Fifth House Ensemble and Baladino – Nedudim (Cedille Records, 2016)
Two outstanding ensembles representing diverse musical traditions collaborate on Nedudim. Fifth House Ensemble is an innovative American chamber music ensemble based in Chicago while Israeli group Baladino specializes in music from the Mediterranean and sounds from other parts of the world.
On Nedudim (wanderings in Hebrew), the two ensembles have selected a mix of traditional Ladino songs and original pieces by Fifth House Ensemble composer Dan Visconti, Baladino’s Thomas Moked Blum, Robert Beaser and Kenneth Benshoof. This meeting of minds combines contemporary classical, pop, European, North African, Middle Eastern and Indian influences.
Throughout Nedudim, Fifth House Ensemble and Baladino use a mix of classical musical instruments and instruments from various parts of the globe: Middle Eastern oud, shofar (ram’s horn) and ney; Armenian duduk, Bulgarian kaval, Australian didgeridoo, and Indian bansuri.
Fifth House Ensemble includes Melissa Snoza on flute; Grace Hong on oboe; Jennifer Woodrum on clarinet; Eric Heidbreder on bassoon; Valerie Whitney on horn; Charlene Kluegel on violin; Clark Carruth on viola; Herine Coetzee Koschak on cello; Eric Snoza on bass; Katherine Petersen on piano; Dan Visconti, composer.
Baladino’s lineup: Yonnie Dror on ney, shofar, bansuri, kaval, soprano saxophone, clarinet, didgeridoo; Thomas Moked Blum on oud; Yael Badash on vocals; Daniel Sapir on double bass; and Yshai Afterman on percussion.
Nedudim is an impeccable album with an extraordinary array of songs from Spain’s Jewish diaspora and the best of contemporary chamber music.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.