Music speaks to all of us. It grabs the attention of and awakens our "Neshama" (soul). We may recall that on Rosh Hashanah we stand at full attention when we hear the blast of the shofar. Live music performances quite often have the same effect as the Shofar does on Rosh Hashanah.

The landscape covered here is wide. An Asefa performance displays the diverse traditional and contemporary styles of music from around the Jewish diaspora. One can feel the very connectivity that has helped the Jewish people endure. While an emphasis is on Middle Eastern and Sephardic Jewish musical traditions, a trip into the heart of Klezmer can occur

You will need Real Audio to click on the "RA" examples and an MP3 player to click on the "MP3" examples. MP3's are higher quality but take longer to download.

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New Tracks from Asefa Here is a collection of originally composed material influenced by the North African musical tradition. Contemporary improvisational concepts as well as certain traditional compositional frameworks are employed. First is Aliz, which means playful in Hebrew, featuring a very familiar maqam (or mode) called bayati. Second is Marrakesh Rumble, featuring percussion and reita (a double-reeded instrument). This composition is influenced by Atlas mountain music. Third is Al-Ula, a percussion composition featuring shofars influenced by Andalusian rhythmic cycles. Enjoy!
Aliz
Marrakesh Rumble
Al-Ula

Ki Eshmera Shabbat
This Shabbat song comes to us from North African Jewry. Sung around the Shabbat table or at the synagogue, this song talks about the importance of remembering the Shabbat.

Halleluyah! (Yeminite)
There is something very innocent about the Yemenite Jews, where for the most part they were a part of a society that was not exposed to modernity in the same sense that Europe or the Ottoman empire was. This is an original arrangement.

Samai al Bayati
This piece is a traditional folk melody from North African Jewry. In North Africa, Jews primarily lived in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Der Gasn Nigun
A "Street Song", this piece is indicative of Klezmer music. European, (both West and East) Jewry is so magnificent and so integral to the modern Jewish experience in America.

Yiddishalach
This piece is an original compositin that combines elements of Jewish music with modern music, including Jazz, Funk, Rock, and Hip-Hop. This piece differs from a liturgical piece set to a pop tune (for example Adon Olam set to a Bob Dylan tune) in the sense that it draws from Jewish cultural elements to create something unique and fresh today.

Tzur Mishelo
This piece is part of the Shabbat Zemirot (Shabbat table songs) composed and compiled between the 11th and 16th centuries under the guidance of Rabbis Isaac Luria and Israel Najara. Utilizing singing, these songs are meant to reflect upon and praise the Shabbat. This particular melody comes from the Spanish Jewish heritage.

Du Kiyum
Du Kiyum or "co-existence" is a solo piece on Oud, an instrument used by both Jews and Arabs. Hope. . . . . for Peace!!

Tants, Tants! (Dance, Dance)
We must always remember our brothers and sisters who experienced the devastation of the Holocaust. This piece highlights the experience of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. The composer is unknown but the tune was remembered by several who were there. Musicians would get together late at night with instruments they had smuggled in and play music for people to listen to and dance to. This served as a moment of light in an otherwise very dark situation.

Uvau Haovdim
This is a very joyous piece which inspires an intense energy by inspiring participants to join in the singing. This song speaks of the desire to return to Jerusalem. It was written by the great modern Jewish composer Shlomo Carlebach. Though the first chorus is in Hebrew, subsequent repetitions are in the universal language of di-da-di.

Ha' Aretz
"The Land", this piece sets the context to discuss how Jews have returned to Israel in the 20th century and have worked hard to transform the land from desolation to land that is once again fertile.