A Year after October 7th, a new Jewish Album Emerges
The Havurah Team discusses Common Blue, our debut album and a music project for Jewish unity, set to release October 1, 2024.
In the early days after the brutal massacre of October 7th, the Havurah team worked in countless ways to support the Jewish world through art. Since then, we’ve released two poetry pamphlets called Ein Milim, shared and connected with over one-hundred Israeli artists, and took 25 Jewish artists on a volunteer trip to Israel.
Like these other initiatives, Common Blue was conceived as our musical response to this moment of Jewish suffering, and a call for global Jewish pride. Common Blue, Havurah’s debut record, is a collaborative album for this moment in Jewish history, and a collective love letter to our tradition. The album will be released right before the first anniversary of October 7th. Re-envisioning what Jewish music sounds like, we embarked on this project with a simple premise; We asked musicians in our community to cover a song they loved by a Jewish artist.
“Common Blue, our debut record, is a collaborative album for this moment in Jewish history, and a collective love letter to our tradition.”
The concept for Common Blue developed beyond an album for the Jewish people and into a force of creative unity amid the increasing alienation Jewish artists are currently facing. In recent months, many Jewish artists have been pushed out of artistic spaces we were previously welcomed into. Most global music institutions made no mention of the Nova festival, the largest massacre at a music event in modern history. Whether explicit or subtle, it is undeniable that the tone has shifted. Common Blue took shape during this critical moment in Jewish history and music culture, and presented us with an opportunity to strengthen bonds with Jewish artists across the globe.
Cover Art by Eitan Gutenmacher
By creating our debut record as a collection of Jewish cover songs, we have began our journey into music production by paying homage to the greatest music of our history. In Common Blue, we assert that the music of our ancestry is still relevant, still Jewish, and intend to reimagine these songs in the context of today's music landscape.
“We assert that the music of our ancestry is still relevant, still Jewish, and intend to reimagine these songs in the context of today's music landscape”
Drawing inspiration from earlier compilation albums such as Hanukkah+ and HaGal HaSheni, we aimed to continue the efforts of prioritizing collaboration in the Jewish music sphere. This record not only features traditional Jewish music like Shir HaMa’alot, it also includes covers from the broader canon of Jewish songwriters; Leonard Cohen, Simon and Garfunkel, Amy Winehouse, Bob Dylan, and more. Each performance is a meditation on the question, “What does Jewish music sound like?”
Common Blue is more than just a collection of songs – it’s a testament to the enduring Jewish creative spirit, and the strength of the artistic Jewish community. We are incredibly grateful to the musicians, producers, engineers, and visual artists, who have dedicated their time and talents; without them, this album would not exist. Common Blue is the largest musical project Havurah has endeavored to create, and we are so excited to share it with the world.
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Stream Common Blue on all platforms starting October 1st, 2024 at Midnight EST. Sign up for our email newsletter and join our whatsapp community to stay notified about the release and other future projects.