Album Notes

Hélène ENGEL is an opera singer, musicologist, composer, lyricist and arranger. A native of Paris, France, she is a specialist in Jewish folklore singing in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Judeo-Spanish, English, French and numerous other languages. She is passionate about every aspect of Jewish music, from ethnological field work collecting old songs to new compositions, from traditional folk songs to discovering exceptional and unknown melodies. Her tours include regular appearances at festivals in France and elsewhere in Europe. Now based in Montreal, she is occasionally the cantorial soloist at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom. This is her 5th recording..

Helene Engel trio started in Montreal in 2005 and since has been thriving through the Jewish music from al around the world. It includes Helene Engel (voice and guitar), Henri Oppenheim (accordion, bass, percussion, back vocals and sound-engeneering) and Marie-Neige Lavigne (violin and back vocals). After years of research and exploration, Helene Engel has been selecting from a broad repertoire of melodies, music, texts in Yiddish, Judeo-Spanish, Russian, French, English etc… to bring on stage these little moments (fragments) of Jewish life full of flavor, humor or melancholy and joy including Helene's own compositions.

This CD is a panorama of the live show « Notes de voyage » (Travelling Notes). Henri's masterful skills with multitrack recording and sound engeneering are highlight with his playing simultaneously many instruments or becoming all by himself a full khassidic choir ! One of those sound engeneering miracles that Rabbi Elimelekh may be able to explain by some unknowm verses from the Torah. Ot azoy !
The lyrics, the translations and a short introduction for each song are available on the website : www.helene-engel.com/

The song Shalom Rav is dedicated to Sylvie Brajtman’s memory
The song Helene’s nigun is dedicated to Jacques Grober’s memory