where the light gets in | Chris Gartner

Produced by Chris Gartner

Nominated as best World Abum at the 2013

JUNO AWARDS.

Mastered by Taras Petryk

reviews

"I have been enjoying this record very much. The lead-off track sets an atmosphere that contains consistency and surprise as alternate values, and the record continues functioning on that level throughout. Congrats to producer Chris Gartner."

Paul Corby Regent Park Radio

"A beautifully crafted album"

CBC's Errol Nazereth's review of Where the Light gets in.

"On their second LP, Where the Light Gets In, the Toronto quintet choose to summon the musical spirits of the near-East through melody and execution rather than rhythm and structure. Aviva Chernick's grounded vocals, paired with Jeffrey Wilson's chill-out-inspired beats, allow each track to have a genial effect. But Where the Light Gets In works best is when instrumentalists Lightstone (oud), Gartner (bass) and Viswanathan (sax/flute) are allowed to stretch out, giving tracks like "Sim Shalom" and "Hamidbar Medaber" an audacious and foreign feel, one not based on genre or influence.

- Daniel Sylvester

"Where the Light Gets in has been nominated for a 2013 JUNO AWARD (Canadian Grammy's), and "Best World Music Artist" at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. Their debut, Sunplace, was also nominated for a JUNO award and featured on CBC's Canada Live. Singles from this new, sophomore outing have already caught the ear of CBC producers and selected for Here & Now's "Song of the Week" (Sim Shalom), as well as industry nod from OCFF, winning the prestigious "Songs From the Heart" award (Ana El Na), and a nomination for Best world beat single from the Independent Music Awards.

Aptly named for one of the oldest streets in Jerusalem, Jaffa Road unites multiple cultures and nationalities as it winds it's way towards the port of Jaffa. Hebrew, Ladino, English, Arabic and French lyrics blend with genres of Sephardic, Arabic and Indian music, intertwined with jazz, blues, electronica, dub and rock. Theirs is world music on a mission - peace through an unparalleled musical experience that, just like the road they're named for, brings us together as one people.

Jaffa Road is the unforgettable, entrancing vocals of Aviva Chernick, the rare musicianship of Aaron Lightstone (oud, guitar, synthesizer),
Chris Gartner (bass, producer), Jeffrey Wilson (percussion), and Sundar Viswanathan saxophone/flute/vocals). The distinctive sound of Lightstone's oud opens "Ana El Na", bathed in Chernick's warm, liquid vocals while the band follows with deep bass, exotic percussive technique, synth, violin and bansuri. Six key words translate to "please heal her" - forming an addictive, chanted plea to heal Mother Earth. The more upbeat "Sim Shalom", adapted from an ancient Jewish prayer continues the hope for world peace, leaning more heavily on guitar and Chernick's stunning vocal, complete with a breakaway, jazz-like detour.

The track "Avre Los Ojos" is an interpretation of a centuries-old Turkish song - an early protest song first recorded in 1907, and not since until now! "On Your Way" might be the closest thing to a hit single if there were such a thing, riding on Chernick's pure chorus, while oud, bass violin and propulsive percussion keep it beyond buoyant and highly accessible.

Guest Yair Dalal's violin on "Hamidbar Medaber" casts a hypnotic spell across this distinctly Indian-spiced dream sequence while Chernick's vocal duets with Viswanathan's sax in their depiction of sky above the Namibian desert. You can literally hear warm sand drifting. 12 songs in all create a road far more active than any typical 2-way street - it's multi-lane, allowing for many detours along it's length, offering up cutting-edge music at the global crossroads."

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