My dear friend Ayelet Rose Gottlieb is moving back to Israel in about a month after living in the States for about ten years. I will miss her terribly, but I know we’ll still see each other often as she’ll be coming back to New York on a regular basis. Still, we have to make a record before she goes as I have a musical project that wouldn’t be right without her beautiful voice singing on it.

Ever since I first discovered the Pirke Avot I’ve been enamored of it. A compilation of the select teachings of over 65 different rabbis, the Pirke Avot has been studied for centuries. Its wisdom is so relevant even in today’s world (I should say especially in today’s world!) and I’ve always wanted to put it to music…

…so here it is: The Pirke Avot Project, with the text in Hebrew and English, with Ayelet on vocals, Sean Conly on bass, Satoshi Takeishi on floor percussion, and Daphna Mor on recorders and nay (a Middle Eastern flute).

We had our first rehearsal yesterday, with Quinsin Nachoff filling in for Daphna on clarinet (we have a gig at Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village on Sunday May 17, and Daphna couldn’t be there). Being that Satoshi plays floor percussion, he showed up at my house, moved the drumset around (using part of it) and sat himself on the floor. I then realized that I only had one music stand for five people, and that I couldn’t get another one because it was in my apartment upstairs and we were getting the carpet replaced so I couldn’t get in, so we all sat on the basement floor (well, except for Quinsin – sitting on the floor with a clarinet would have been tough) and played.

I’m really excited about the gig and the recording! It’s been a bit rushed, if only because a) Ayelet’s moving two weeks earlier than I thought she was and b) I am such a big procrastinator when it comes to writing music, but it’s going to be really fun.