Wally Brill

Wally Brill has sampled a treasure-trove of the great cantors (Jewish liturgical singers) of the '20s, '30s, and '40s. The Covenant integrates these remarkable vocals with new instrumentation which draws on elements of world, ambient, electronic, and dub music.

"Much of my favorite music and art reflects the artist's desire to contact that which he or she holds sacred: God, the Supreme, the Divine...," begins the liner notes from Wally Brill's The Covenant. Brill utilizes sacred Hebrew chants originally recorded on 78s in the early part of the century and combines them with modern-day electronica and trip-hop beats, resulting in Jewish cantors chanting their praises over slow, thumping drum tracks, laced with heavy basslines and low-range melodies. He has taken complete cantoral vocal performances, and woven them into rich instrumental tapestries consisting of tablas, digeridoo, trumpet, Tibetan singing bowls and the unique contributions of avante-ambient guitar master David Torn.

Standout tracks on this release include "A Typical Day," an emotional description by a 12-year-old Holocaust survivor of a day in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Brill's production credits include work with such diverse artists as UK punks 999 and Chelsea, electronic pioneer Thomas Dolby and Israeli world beat superstar Ofra Haza. —Courtesy Calabash Music