Rememebring Secrets- Thoughts on The New Disc Part 1

25 Shvat, 5771
"Secrets Remebered"
Every time an artist releases a new disc, album or as I stillike to call it, a new record, friends tend to ask, " Why did you chose to record those songs? What is the real meaning behind those lyrics? What were your influences? Which song do you like the most? "
It seems to me that this blog can be a good forum, not simply for me to answer those questions ,but for me to hear your ideas and for you to discuss among yourselves, like friends sitting in the living room, sharing different ideas and concepts as they relate to the message of the music.
So every week for the next three months, B"H, I am hoping to speak to you about the music which we are releasing on the new record, "Not Without You."
OK. So let's get started .I thought I would begin with track #5, Hodu, which was added at the end of our sessions and turned out to be the first single that we released. As well as the beautiful video clip produced and directed by Barak at Rainbow Productions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F0dqkRC6g8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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I first heard this song from my good friend Bob Stark as I was leaving his home in Cleveland in July 2009.Bob sat at his grand piano and sang me , in the style of Frankie Valli and The
Four Seasons, למען יזמרך כבוד ולא ידום
Okay, so I must admit, I didn’t really get it... And I was mamash on my way to the airport to come back home, but he insisted that I keep listening. He then began to explain how important this song was to him and asked me to please find a way to connect to this melody and deep lyrics, whom although they were written 2000 years ago by King David, they were indeed very personal to Bob's life.
So I record the song on my Mp3 and head out to catch my plane.
2 months later Bob calls me. He is in Yerushalayim and wants to get together to hear what progress I have made with "our" latest song.
Actually, none, I admitted, but I would be very happy to meet him and go for it together.
I tried all kids of grooves that afternoon and in the ensuing few weeks, but nothing made the song click inside of me
Then one day I get an email from percussionist Nadav Serling
"when you have 5 minutes, check out this video clip
In Your Eyes, by Peter Gariel and Papa Wamba."

I watched the clip and immediately heard, the melody to
למען יזמרך
dancing in my mind.
A few days after mailing the clip to Gilad, I found myself writing a new "chant" part to the song "והודו לזכר קדשו."
Driving to White Studios up north in Katzir, I heard a report that the Petach Tikvah religious schools would not allow Ethiopian children to study in their schools. I was so saddened to hear that news. By the time I reached the studio , Gilad had come up with a new groove, an initial arrangement and we were ready to record a new skitz,
But the first thing that he asked me upon my arrival ( I guess he had heard the same report) was' "OK what are you going to do. Give it to them on the head!" I explained to him that was not my way of responding ,but what a great idea it would be to show the world what beautiful "diamonds" we have in our Ethiopian brothers and sisters.
So I called Bob, who after hearing ht enew groove for the song, had already suggested that we bring in a group of Ethiopian brothers and sisters into the studio to do backup vocals for the song , and I asked what he thought about doing a video clip of the song , starring a group of Ethiopians. His immediate response was," definitely yes!"
After recording the skitz, Gilad turned to bassist, Yaron Soriano, who came in an recorded and arranged all of the instrumentation.
The following day, with Bob present, guiding me through with his personal feelings about the melody, I came in and laid down the vocals. We were now ready to bring in our guest stars.
The video recording experience was amazing. After the first take of the part where Ethiopian actors, Yossi, Benny, Shai and Shmuel entered, strutting down the forest's path, suddenly Bob calls out.
"Ok! Everyone come here!"
I remember Barak the director looking at me with his face saying, " Who is this? What is he doing with my video?"
Bob turned to all of us and began to tell the story of how he had written this powerful song.
Recalling his bout with cancer he said," I was so sick and weak that I could not even walk from my bed to the restroom, I had to crawl! I was so deep in the pits. It was from that place that I called out to God and begged for a healing."
It was then that he turned to our new friends and looked each one of them straight in the eyes and asked, "Have you ever been in the pits?" Knowing well enough what their answers would be. One at a time each one of them respond with a committed, "YES."
"Okay," he said, "then now, dance your way back into this video and show the world the beauty of who you are and how much it means to you to have the honor to be here in Israel."
The rest is all there for you on the clip "Hodu." The final scene was so moving that all of us felt the intense presence of , Kibbutz Galiyot, the most joyus, honest, loving , together" happening ,an ingathering of Jews from all over the world."
So here we are and we can create a new world, a world of love and awe. A world of peace and harmony. All we gotta do is believe. Believe and trust in Hashem and each other. What are we waiting for? Haven’t we all suffered enough, seen others suffer who we really love. Who cares who’s really right in the End as long as we all finally get there.
You know Reb Shlomo taught us that when we get to Gan Eden, nobody is going to ask you“ Hey Brother, Sister how’d you get here?” They’re just going to be happy that your there. We'll all be there, together.
I recently heard a beautiful word from Rav David Fuchs of Bayit V’gan. When God promises us “security “ ”….and you will dwell in The Land securely,” He follows that by immediately saying," And I will give Shalom ( The Name of Hashem, The blessing of Peace ) in The Land.”
So The Holy Ramban and The Holy Or Hachaim both ask," but You already promised us peace in the last verse. Why repeat the promise?
Both great teachers give the same answer. There may be security, but there is no Peace until there is peace among you,”Shalom Beinechem.”
How many times did Reb Shlomo teach us about “The Between".
“It’s Between us and God. It’s Between husbands and wives. Fathers and mothers and their children. It’s between neighbors. It’s between you and me.
So PLEASE!!!!!! All of us!!!!! I never was a General in a war, but I have to believe that any General would say that if he saw the enemy on a distant hill and at the same time, was faced with the imminent threat of immediate attack up front and close, he would have to first deal with the enemy closest to him. It is so much easier for me to think that I can take care of business and change my world by fixing it all from without. The outside world looks so easy to blame. The truth is all of my fixing has to come from within.
Brothers and sisters, our hearts can be our own worst enemy. Let’s please remove any and all hatred that we might GOD forbid still have for each other.
Make peace between us now, show Hashem and each other that we really can and do care about each other, even though we disagree on many issues.
I want to humbly bless us all with the strength, desire and will to only love each other and be ready to receive amazing gifts and light and joy from Hashem and each other.
Shalom Uvrachah,
Yehudah Katz,
Tekoa, Israel