Looking and listening in Ein Kerem

Accentuating the positive, the Naam Ensemble creates original music that reflects the band’s cultural diversity.

By BARRY DAVIS
The Naam Ensemble521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
The Naam Ensemble521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
This Friday, music lovers with eclectic leanings will be able to enjoy some spectacular scenery, a glimpse of Russian monastic living and some quality wide-ranging musical entertainment as part of the "Ein Kerem between Cultures" program, which starts at 1:30 p.m. The event is part of the Israel Festival lineup and is co-produced by the Ein Kerem Legend tourism outfit and the Naam Ensemble.
The former will lead a tour of the Russian village inside the Gorny Monastery, clearly visible from the road that leads down from Jerusalem to Hadassah University Medical Center. The Ein Kerem Legend guide will enlighten the members of the public about the history of the monastery, built in 1871 and incorporating three churches.
The largest of the trio, the Church of the Holy Trinity, is capped by distinctive Russian-style golden domes. The monastery and its grounds were the site of some intriguing historical events which patrons will enjoy hearing about.
After the instructive visit to the monastery grounds, the Ein Kerem between Cultures participants will find their way to the Sisters of Our Lady Zion monastery for some al fresco musical entertainment (starts at 4:45 p.m.), courtesy of the Naam Ensemble.
“The show is called A Local Work because everything that happens during the event relates to Ein Kerem,” explains 59-year-old guitarist Adva Schwebel. A resident of Ein Kerem for more than 20 years, Schwebel is a founding member of Naam. Her late husband was acclaimed American-born artist Ivan Schwebel, who lived and painted in Ein Kerem for more than 40 years.
“There is a lot of history here,” notes Schwebel.
“This is considered the birthplace of John the Baptist, and it is important for all the three main monotheistic religions. There are also all sorts of mysterious events in the past of this place, too.”
But Schwebel, who is more focused on the musical content of Ein Kerem between Cultures, will join forces with the other four instrumentalists in the band – oud player Nour Akkawi, bassist Noam Bartov, clarinetist Mati Bobek and drummer and percussionist Daniel Tager – who will be augmented by vocalist Ofer Callaf, from Ein Kerem.
“The ensemble was started four years ago, but in its present configuration it has been around for three years,” explains the guitarist. “We are a special group, in terms of our personal backgrounds and the musical experience we have accumulated.”
Schwebel grew up on a rich diet of classical music, and there are rock, jazz and ethnic strains in what each of the five players brings to the cooperative fray.
If, when you listen to the ensemble’s music, you get a certain healing feeling, that is probably not just a result of the uplifting sonic fare you are getting.
“The ensemble actually came out of a connection among three people who use music to treat people,” says Schwebel. “I am a music therapist, and the two other members of the original trio – Nour [Akkawi] and Mati [Biobek] – were my students. After they completed their studies with me, they started playing music together, just for the fun of it. Some time later, I invited them to a session on the theme of listening as a means of therapy. I brought them to do something on listening to improvisation and how therapy is a form of improvisation. It is very similar in principle to jazz.”
The group’s name, which means “yes” in Arabic, was chosen to reflect that ethos of reciprocal attentiveness.
The bass player and drummer soon joined, and the quintet got a lucky break when it was accepted for the Bands Project run by Jerusalem’s Yellow Submarine club. That gave Schwebel and her cohorts a good springboard.
“We received support, in all sorts of ways, for a year – the use of a rehearsal room, guidance, recording facilities and the opportunity to appear and gain exposure on all sorts of occasions. That was a good experience,” she says. “We are in the process of recording our first album with the Yellow Submarine soundman.”
Schwebel says that the sum of the ensemble’s parts adds up to a much bigger grand total.
“We span a wide range of ages – the drummer was still in the army when we started out – I am the only woman, we have an Arab musician and, because some of us use music as a means of therapy, listening is an important part of what we do.
And I think we convey that to the audience, too.”
That also informs the Naam creative process.
“We meet here every week and work together over time,” says Schwebel.
“It is a collaborative effort. All the arrangements of our material are produced in unison. There is something very democratic about the way we work.
If someone doesn’t like a particular arrangement, the rest of us do our best to accommodate that.”
As the ensemble’s name suggests, the accent is very much on the positive side of making music and of the communal experience.
“That’s our way, and that’s why we are called Naam,” says Schwebel.
“The ‘yes’ approach to life is very much a part of how we go about things.”
For tickets and more information about Ein Kerem between Cultures: *6226 and www.israel-festival.org.il