Shiv a
The instrumental pieces reflect the contradictory feelings and emotions throughout the mourning process, moving between the crying and sadness, represented by the Klezmer-tinged violin playing of Jennifer Choi, best captured on "She’ela/Question"; the ceremonial religious aspects of the week-long Shiva’a, stressed by Takeishi resourceful playing that incorporate elements from Japanese Buddhist rituals, especially on “Geshem/Rain”; painful meditations about the fragility of life and solitude, challenging the most inner beliefs, but eventually finding the anchors one has in life. These pieces distill the emotional passages of accepting death, concluded with the quiet, disturbing realization of the the transience of life in “Dmama Daka/Thin Silence”. The peaceful wordless pieces with Fort, “PM” and “Ties” (with Conly), serve as comforting coda to this impressive album.