ASEFA PROGRAM NOTES

Sama’i Rast

This instrumental overture is in maqam Rast, a well-known modality in musical traditions throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Here, the ensemble is playing a composition set to the Turkish/Ottoman Sama’i form, which follows a 10-beat rhythmic cycle as it moves through several hanes (expositions) and the taslim (refrain). Each hane features a different maqam.

El Eliyahu (God of Elijah)

This piece is a traditional Kurdish melodic setting in maqam Bayat for the well-known Sephardi piyyut (devotional poem) of Avraham ibn Ezra (11-12th century). This piyyut is commonly performed on Saturday night, at the conclusion of Shabbat (weekly Sabbath), hearkening to Elijah the Prophet and harbinger of the Messiah to fulfill his mission and save us from a return to the mundane and lowliness of the impending week.

Shahar Avakeshkha (In the Morning I Beseech You)

This piyyut, by Sephardi poet Shlomo ibn Gabirol (11th century), is set to maqam Iraq and is part of the Syrian (Aleppan) Baqqashot tradition (supplication songs). The text follows the well-worn qasida poetic form, popular throughout the region as a vehicle for Arabic and Hebrew versification. Here, Gabirol implores the Divine to be moved by the “music of humanity,” to know that while our language is limited, our song expression is of a higher devotional quality.

Alta Alta Es La Luna (High, High is the Moon)

This upbeat piece in Ladino/Judeo-Espagnole lauds the works of Divine creation, from the moon to the handsome beloved. Here, all is taken in while at sea, living life close to the Mediterranean.

Esther Mi Bien (Esther, My Good)

As part of the Purim coplas repertoire, this Ladino piece is part of the Moroccan Hakatia dialect, infusing more Hebrew into the text. As with all Purim coplas, Esther, a major heroine in Jewish history, is foregrounded in recounting heritage figures. Her role in saving the Jewish people from destruction at the hands of Persian vizier Haman, and especially this story as the root of what would facilitate the 5th century BCE reconstruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, is put in a chain of important characters and events related to Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Lama Bada/Lama Ha-Qets (She Begins to Sway/Why the Moment is Hidden)

This piece is one of the most famous muwashshah texts in the Middle Eastern world, set by early 20th century composer/vocalist Sheikh Muḥammad ‘Abd al-Raḥīm al-Maslūb to an equally well-known melody composed in maqam Nahawand (presented here as part of maqam ‘Ushshaq) and following the Turkish Sama’i (10-beat) rhythmic form. Lama Bada (Arabic), most likely a text by Andalusi polymath Lisan al-Din Ibn al-Khatib (14th century), speaks of the utter submission to love brought about by striking beauty. Lama Ha-Qets (Hebrew), written by Raphael Antebi-Tabbush (20th century) of Aleppo, displays tarkib at its finest. Utilizing the phonetics of the Arabic as a guide, Antebi-Tabbush composed a Hebrew devotional text imploring the Divine to reveal the messianic moment. This performance combines the Hebrew and Arabic text into a rich back and forth relationship.

‘Et Dodim (My Beloved’s Moment)

Rendered in many different melodic settings, this piyyut by Ḥaim Ben Sahal (10th century Jerusalem) draws textual inspiration from the biblical Song of Songs. Included are rich depictions of love and erotic imagery, understood in the Jewish tradition as allegorical for describing the relationship between the Divine and the people Israel. Ben Sahal is an important early example of the influence of Arabic poetics in the hands of early Hebrew innovators championing a return to Hebrew versification. This setting for “‘Et Dodim” comes from the djiri or Algerian Ghranati (Andalusi) tradition, set to the baṣit rhythmic cycle and in Nuba Ramal Maya, a beloved melodic mode for serious contemplation of the Divine.

Ouazani Café

This instrumental piece features the freewheeling nay flute and percussion, in duet, set to the driving cha’abi rhythm of the Amazigt (Berber) countryside. Composed by Samuel Torjman Thomas, “Ouzani Cafe” is based on an encounter between Dr. Torjman Thomas and a local folk musician during an ethnomusicological research trip whereby a spontaneous jam session occurred at a cafe table over a coffee.

Ya’alah, Ya’alah (Rise Up, Rise Up!)

