On this, her fifth album, Ruth Saphir ventures into profound
internal conversations with her ancestors, with an imagined
child, with broken loves. We are invited to journey inward with
her, stepping through the Accolades of Time, in a beautifully
crafted book of songs. Saphir navigates the deep oceans of
time, in a journey of self-exploration that is both personal and
universal. In these compositions she harmonizes the tangible
and the imagined, as the dream, the nightmare and the
awakened reality all resonate.
The album opens with Ancestral Shadows, inviting us to
embrace the shadows we carry throughout our lives, followed
by the lyrical question: “Where Do Dreams Go?”— dreams
being the safe space to escape the grief and sorrows of waking
life. Saphir, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, gives voice to
her shadows and dreams with grace, humour and sensuality.
The album closes with the title track, Accolades of Time, asking
“Could we step onto a stage / Into the spotlight, into the
limelight / Through the Accolades of Time?” In this album,
Saphir does just that, putting her heart vulnerably in the
spotlight, inviting us to hear our own stories within hers.
When Saphir writes “If you really want the rhythm, find it in
your body,” she knows what she is talking about. For over 25
years, she’s has been a music therapist and sound healer,
working with adults and youths to address their physical,
emotional and spiritual challenges. This extensive experience
informs her holistic approach to music. “Composing and
improvising sustain and nurture my creative soul” she says. Her
voice adds a heart-felt, full bodied dimension to every song
and her flute solos are like the fluttering of a bird’s wing,
soaring high.