a r t i s t : VA
t i t l e : Hear, O Israel: A Prayer Ceremony In Jazz
d a t e : 2008
l a b e l : Jonny Records
c a t : JBH025LP
s o u r c e : Vinyl
g e n r e : Jazz
r l s. d a t e : Jun/2008
t r a c k s : 09
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 53,3 MB
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Credits:
Bass - Ron Carter
Contralto Vocals - Phyllis Bryn-Julson
Drums - Grady Tate
Flute, Saxophone [Tenor And Alto Sax] - Jerome Richardson
French Horn, Baritone Vocals - Jonathan Klein
Piano - Herbie Hancock
Producer [Album Originally Produced By] - Raoul Ronson
Soprano Vocals - Antonia Lavanne
Trumpet, Flugelhorn - Thad Jones
Voice [Reader], Other [Original Sleeve Notes] - Rabbi David
Davis
Artwork By - Paul Flack
Mastered By [Remastering] - John Brooks*
Other [Sleeve Notes] - Jonny Trunk
Trunk sure know what they're doing. As is so often the case
with their releases, this record comes with a backstory that
virtually guarantees you'll want to own this, even if the
music actually sucked - which it most assuredly does not. Led
by Herbie Hancock, this 'Prayer ceremony in jazz' was recorded
and released privately in New York during 1968, featuring
performances by Jerome Richardson, Jonathan Klein, Thad Jones,
Ron Carter and Grady Tate, with readings by Rabbi David Davis
and sung texts from soprano Antonia Lavanne and Contralto
Phyllis Bryn-Julson. This album provides a very different
slant on what we'd normally associate with the spiritual jazz
genre: far from being an almost psychedlic, transcendental
listening experience, this album fuses the modernity of urban
jazz with the devotional words and ideologies of Judaism, and
while on paper that sounds ever so slightly ludicrous, the
record itself is very beautiful and without doubt amongst the
more accessible 'obscure' jazz reissues you're likely to
encounter. It might not be entirely appropriate to even term
this as a reissue at all. The original pressing of the album
was in minuscule quantities, with nothing so official as a
catalogue number or actual distribution behind it, meaning
that this Trunk release marks the first time this LP has ever
been granted a proper outlet. Clearly Jonny Trunk must have
some special affinity with this music: he's actually set up a
specific sublabel, Jonny Records, to handle the release. That
in itself makes some sort of statement - and not just that
he's an egomaniac - and there's clearly been a lot of love
poured into the project. One final thing to mention about this
most unusual of recordings, is that the music was written by a
boy aged just seventeen. In addition to penning the score,
Jonathan Klein performed on the record, contributing French
horn and baritone sax. Apparently soon after the recordings
were published he went on to study at the prestigious Brown
University and Berklee School Of Music, but beyond that you'll
have to do your own research. At least now, forty years on,
the composer's work can be heard by the audience it deserves.
Just awesome. -boomkat
I was lucky enough to get a copy of this a little while ago
and I've got to say that it's had some heavy rotation at home
and, indeed, on the old pod. A hard to get of recording of a
Friday night prayer concert in New York in 1968, it features a
selection of jazz musicians that really speaks for itself.
Herbie Hancock, Thad Jones, Ron Carter, Jerome Richardson,
Grady Tate and Jonathan Klein deliver one of my favourite jazz
sessions of all time and the combination of the religious
elements and the exquisite music is truly wonderous. If you
buy one jazz album this year, I'd suggest it should be this.
Stunning, quite frankly. Limited edition on vinyl. -smallfish
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01-Blessing Over The Candles [00:55]
02-Matovu - Bor'chu [06:41]
03-Sh'ma [06:18]
04-Micho Mocho [03:31]
05-Sanctification [05:27]
06-May The Words Of My Mouth [01:26]
07-Kiddush [02:38]
08-Torah Service-Adoration [09:49]
09-Final Amen [01:00]
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37:45 min