World Chamber Music Quartet, Hevreh Ensemble, Releases its Third Album A Path of Light (Ansonia Records)

Label: Ansonia Records (#AR0013)
Release Date: May 24, 2019
Composer: Jeff Adler (b.1953)
Performers: Hevreh Ensemble: Jeff Adler (bass clarinet, Native American flutes), Judith Dansker (oboe, Native American flute), Laurie Friedman (clarinet, Native American flute), Adam Morrisson (piano, keyboards); ETHEL: Ralph Farris (viola, vocals, minimoog), Kip Jones (violin), Dorothy Lawson (cello), Corin Lee (violin); and guest artists Shane Shanahan (percussion), George Rush (double bass), Naren Budhkar (tabla)
TRT: 49:10
Works: 1. Sima de los Huesos, 2. A Path of Light, 3. A Thousand Questions, 4. Hawk Sightings, 5. Hacked, 6. Sweetgrass, Cedar and Sage, 7. Wudeligv, 8. Amor Caritas, 9. Speed of Dark, 10. Epilogue

New York, NY — Renowned for its ethno-classical style of music, the Hevreh Ensemble releases its third album A Path of Light (TBR 05.24.19) on Ansonia Records. Composed by Hevreh founder/bass clarinetist Jeff Adler, the recording fuses world music, especially indigenous Native American music and timbres, with neo- classical artists, resulting in a meditative sound painting. Hevreh Ensemble – Judith Dansker, Laurie Friedman, Adam Morrison, and Jeff Adler – is joined by guest artists: the genre-defying string quartet ETHEL, Silkroad percussionist Shane Shanahan, double bassist George Rush, and prominent tablaist Naren Budhkar.

The essence of the album’s music revolves around two tracks: A Path of Light and The Speed of Dark, each of which follows a distinctively diverse path. The title track, A Path of Light, was inspired by a book written by Israeli mystic Izthak Berry. The piece features a quiet introduction which builds to a joyous and frenzied conclusion. That positive energy is balanced, according to Adler, by “the thickness and occasional dissonance of the writing in The Speed of Dark, which invokes feelings of fear and intolerance.” Following The Speed of Dark is the somber-toned, album-closer Epilogue, which musically represents the consequences of following that second path. 

The CD surrounds these anchoring compositions with seven contemplative and spiritual pieces that together weave a rich tapestry of textures and tones. A long-time adherent of Native American music and culture, Adler brings a trio of tracks inspired by the culture and instruments of our indigenous peoples. Wudeligv, a Cherokee word meaning “sunset,” pertains to Adler’s time spent on the Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina. Sweetgrass, Cedar and Sage is a jazz-centric piece based on the three herbs used for Native American purification ceremonies. Hawk Sightings is a musical tribute to Adler’s friend— the Cherokee flute maker and mystic Hawk Little John. “After Hawk passed away, several of his friends and relatives noticed beautiful hawks gliding in the sky aka a ‘Hawk sighting’.” From the adventurous Sima de los Huesos (Cave of Bones) to the propulsive Amor Caritas (Love and Charity), Hevreh’s performances serve to emphasize both the exceptional contributions of each individual instrument as well as the melodic intricacy of their interplay.

The quartet’s previous album, Between Worlds (2012), was applauded for its “new sort of aesthetic that defies description (Audiophile Audition).” According to General Anzeiger, “the ensemble astounded its audience with unusual, wonderful compositional tonal effects, which featured themes from religious and racial tolerance and world peace.”

About Hevreh Ensemble

Hevreh Ensemble was formed in 2004, by oboist Judith Dansker when Ms. Dansker was asked to organize a special Selichot concert for Hevreh of Southern Berkshire. Since that time, the ensemble has performed throughout the United States and Europe at such places as The Newport Chamber Music Festival, St. Gaudens National Historic Site, Northampton Center for the Arts, Harlem School of the Arts, The Hudson River Museum, Synagogue for The Arts- NYC, Hofstra University- Emily Lowe Art Gallery, The National Yiddish Book Center and St. Marks in the Bowery, NYC. They have performed concerts in Eastern Europe, specifically the Czech Republic and Poland, and were invited to perform in a Gala performance for the Spanish Synagogue in Prague. Their second CD Between Worlds was released in July 2012.

The members of the group have been honored and affiliated with organizations such as: The Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Hofstra University, The Blossom Music Festival among many others and have performed with ensembles such as: The Galliard Woodwind Quintet, American Symphony Orchestra, New York Baroque Consort, Trio Sonata, New York Kammermusiker, and at such locations as Alice Tully Hall, (Lincoln Center), Carnegie Recital Hall, the Library of Congress  the  Frick Museum and the Philips Collection in Washington, DC. They have recorded for Opus One, CRI Records and Gasparo Records.                                                                                                    

They also have received numerous travel grants from Hofstra University. Hevreh Ensemble traveled to Germany in August 2013 where they presented concerts in Berlin, Bonn and Hamburg and the group performed for the prestigious Newport Chamber Music Festival in July 2014.  They traveled to The Netherlands and Germany in October 2014 and returned to Europe in September 2016 with concerts performed in Vienna and Prague. This summer they performed for the Jewish Cultural Festival in Krakow Poland in a collaborative presentation with photographer Loli Kantor. They also presented concerts in Lublin and for the POLIN Museum of Jewish History in Warsaw. They are currently planning a tour to Argentina for the summer of 2020 with concerts in Buenos Aries. http://hevrehensemble.com

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