‘Nachamu, nachamu’ is an album rich in memorable and singable tunes, upbeat nigunim, searing laments, contemplative chants, songs of yearning, healing, joy and celebration. Created by a Jewish composer-singer-instrumentalist, these have a mixture of traditional Hebrew texts and modern English lyrics. Many of the songs can be sung by congregations or choirs in Jewish prayer, and several have also been used in interfaith settings.
"Music has to touch our hearts. Emotion is one of its core ingredients. At the same time, every piece I write has a story attached to it, whether it is a special association I have with a text (‘Your God, My God’ is one of my love songs for Judaism and the Jewish people); a new midrash on our common humanity (‘Holy Mountain’); the impulse that made me write it (‘Kein lashabbat’ was to shake of my sadness at leaving Shabbat behind); the kavanah (intention) for a particular nigun; a response to hearing the piece (a motorway service attendant asking if I was a priest when I was humming the ‘Tree of Life Nigun’); mystical and number symbolisms; a chance to create new midrashic lyrics to a Biblical text (the intense plea for help in ‘Come Down, God’ of Ps 86; or the riotous patter song and round all rolled into one for ‘Simcha Song’, a new take on Ps 81).
All the pieces are more than they seem and the music and lyrics have layers of meaning and midrash, moving from the most obvious to the most esoteric. Enjoy the music as music, hearing and singing it, or experiencing it liturgically or in prayer environments. And when you feel like it, visit my Lashon Hakodesh website to read the stories and teachings, and learn more about what is there under the surface."
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