Written by the most prolific poet of the 16th century Kabbalistic confraternity in Safed, Yisrael Najara, this setting comes from the Moroccan Baqqashot tradition of devotional singing. Set to the Andalusi modality of Nubat Hijaz al-Kabir, this powerfully evocative piece centers on the intimacy between the Divine and the souls of mankind.

Ya Rabbi (My Lord)

Another example of tarkib, or Hebrew lyrics co-existing phonetically with the original Arabic (Ya Menfi), Ya Rabbi is Algerian Raï. Israeli lyricist Avi Chetrit weaves back and forth between Arabic and Hebrew, imploring the Divine to cease our tears by ceasing war, division, and hatred.

Ana Mali Fiyash/Sha’ar Petaḥ Dodi/Adon Olam (I Am Worry Free/Open the Gate/Master of the World)

Set to the Moroccan-Andalusi Nuba Zawarkand, this piece oscillates between Arabic and Hebrew texts. The first san’a (lyric) dismisses worry, as the Divine sustains. The refrain calls to the Divine (Allah), as One and all encompassing. The second san’a is a piyyut by Ibn Gabirol, indicative of the intimacy and directness that the Sephardi poet conveys in approaching the Divine. Here, he insists that the Divine “open the gates”: the gates of prayer, of redemption, of salvation. Finally, after an instrumental interlude featuring the energetic ensemble performing in the cha’abi rhythm for the insiraf (conclusion section), the third san’a is a selection of verses from the famous Hebrew liturgical piece “Adon Olam.” Its provenance is disputed, but it has been part of the liturgical rites since at least the 15th century. The medley in Nuba Zawarkand ends on a high note, as the Master of the World is most high.

INDIVIDUAL BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Torjman Thomas is a multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, oud, nay), vocalist (Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish), and founder and artistic director of ASEFA and the New York Andalus Ensemble. He teaches ethnomusicology and Sephardic Jewish Studies at City University of New York, and is a faculty member for both the ALEPH and Academy of Jewish Religion Cantorial Programs. He is also the Director of Musical Arts at the Sephardic Community Center. Dr. Torjman Thomas performs musics of North Africa, the Middle East, and Global Jazz. His scholarship centers on musics of the Middle East and North Africa, worldwide Jewish musics, and jazz-based traditions. He is a frequent guest speaker, ḥazzan, and facilitator in ecumenical spaces, cultural institutions, and music and spiritual retreats worldwide.

After many years steeped in the Americana traditions associated with bluegrass, including forays into jazz and classical, this West Coast virtuoso Jeremy Brown is now an in-demand and central figure on New York’s lively Jewish music scene. Jeremy Brown traverses the Diasporic realm of violin traditions, slipping between Klezmer-induced hyper horas and mind-bending Mesopotamian maqams with ease and fluidity. He performs and records with many artists including Golem, Eitan Katz, Frank London, Pitom, ASEFA, and the New York Andalus Ensemble. His first solo album, "This Year in St. Louis", was released in 2001.

John Murchison is a Brooklyn-based bassist and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his active role in several musical circles, performing primarily in pop and musical theater, jazz and avant-garde, and traditional musics from the Middle East and Africa. John is one of the most in-demand bassists for traditional Arabic music in the United States. In addition to his work on bass, he also performs regularly on qanun, gimbri, oud, ney, and percussion. He is cofounder of Brooklyn Maqam, an organization dedicated to presenting, promoting, and building community around Arabic music in the NYC area

Jeremy Smith is a percussive artist whose unique versatility allows him to move seamlessly among musical worlds. While the foundation of his playing comes from his classical training at The Juilliard School, his interests lie in a wide range of folkloric and modern percussion traditions from around the globe such as those found in South America, North Africa, India, Spain, the Middle East, and the U.S. He performs regularly with flamenco guitarist and composer Andreas Arnold, Peruvian music group Festejation, two Middle-Eastern music collectives—the Brooklyn Nomads and ASEFA, The New York Andalus Ensemble, and global jazz quintet Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica.

Drummer and percussionist Larry Eagle keeps his musical portfolio diversified. He's a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's Sessions Band (which won a Grammy for traditional folk music) and played on R&B/Soul artist John Legend's Grammy-winning second album. He's a key member of the Andy Statman Trio, committed to Klezmer and Bluegrass traditions. Larry has performed on The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Good Morning America, PBS, the BBC, and an ice-breaking Baltic Sea ferry out of Naantali, Finland.