Guys guys guys you have no idea how excited I am about the fact that this album is now out!!!
I first saw this teaser at the beginning of March and was so stoked that it would be coming out soon and now it's HERE!
youtube
About Kedmah:
Kedmah is an ensemble of musicians and prayer leaders excavating the power and beauty of Mizrahi Jewish expression through ancient poetry and song. Their debut album, Simu Lev, is currently in production, and this video of “Adon Olam” is the first glimpse of the project.
Led by Rabbi Yosef Goldman and Yoni Avi Battat, Kedmah honors the artists’ Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemenite ancestry in conversation with their intersecting musical influences. Their interactive performances, workshops, and recordings allow listeners to experience the spiritual and emotional depth of Middle Eastern piyyut (liturgical poetry) and the ages-old tradition of Arab melodies that adorn them. Part educational initiative, part performance group, the social and pedagogical impact of this project is strengthened by a commitment to musical creativity, historical accuracy, spirituality, and public performance at the highest level.
I hope you enjoy — I know I am!!
Edit: it seems I jumped the gun, just a bit. They have a few songs out, but the full album comes out April 9th. Get excited!!
where twilight makes lamps of autumn’s first lilies
I lope, a husk of bone and wanting
lure, lure of another life
I have been too long disparaged of you
cast out by dreaming as if
a wind never blew me otherwise
dream, it was into you I entered
and through you I passed
but I learned nothing
there is no currency for
knowing your name
and leaving it behind
Shadows deepen
Sun flows through the windows
Unable to touch so much
Carpet burnt by the sun in places
If there are ghosts, they are laughing
they’ve seen so many hearts before
The folly of the footsteps lingers
We repeat the customs in different bodies
Death and life take on a cog-like view
Passed down from stone to stone
No women at the helm until now
Wasted spaces on ancient customs
Looks of wonder, some anger
The carpet remains for now
Tattered and dingy in the stuffy places
Cranky vacuums inflict various opinions
Sworn enemies in love for so long
Shadows deepen in the room
A tree from outside wants to sit for tea
Birds flee from the windows
The final curtain closes on another life
Dead flowers litter tables
We will keep them on the stem again
Dad would have been sad
Another set of footsteps lost