Release Date: 07.17.12 

 

Composed by: Jeff Adler 

 

Performed By: Jeff Adler (bass clarinet, Native American flutes, drone flutes, balafon, kalimba), Judith Dansker (oboe, oboe d’amore, English horn, Native American flute, log drum),
Laurie Friedman (clarinet, Native American flute, ocean drum, shofar), Adam Morrison (piano, keyboard, frame drum); & guest artists Joseph Firecrow (Native American flute, Peruvian rattle), Shane Shanahan (percussion) + George Farmer (double bass)

 

TRT: 52:55

 

New York City, NY ( 6.5.12) --- Known for performing works inspired by themes of spirituality, religious and racial tolerance, and environmental sustainability, the Hevreh Ensemble releases “Between Worlds,” a strikingly original and spiritually uplifting album.  Written by Hevreh Ensemble’s resident composer Jeff Adler, the CD explores the underlying similarities of disparate worlds – European and American; spirit and physical; Cherokee and Ancient Hebrew; and classical and jazz. 

 

Equally influenced by the indigenous landscapes, languages and music of Israel, Europe and Native America, “Between Worlds” takes listeners on a sonic journey from the sunsets on the stark mountains of Israel’s Negev Desert to the Lost Creek Trail of the Red Rock Canyon in Nevada.  According to Adler, scholars and artists alike have been fascinated for decades by the parallels between Cherokee language and culture with that of ancient Judaism.  “After having multiple conversations and moving experiences with Cherokee Indians, I realized that I had a unique opportunity to showcase this provocative relationship through music.” 

 

Using a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional instruments, “Between Worlds” combines classical, jazz and world music elements.  Adler writes for the Native American Flute using a contemporary style which combines plaintive melancholy timbres along with driving rhythms.  Two dissonant drone flutes, an intense oboe and a militaristic piano conjure up images of holocausts past and present in the haunting track “Atrocity’s Shadow.”  In “Circles of Solstice,” the Hevreh Ensemble plays Mountain Spirit Native American flutes that evoke the beauty and wonder of the Cherokee summer solstice ceremony in the Smoky Mountains.  And, simply one of the most gifted players of the Native American flute, NAMMY award-winning Joseph Firecrow, graces the album with his powerful performance in “Walking the Lost Creek Trail.”  A native of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Southeastern Montana, Firecrow has been hailed as a “national treasure.”      

 

Formed in 2001, the Hevreh Ensemble performs original contemporary American compositions by group member/composer Jeff Adler.  The Hevreh Ensemble is made up of highly acclaimed musicians Jeff Adler, Judith Dansker, Laurie Friedman and Adam Morrison.  The members have been honored and affiliated with organizations such as the Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, California Institute for the Arts, Blossom Music Festival, to name a few, and have performed widely throughout the United States at venues such as:  The National Yiddish Book Center, Northampton Center for the Arts, Harlem School of the Arts, The Hudson River Museum, Museum of Tolerance- NYC and all throughout Eastern Europe as well as the Czech Republic and Poland. Adler, in addition to being the resident composer of the Hevreh Ensemble, writes extensively for The Jewel Orchestra of St. Paul’s Church in Brooklyn as well as world music ensembles.  www.hevrehensemble.com