Beauty in the Everyday: Singer Ayelet Rose Gottlieb Gives Voice to a Distressed Hope via Israeli and Palestinian Poetry on "Roadsides"
Ron Kadish
In the little things lurk the big picture, and the details of everyday life suggest the wild regions of the heart. Jerusalem-born composer and vocalist Ayelet Rose Gottlieb sings and composes from these spaces, accessing the compelling, tumultuous world of her homeland.“These songs extend out of my love for poetry and the Hebrew language, my native tongue” explains Gottlieb. “As this set of pieces evolved, it was initially based on the Hebrew poetry that I grew up with. I felt I wanted to include Palestinian voices as well, voices that are an essential part of the tapestry of the country. I started digging into Palestinian poetry in translation and composed songs that spoke to me.”
Written over many years, the songs of Roadsides (Arogole Music; release: October 15, 2014) chronicle clunky ceiling fans and hymns of female blessing, watermelon hugs and sorrowful absences, abandoned sheds and soaring, hopeful wings. Gottlieb’s voice, with its cool refinement and warm welcome, brings a jazz-inflected, pitch-perfect sense to these little, but weighty tales. Supported by a band of close collaborators (including Anat Fort on piano and Ihab Nimer on oud and Arabic violin), Gottlieb presents the flavors and sensations of everyday life, in what she called an “open letter to my homeland.”
“People of all backgrounds love the land, its views and fragrances and flavors,” reflects Gottlieb. “I do believe at the core of my being that it is possible to elevate beyond the pain and hurt. It’s possible to do better at loving this place. Like Mahmoud Darwish says it - It is within our power to be as we ought to be.”
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