At The Rebbe's Table
Encyclopedia
At the Rebbe's Table is the third recording by guitarist Tim Sparks
on the Tzadik Records
label.
combined Sparks with Masada
alumni Greg Cohen
and Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista
on Sparks' previous release Tanz
, and this time adds guitarist Marc Ribot
on nylon-string guitar and Erik Friedlander
on cello.
critic Josef Woodard wrote "Whatever the heritage or cultural pedigree, it's simply touching music."
Music critic Kirk Albrecht wrote At the Rebbe's Table "...may be Sparks' best yet in capturing the life and cross-pollination richly textured in these 11 selections from the diaspora Jewish communities around the world."
Tim Sparks
Tim Sparks is an American acoustic guitar player, singer, arranger and composer.- Biography:Raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he was given his first guitar when a bout of encephalitis kept him out of school for a year...
on the Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
label.
History
Producer John ZornJohn Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
combined Sparks with Masada
Masada
Masada is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel, on top of an isolated rock plateau, or horst, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Masada is best known for the violence that occurred there in the first century CE...
alumni Greg Cohen
Greg Cohen
A native of Los Angeles, bassist Greg Cohen has been playing in various acclaimed music groups since the '60s. He is perhaps best known for his work with John Zorn's Masada quartet; more recently he has been touring with Ornette Coleman, and performed on Coleman's much-praised Sound Grammar...
and Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista
Cyro Baptista
Cyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music....
on Sparks' previous release Tanz
Tanz (album)
Tanz is the second recording by American guitarist Tim Sparks on the Tzadik Records label, released in 2000. "Tanz" is Yiddish for "dance."-History:...
, and this time adds guitarist Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
on nylon-string guitar and Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
on cello.
Reception
At the Rebbe's Table received favorable reviews. Allmusic music critic Steven Loewy stated "Sparks treats the melodies respectfully as serious guides to a people's past, and in the process explores the life-affirming nature of the music." JazzTimesJazzTimes
JazzTimes is a magazine that dates back to Radio Free Jazz, a publication founded in 1970 by Ira Sabin when he was operating a record store in Washington, DC. It was originally a newsletter designed to update shoppers on the latest jazz releases and provide jazz radio programmers with a means of...
critic Josef Woodard wrote "Whatever the heritage or cultural pedigree, it's simply touching music."
Music critic Kirk Albrecht wrote At the Rebbe's Table "...may be Sparks' best yet in capturing the life and cross-pollination richly textured in these 11 selections from the diaspora Jewish communities around the world."
Track listing
- "Returning from the River" (Fun Tashlach) (Naftule BrandweinNaftule BrandweinNaftule Brandwein, or Naftuli Brandwine, was a Jewish clarinetist and influential klezmer musician.- Early life :Brandwein was born in Przemyslany, Poland-Galicia , into a family of klezmer musicians, part of the Stretiner Hasidic dynasty founded by Rabbi Yehuda Hirsch Brandwein of Stratin...
) – 4:54 - "The Keys from Spain" (La Jave Espana) (Flory JagodaFlory JagodaFlory Jagoda is a Jewish American and Bosnian guitarist, composer and singer. She is known for her interpretation of Ladino songs.-Biography:...
) – 4:30 - "At the Rebbe's Table" (Baym Rebns Sude) (Klezmer traditional) – 4:09
- "Beautiful City" (Kirya Yefiefiya) (Yeminite trad.) – 5:13
- "Tartar Dance" (Der Heisser) (Naftule Brandwein) – 5:13
- "Mahshav" (John ZornJohn ZornJohn Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
) – 3:48 - "Abu's Courtyard" (Hasidic trad.) – 5:24
- "Walking the In-laws Home" (Fim Di Mekhutonim Aheym) (Naftule Brandwein) – 3:38
- "La Serena" (The Siren) (Sephardic trad., Greece) – 4:38
- "Todos Si Hueron" (They Have All Gone) (Flory Jagoda) – 7:03
- "Sadagora Dance" (Sadagora Chusidl) (Klezmer trad.) – 3:06
Personnel
- Tim Sparks – steel-string acoustic guitar
- Marc RibotMarc RibotMarc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
– nylon-string acoustic guitar - Erik FriedlanderErik FriedlanderErik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
– cello - Greg CohenGreg CohenA native of Los Angeles, bassist Greg Cohen has been playing in various acclaimed music groups since the '60s. He is perhaps best known for his work with John Zorn's Masada quartet; more recently he has been touring with Ornette Coleman, and performed on Coleman's much-praised Sound Grammar...
– bass - Cyro BaptistaCyro BaptistaCyro Baptista is a Brazilian musician, teacher, and recording artist specializing in percussion in the genres of jazz and world music....
– percussion
Production notes
- Produced by Tim Sparks
- Executive producer: John ZornJohn ZornJohn Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
- Recorded by Jim Anderson at Avatar, NJ
- Mastered by Scott Hull at Classic Sound, NTC
- Design by Hueng-Hueng Chin