Son of composer Larry Lockwood and grandson of legendary Cantor Jacob Konigsberg, Jeremiah Lockwood began his musical career playing guitar and singing on streets and in the subways of New York City.
As the leader and composer for The Sway Machinery, Lockwood infuses blues, world beat and cantorial music in order to explore the Ashkenazic Jewish liturgical music tradition. With lyrics in Yiddish, Aramaic and Hebrew, Lockwood’s Tuvan throat singing style compliment the funky and bluesy sounds of The Sway Machinery.
Formed in 2006 as a result of a long collaboration between Lockwood and Israeli percussionist Tomer Tzur, The Sway Machinery focuses on the rediscovery of the self in Jewish history and myth. Composed of some of the heaviest hitters in jazz, funk and rock scenes in New York such as Stuart Bogie (tenor saxophone) and Jordan McLean (trumpet) of Antibalas, Brian Chase (drums) and Collin Stetson (bass saxophone), The Sway Machinery draws inspiration from the music of pre-war era cantors.
Whether performing with Balkan Beat Box or The Sway Machinery, Lockwood revives Ashkenazic Cantorial music for contemporary audiences.