Frank London and Jon Madof / Kol Nidre
Frank London + Jon Madof / Kol Nidre, 2020
Available from Bandcamp.
This is a more subtle approach to the Kol Nidre prayer than many. Rather than create a full-length album, London and Madof teamed up to revisit just the thrice-repeated Kol Nidre prayer, each iteration in increasing volume and intensity. The dominant voice, of course, is Frank London's trumpet. He has visited cantorial music several times over the years, either solo (or as here, primary voice accompanied by other instruments), or with some of the world's best contemporary cantors. Here, he repeats the prayer three times, each in full mastery of the trumpet as a cantorial voice, each repetition stronger, picking up stronger accompaniment from Madof each time, with the final repetition including Madof's signature distorted guitar, in dialogue with the trumpet, along with the other programmed effects.
This is a short, soulful recording. It's a perfect part of preparing for the holidays, and a perfect part of the days leading up to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. It is also a perfect example of how the spirit and soul of khazones can be expressed by voices other than the human voice. Share a few copies with friends and family@mdash;available on Bandcamp, of course.
Reviewed by Ari Davidow, 6 Sep 2021.
Personnel this recording:
Frank London: trumpet
Jon Madof: guitar, programming
Songs
- First repetition 5:11
- Second Repetition 6:30
- Third Repetition 6:06
Trad., arr. London and Madof
