New Canadian band JAFFA ROAD hits the
ground running with news from the JOHN LENNON SONGWRITING CONTEST that
they have won GRAND PRIZE in the World Music category for their song
L.Y.G from their debut CD, Sunplace. The lyrics for this song are
adapted from the book of Isaiah. This well known, ancient, Hebrew call
for peace prophesizes an age where warfare and nationalism are obsolete.
The Hebrew verse in the song is Lo Yisa Goy
el Goy Cherev, lo yilmedu od milchama. This famous verse of Hebrew
poetry has been translated as “Nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, nor will they learn war anymore”. The lyrics for the English
chorus
the song are adapted from a well known
African-American spiritual that embodies a very similar message to the
phrase from Isaiah. I'm gonna Lay down my sword and shield by the
riverside.
The music for the song was written by Jaffa
Road’s lead singer Aviva Chernick, bass player/ producer Chris Gartner,
and founder/ Band Leader/ co-producer Aaron Lightstone. The music
reflects the composers’ interests in Indian music, African pop, ancient
Hebrew poetry, and thoughtful Western pop tunes.
Jaffa Road's unique sonic landscape brings
together the sounds of the Middle East, Spain, India and North America.
They form a most perfect union that is at once ancient and modern,
acoustic and electronic, and secular and sacred. With onstage chemistry
as electrifying as it is intense, the band
incorporates ancient and original poetry in Hebrew, Spanish and English
with belly dance rhythms, pulsing dub grooves and exhilarating
improvisations.
Their debut CD, "Sun Place", released only
months ago, has already charted at # 1 on Canada's largest campus radio
station, CIUT. Their CD release performance was also recorded for
broadcast on CBC's nationally renowned radio show, "Canada Live".
This trailblazing musical journey is paved
by founder and multi- instrumentalist /music therapist Aaron Lightstone
(guitar, oud, saz, synthesizer), the ethereal vocals of multilingual
lead singer Aviva Chernick (Levon Ichakhanian, Ernie Tollar, Tania Gill,
Andrew Downing, Mitch Smolkin and Klezmer
Buenos Aires), the visionary grooves of bassist Chris Gartner (Chantal
Kreviazuk, members of both The Band and Barenaked Ladies, Mary Margaret
O'Hara, Tasa), the entrancing sounds of saxophonist / flutist Sundar
Viswanathan (Wynton Marsalis, Al Martino, the Grammy-nominated Charles
Tolliver Big Band, Bobby Vinton, Kiran
Ahluwalia, Tasa) and last but certainly not least, the driving beat of
percussionist Jeff Wilson (Maza Mezé, David Buchbinder, and multiple
award winning Sultans of String).
