Neshamah

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 1999
You'd never guess that in presenting a slice of "radical Jewish culture," John Zorn would produce an album as exquisitely beautiful as guitarist Tim Sparks's Neshamah. Collecting traditional Jewish melodies from throughout Eastern Europe and the Middle East, this collection mixes the architecture of the melodies with Sparks's fast fingerwork, corralling the latter into discreet enough bits to create a constant sense of movement and drama. Given the prevalence of full bands in much Balkan and Klezmer music, Sparks's solo renditions have an awe-inducing power. He cherishes not only each note, even when they're coming with flashing speed, but he equally indulges each bent-string twist and turn. --Andrew Bartlett

Neshamah,Tim Sparks,Tzadik,Chamber Music & Recitals,Classical,Contemporary Instrumental,Ethnic Fusion,Guitar,International Folk,Jewish,Klezmer,World Music

Neshamah

Tracks:

Ha'aderet Veha'emunah/LeKhay Olamim - Yemen
Le'El Adir Neranenah - Afghanistan
Bati Legani - Eastern Europe
Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden - Eastern Europe
Sephardi Yerushalmi Khatsi Kaddish - Jerusalem/Spain
Navah Tehilah - Afghanistan
Hayoshevet Baganim - Yemen
Eyn Keloheynu - Morocco
Modeh Ani/Elohay Neshamah - Salonica
Eli Shema Koli - Morocco
Reb Nachman's Niggun - Ukraine
Hishtapkhut Hanefesh - Belarus
Niggun of the Alter Rebbe - Belarus
Ve'erastikh Li - Salonica
El Mistater - Poland
Ashrey - Eastern Europe/Spain
Yemeni Shema - Yemen
Grandfather Sang a Song - Eastern Europe

Amazon.com

The modern-day traditional Jewish music revival is filled with artists exploring klezmer's Eastern-European roots, but you'll hear no clarinet and little violin on cantor/educator Richard Kaplan's Life Of The Worlds. Although these are traditional songs, there is a broad range of the Diaspora represented on his second album, including Afghani, Spanish, Moroccan, and Algerian traditions. Kaplan dives into the sacred and the secular, the prophetic and the exultant, finding commonalities amongst different tribes and fusing them together. Musical accompaniment comes in the form of an occasional flute, piano, and violin as well as Moroccan clay drums, oud, dumbek, and other pre-modern-era instruments, but the instrument at the center of each song is Kaplan's voice--his high baritone majestically soars, quavers with sensitivity, and rings out with joy. To hear him sing solo versions of traditional Niggiun is to hear a world-class master savor the multifaceted nuance of each note and transcend the concept of song, turning it into religion and high art. --Tad Hendrickson

Album Description

A remarkable collection of vocal performances of Jewish sacred music from the Middle East, Andalusia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia - songs of exultation, longing, love, and Divine immanence - accompanied by an ensemble of masterful musicians.

Instruments include: oud, ney, kanun, Egyptian accordian, violin, mandolin, dumbek, doira, riqq, Yemenite can, tar, saz, clarinet, mey (Turkish duduk), tilinca (Rumanian shepherd's flute), piano, string bass, balaban (Klezmer drum set), cimbalom, and a chorus of voices.

Among many special songs, the CD features an 'eco-lament' (ecological lament) based on lament melodies for the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. It is called "Lament on the Destruction of the Garden of Eden" (Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden), and updates the use of these tunes to mourn the wounding of our larger temple, Gaia - Mother Earth.

LIFE OF THE WORLDS contains 18 songs, 77 minutes of music, and contains a 32-page booklet which includes informative song descriptions; all texts are provided in transliteration, English translation, and in Hebrew or Yiddish.

Tracks:

The Baal Shem Tov's Melody
Hamisha Asar
Odessa Mama (Odesa Mame)
Skrip, Klezmerl Skripe
Los Caminos De Sirkeci
Kad Jawajuni
A Hora Mit Tzibeles
Viva Orduena
Quando El Rey Nimrod
A Leybedike Honga
Rabbi Yochanan The Shoemaker's Melody
Freylich
Sholem Aleichem
Naftule Spielt Far Dem Rebin
Addio Querida

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

You'd never guess that in presenting a slice of "radical Jewish culture," John Zorn would produce an album as exquisitely beautiful as guitarist Tim Sparks's Neshamah. Collecting traditional Jewish melodies from throughout Eastern Europe and the Middle East, this collection mixes the architecture of the melodies with Sparks's fast fingerwork, corralling the latter into discreet enough bits to create a constant sense of movement and drama. Given the prevalence of full bands in much Balkan and Klezmer music, Sparks's solo renditions have an awe-inducing power. He cherishes not only each note, even when they're coming with flashing speed, but he equally indulges each bent-string twist and turn. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

not worth the investment.......2007-01-23

The music was technically very polished and emotionally distant. There were a couple of nice riffs on Jewish melodies, but there was way too much repetition. I found the style too ethereal, sterile, ephemeral. Nice background music for a rainy day's indoor activities, but otherwise not very memorable. Tim Spark's music may indeed have neshama (soul), but he needs to work on his kavana (seriousness of purpose)