify and explain things in a way that put me completely at ease. He is patient, respectful, fun and funny and can give you really practical tips and instruction. If you want to learn to improvise, harmonize, arrange, compose, he’s your guy. Also, if you have a band and the group needs help, he is excellent at that as well. I actually play the violin and he was able to teach me songs, rhythms, back up cords, ornamentation, etc. When he is not touring around the world, you can find him in his lovely home in North Berkeley, easy parking, very comfortable for lessons all around. Huge recommendation. Check out Veretski Pass website for full bio and call him today!