Incredible musical diversity

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Cultures meet and collide to great effect in all of the CDs reviewed by the Independent this Chanukah. Jaffa Road’s Where the Light Gets In, Aviva Chernick’s When I Arrived You Were Already There, Kat Parra’s Las Aventuras de Pasion! and Eliyahu Sills’ Song of the Reed, as different as they are in style and content, all feature music inspired by spiritual sources, musicians and instruments from around the world, and unique interpretations of traditional melodies, in addition to original creations.

Toronto’s Jaffa Road follows their award-winning debut CD Sunplace with another high-quality, innovative, thoroughly enjoyable recording. The group – Aaron Lightstone (oud, guitars, synthesizers), Chris Gartner (producer; bass, synthesizers, samples, beats, guitar), Aviva Chernick (vocals), Jeff Wilson (drums, percussion, singing saw) and Sundar Viswanathan (saxophones, bansuri, Fender Rhodes, vocals) – is such a cohesive unit. The vocal harmonies, for example, are perfectly in sync and well balanced between Chernick and Viswanathan, even when the pace is fast, as they are in “Bring Love Home (En Esta Klara Noche).”

There is a heavy jazz influence (a little too much perhaps), as well as rock and pop, in the Middle Eastern mix, which detours to Spain and India, as well. With the eclectic set of influences, songs often take unexpected turns; “Sim Shalom” breaks into a jazz-inspired saxophone solo, for example.

Guest artists Yair Dalal (violin), Amir Amiri (santoor), Aaron Bensoussan (Arabic vocals) and Michael Rennie (vocals, violin) make their talented presence felt, Dalal and Amiri on more than one track, Rennie on the beautiful (with a catchy beat) “Ana El Na” and Bensoussan on “Through the Mist of Your Eyes,” written by Dalal; Chernick sings the text in Hebrew and Bensoussan repeats the verses in Arabic.

Chernick has a truly incredible voice: rich, clear, right on key, versatile and sensual are some of the adjectives that immediately come to mind. She is a large part of Jaffa Road’s appeal and her solo debut highlights her vocal prowess. It doesn’t hurt that she is joined by an ensemble that includes Jaffa Road compatriots Lightstone and Viswanathan, in addition to Ernie Tollar (wood flutes, silver flute, saxophone, clarinet), Joel Schwartz (guitar, resonator), Rakesh Tewari (percussion) and Maryem Tollar (vocals). Gartner co-produced the CD with Chernick, and is also a guest player on the recording, as is Jaffa Road’s Wilson and several other accomplished musicians.

When I Arrived You Were Already There is comprised of spiritual songs and prayers, and is more calming than rousing. With few exceptions, the vocal parts are straightforward; most listeners will be able to sing along easily, which is appropriate for this type of CD. While the instrumentals have an underlying complexity and Chernick’s singing is heartfelt on every track, it would have been nice to see her tackle more challenging material. She certainly has the talent to do so and, hopefully, her next CD will take more risks. That being said, this CD is imminently listenable and singable, and, if you like the types of songs that Debbie Friedman writes, then you will certainly want to add When I Arrived You Were Already There to your collection.

Another talented performer, but not as strong a singer, is Parra, who bills herself as a “Latin jazz vocalist.” Her new CD – the fourth for the San Jose-based musician – features at least three different languages; styles including bomba, afro-jazz, cha-cha and ballad; and fascinating combinations of styles and instruments, with shakuhachi (Japanese flute) and tabla on the Ladino “Yo M’Enamori D’Un Aire,” for example.

The instrumentalists do their job on every track: Murray Low (keyboards, music director), Masaru Koga (woodwinds, percussion), Chris Lopes (acoustic bass), Dan Foltz (drums) and Katja Cooper (percussion). Parra excels on “Oye Papi,” a cha-cha that she wrote, which is arranged by Wayne Wallace, who co-produced the CD, and she has a Barbra Streisand quality to her voice in “Call Your Name,” which she also wrote, and on the ballad “Man on a Wire/Gymnopedie No. 1.” She sings with ease and flare on “La Comida de la Manyana” and “Durme, Durme,” as well as several other songs, but is often just under the pitch in “Dieziocho Anyos” and “Morenika.” As for the selection of music, the first track, “Iko Iko,” doesn’t fit the tenor of the CD, and the English in “Lo Siento Mi Vida” didn’t work for this reviewer. However, one cannot expect to like every song on a CD; overall, Las Aventuras de Pasion! is enjoyable and it will have listeners dancing, at least in their minds.

In a completely different vein, Sills’ Song of the Reed will take listeners to a more contemplative state. Intended as music for yoga, meditation, massage and relaxation, it is Sills’ “acoustic solo tribute to the sacred music of Sufism.”

“I created this all-acoustic CD for world music lovers and spiritual seekers from all traditions who are looking to set the right vibe for meditation, relaxation, yoga and body work,” shares Berkeley-based Sills in the press materials accompanying the release. “While modern musical styles may come and go, the ney is timeless. By listening to and losing yourself in music made on this ancient instrument you discover a doorway to the eternal, the infinite and the divine.”

Sills, who is the founder of the Qadim Ensemble, plays many instruments. With respect to the ney (Middle Eastern reed flute), he has studied the instrument with teachers in Turkey, Israel and Morocco. On Song of the Reed, he performs 10 original improvisations/compositions, accompanied by Faisal Zedan and Evan Fraser on percussion and Rachel Valfer Sills on oud and kemanche; Jef Stott co-produced the CD with Sills.

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