Biography
Ahava Raba formed in Berlin after frontman Simon Jakob Drees composed Howe Leg Na Rogle during August 1993. The ensemble issued its debut CD four months afterward. In the year that followed, Drees spent half a year journeying across Turkmenistan, India, Tibet, China, Russia, Tuva and additional regions in search of fresh musical traditions and influences. The ensemble takes its name from the Jewish harmonic and melodic mode—specifically the Ashkenaz cantorial variant known as Freygish—that underpins much traditional Jewish music; rather than attempting any fusion of Western and Eastern sounds, the group seeks to internalize those elements while moving beyond conventional performance practices. By drawing on multiple idioms that include Tuvan throat singing, the band issued its acclaimed and wide-ranging album Kete Kuf through Tzadik in 1999.
Albums