David Chevan with The Afro-Semitic Experience
and Hazzan Alberto Mizrami
YIZKOR: Music Of Memory
Reckless DC Music

Forget Gershwin, Porter or Hammerstein. Too fly by night and trendy,
when you compare them to King David, who, through the Holy Spirit,
wrote some of the best lyrics this side of the Euphrates River. Last
year, bassist/leader David Chevan put out a startlingly fresh debut
release "Pray For Peace" that successfully amalgamated the sounds and
rhythms of the Middle East and Latin America. On the followup release,
Chevan adds the rich cantoral voice of Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi to the
eclectic mix, making the feel a bit like Duke Ellington and Airto
meeting Mount Sinai. Almost all of the songs are based on the Psalms
(remember "The Lord Is My Shepherd" from Sunday School, anyone?!?) and
are delivered in Hebrew with heartfelt passion. Backed by rubato South
American percussion, Mizrami wails during "I Keep My God Before Me...",
while Stacy Phillips' resonator guitar spices up the Coltranish title
piece. Will Bartlet's bass clarinet pulses through Psalm 23; and the
whole band gets to show their rich textures on the instrumental
versions of "What Is Man?" (from the wonderful Psalm 8) and "Esa Enai"
(Psalm 121). If you liked the Book, you'll love the soundtrack.