ASHREINU

With Ashreinu, Yosef-Gutman Levitt finds a bridge between the deeply expressive religious melodies of Hasidic Judaism and the sunny, playful, laid-back musical universe of Brazil. Listeners will notice these unassuming Jewish melodies newly animated with Brazilian rhythms such as samba, baião, and Afro-Brazilian afoxé. The result is delicate and emotional, with balanced dynamics and a finely honed authenticity.

“I’ve always loved the music of Hermeto Pascoal, João Bosco, and Egberto Gismonti,” explains Levitt. But would these Hasidic melodies, all heart-tugging and deep, be amenable to an ensemble sound with charged surdo drums and pandeiros? Would they allow for the esoteric and enigmatic guitar colors of Gismonti-like expressionism? It would depend on what transpired in a charismatic recording studio in Nachlaot, Jerusalem, with the fine performers selected for this unique recording — including (producer) Gilad Ronen on flute and soprano sax, Marcelo Nami on guitar, Roni Eitan on harmonica, Itamar Dahan on piano, Avior Rokeach on trumpet, Oren Tsur on violin and Joca Perpignan and Yitzhak Attias on percussion.

The airy, mellifluous sound of Levitt’s main instrument, the five-string acoustic bass guitar, is one of the centerpieces of Ashreinu. “Zol Shoin” and “Lecha Dodi” — the latter in a rare melodic rendering that Levitt heard from an elderly Jewish singer in Morocco — are among the representative examples. The title track, sung by Levitt and Perpignan in Hebrew and Portuguese respectively, captures much of the hybrid flavor of the project as a whole. There is one original piece, Levitt’s “Tuvya Noam,” written in honor of his son’s bar mitzvah. The one non-traditional piece, “Venice,” is by the obscure South African guitarist Steve Eliovson, who made a brilliant album for ECM in 1981, Dawn Dance, then disappeared from the music scene until his death in March 2020.

Credits

Released February 10, 2022

Yosef-Gutman Levitt - upright bass, acoustic bass guitar
Marcelo Nami - classical guitar
Joca Perpignan - percussion
Gilad Ronen - woodwinds

Arranged by: Gilad Ronen

Produced by: Gilad Ronen

Executive produced by: Yosef-Gutman Levitt