Laurie Friedman wrote this insightful essay about the pieces composed for Meserole Street by group member Jeff Adler.

In all cultural genres, musicians who engage in live performances do so to collaborate with both audiences and fellow musicians. Live performances stimulate audiences to delve further into their own thoughts, yet unfortunately the Covid 19 Pandemic lockdown destabilized our ability to fully enjoy the freedom of live music. A lonely solitude enveloped the world, enabling all to hear only the sounds of nature waffling through open windows. Nature became our musical eyes, ears and breath helping us to focus on “what music can do, not what it can’t…..” Fortunately, during the month of November 2021, when for a brief universal second the virus retreated and allowed Hevreh Ensemble to record at Oktaven Studios.

The order of selections was thoughtfully considered on this particular recording. The recording interprets a story describing the global challenges reflected from the first to the last piece. “Perihelion” displays the strength needed to overcome the struggle of the Pandemic lock down. As this struggle ensued, memories of past experiences helped the composer Jeff Adler, create familial melodies in “Meserole Street”. As the days, weeks, months of empty New York City streets overwhelmed our minds, an enduring solitude helped us remember scenes of a farm where 3D art and natural beauty created the piece “Prentice Farm”.

“Freedom Day” symbolized the administering of the covid vaccine, when an enhanced reckoning of no masks, and the obscure normalcy would return. Ubiquitous throughout the recording is the idea of what is now normal. The world experiences this thoughtful solitude, gaining strength of how to adjust to the selfishness, greed, climate differentials and importance of the arts in all societies. The continuing pieces: “Spirits That Dwell Within the Grandmother Tree”, “Older Ways”, “Central West End”, “Quantum Mysticism”, “Too Late to Matter”, all seem to eventually lead into the last piece “Alone”. Are we all alone during these challenging times or is there some powerful force steering us towards the peaceful beauty of music?

Written by Laurie Friedman August 23, 2022