Chanukkah Remixed
The acclaimed compilations Festival of Light and Festival of Light 2 offer a provocative mix of contemporary Jewish music that seem to invite the listener to consider just what "Jewish music" means. Hanukkah, the Festival of Light, is for many a time of reflection. But just in case you thought you'd figured it all out, these collections present an unusual mix that reflects the current ferment in Jewish music in an age where access to modern technology and ancient world traditions coexist.
From the opening of Marc Cohn's soulful and contemporary transformation of the traditional "Rock of Ages," through the finale of Peter Himmelman and David Broza's original and rousing R&B anthem "Lighting Up the World," Festival of Light is clearly a holiday season recording like no other. Exceptional not only by the mere fact that it celebrates Hanukah, Festival of Light is remarkable for the way in which it captures the spirit of the holiday, with music as diverse as the Jewish communities that have held these eight winter days sacred and joyous for more than 2,000 years.
As the initial release for Six Degrees, Festival of Light reflects the label's philosophy of eclectic adventure and daring; refusing to recognize conventional boundaries while honoring tradition; blurring previously rigid distinctions between musical genres; and challenging both broad cultural stereotypes and the listener's preconceptions.
Just as the diaspora of Jewish peoples across the centuries and around the globe has given rise to myriad communities affected by wildly diverse influences, so Festival of Light, with its eight revamped traditional tunes and four original compositions inspired by the holiday, operates on many different levels and abounds with disparate musical colors, temperaments, and flavors. But linked by the spirit of the holiday, the pieces share an overall sense of purpose as well as certain instrumental strains. The common threads of violins, clarinets, guitars, and voices help weave a garment flexible enough to be donned year round by listeners of any faith or conviction.
Several tracks feature the specially assembled Festival of Light all-star New York ensemble of clarinetist Don Byron, guitarist David Torn, violinist Simon Shaheen, cellist Erik Friedlander, and percussionist Glen Velez; others incorporate such sundry instruments as hammered dulcimer, didgeridoo, panpipes, oud, or electronic programming.
Canadian artist Jane Siberry has enjoyed international success as a modern singer-songwriter who combines a sincere confessional approach with artful musical twists. Deeply interested in the spiritual aspects of all cultures, Siberry approached "Shir Amami," an ancient ode of a Shepherd's longing for spiritual fulfillment, with a modern sensibility, wedding her evocative, multi-tracked vocals to Frank London's instrumental arrangement as realized by the New York ensemble. Other contributions include The Klezmatics, John McCutcheon, John Leventhal, Flairck, The Covenant and Rebbe Soul.
Festival of Light 2 blends timeless ballads with ambient electronics, and contemporary dance grooves with ancient cantorial hymns. It runs the gamut from the wry, witty, but curiously touching "Feast of Lights" by alternative music heroes They Might Be Giants, to the eerie, electronic netherworld of "Man L'kha Ha-yam Variations" by Wayne Horvitz and Robin Holcomb.
"We wanted to amplify what we did with the first volume," says producer Bob Duskis, "which was to mix vocals and instrumentals, traditional and original songs, and present a real variety of music for the holiday season."
Festival of Light 2 does present a broad spectrum of musical styles, but at either extreme you'll find a single musician. Trumpeter, composer, and one of the central figures in the revival of klezmer music in the past 15 years, Frank London has an unparalleled knowledge of the repertoire, and was, Duskis says, "a major contributor." The Frank London Big Band Featuring Bob Franceschini, for example, presents a spectacular big-band version of the old chestnut "Oh Hanukkah." At the other end, London explores the mystical side of the Jewish tradition with a deeply felt, electronically colored arrangement of one of the psalms. Somewhere in the middle you'll find London's group The Klezmatics collaborating with the Israeli superstar Chava Alberstein on a new setting of an old Yiddish text.
On "Oh Hanukkah Groove," Bob Franceschini, a longtime sax player with Paul Simon, Eddie Palmieri, and dozens of others, shows that not only don't you have to be Jewish to like this music, you don't even have to be Jewish to play it. "Things like Jewish swing and Jewish jazz have always existed," London points out. "But a certain amount of corniness was involved. So I wondered, could we do something that really is a Jewish jazz number and really has its own integrity, and really swings." The answer is an emphatic yes. "People have a moment when they recognize the tune and have a good laugh, but then it stands on its own."
As for the Klezmatics/Chava Alberstein song, "I'm Going To Take Off My Shoes" uses decidedly non-traditional imagery to raise questions of faith and religious devotion. At once spiritual and earthy, the song sports a beautiful melody propelled along by a strong klezmer/rock beat.
Then there's "Song of Praise," which brings Festival of Light 2 to a glowing, reflective close. Here, London explores the spirituality of Hanukkah. "Hanukkah doesn't have a big service or liturgy associated with it," he explains. "But some of the so-called Hallel Psalms are recited, and I found a setting of one of these psalms from over 100 years ago. So I used the lead trumpet in the role of the cantor, and the other trumpets are like a chorus. The wierd electronic stuff (Wayne Horvitz again) hints at the old church organs that they used to accompany cantors with, but in a very different way." The keyboards, the hand drums, the splashes of piano strings, all make it hard to pin down exactly what tradition the song is from - old or new, Eastern or Western; but there is no mistaking the mystical bent of this "Song of Praise."
