Sounds of Shabbat

Released September 2013

Praise from Congregants

It’s your voices together that lift the soul…I feel grateful for your voices together – they are magic together – somehow without any ego coming through (a miracle.)  You take us somewhere.

The album is stunning!  I love it. I had to put it in my car to listen to it. The music is so wonderful…. This is a gorgeous representation of Central and your magnificent voice. What a generous and heartfelt gift from Mindy and Jon!

Wow, what a treat…this is fabulous… Thank you so much…. We are very proud to be part of this congregation and its musicality.

This morning on my way to work, I put the album on and immediately got a tear in my eye, as the sound of your voice, beaming through my car’s speakers immediately brought me back to those times in the car when dad and I would listen to his favorite cantorial recordings.

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Note from Rabbi Emeritus Peter J. Rubinstein

The brilliance of our liturgical ritual is to provide Shabbat as more than a time mark dividing our week by providing us a day of rest.  The thrust of our tradition impels us to carry into each new week everything sweet about Shabbat: its joy, holiness, reflection, love of Jewish life, and especially its melodies. We promise that this wonderful collection of Shabbat music done in Central Synagogue style will do all that and resonate when you unknowingly discover you are humming its melodies even during the week.

For imagining and producing this project we are grateful to our amazing Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Cantor Julia Cadrain, our Musical Director David Strickland and all our remarkable musicians. We are singularly grateful to Mindy and Jonathan Gray and their family for funding this collection and for allowing us to bring Shabbat music to your ears. We trust you will enjoy and your spirits will be lifted by these sounds of our Synagogue and tradition.

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Music Team Notes

Every Friday, a community of people from all over the world step off the electric streets of New York City and into our peaceful sanctuary.  As outside noises recede, a joyful energy fills the space.  We are comforted by these sounds: a warm welcome spoken across the aisle, a baby’s squeal of laughter, a diverse mix of voices and languages, a Bar Mitzvah child’s trembling voice, the steady murmur of familiar prayer, the gleeful wail of a clarinet, the pulse of a beating drum.  As your cantors, our voices reflect a collection of your stories, your history, your struggles, and your joys.  Every Friday, we gather to share them in song.  These are the sounds of Shabbat at Central Synagogue.  We recorded this album live in our sanctuary with our musicians to bring them to you. – Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Cantor Julia Cadrain, & David Strickland

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Credits

Lead Vocals:

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Cantor Julia Cadrain

Music Director:

David Strickland

The Band:

Elana Arian: Violin, Guitar, Mandolin
Ivan Barenboim: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Recorder, Soprano Saxophone
Benny Koonyevsky: Drums, Percussion
Rami El-Aasser: Drums, Percussion (tracks 2, 5, & 10)
David Romano: Acoustic Bass
David Strickland: Piano, Organ, Keyboard

Supporting Vocals:

Tami Petty, Misa Iwama, David Vanderwal, Joe Neal
Tracks 8, 9, 14, 16: Neil Netherly and Nathan Siler

Teen Choir:

(tracks 7 & 11)
Sarah Blau, Dani Bergman Chudnow, Lily Coad, Sophie Dornbaum, Elena Golub, Sarah Horne, Grace Lambert, Simone Lavin, Scott Leff, Hannah Markowitz, Sara Stuchiner, Avery Ostro, Bella Scarselli, & Clare Steinman

Produced by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Cantor Julia Cadrain, David Strickland, Misa Iwama, & Jesse Lauter
Recorded by Jesse Lauter & Chase Culpon
Mixed by Jesse Lauter
Mastered by Alan Silverman (Arf! Mastering, NYC)

Cover Photo by Doug Isaacson
Jacket Design by Maria Radacsi

With gratitude

to Mindy and Jon Gray and their family for making this gift possible.