INTRODUCTION
I was not brought up as a Jew. But when, as a child, I learned of my Jewish ancestry, I wanted to know more about where my father’s family came from. And so I started to ask questions, read history, and get in touch with the Jewish spirit in the depths of my soul. My paternal great-grandparents immigrated from Germany in the late 19th Century, landing on Ellis Island in New York. Some of their progeny remained Jewish in practice, and some went on in different spiritual directions — but heritage, of course, remains the same. I have always felt a deep connection to my Jewish roots, and over the years, it has emerged in many of my compositions, including two orchestral pieces — “Rhapsody for Trumpet, Strings and Percussion” and “Meditation and Dance for Clarinet and Orchestra,” both of which were recorded on the MMC label (founded by William Thomas McKinley). In 2008 I began writing klezmer tunes, especially after hearing Frank London’s klezmer opera “A Night in the Old Marketplace” — the recording of which was released on my label, Soundbrush Records, in 2007. Eventually, with Frank’s encouragement, the CD “On the Road of Life” was born in 2011, also on Soundbrush Records, with twelve tunes I wrote between 2008 and 2010. Since then, I have written many more tunes in the klezmer vein, eventually deciding to compile this book. Most of this music stems from the Ashkenazi tradition, which is my heritage, but some tunes are also inspired by the Jewish experience in general, including the nation of Israel. Each tune was written with all my love, sincerity, and hope for a future of peace.
Roger Davidson
December 2024
ALL THE PEOPLE
AROUND THE CORNER
CALANIT
DANCE OF BROTHERHOOD
DANCE OF HARMONY
DANCE OF HOPE
DANCE OF THE FIVE OLIVES
THE DANCING FIDDLER
DOINA BLUES…
EQUAL IN THE EYES OF GOD
EVENING DANCE
EVER ONWARD
FLOWER OF HOPE
FREEDOM DANCE
FREEDOM FOR ALL
FROM THE DESERT TO THE SEA
THE HARLEQUIN
HARMONY IN THE DESERT
HARVEST DANCE
HUNGARIAN WALTZ
IN REMEMBRANCE
KING DAVID’S JIG
LA SYNAGOGUE FRANÇAISE
THE LAMPLIGHTER’S WALTZ
LAND OF PEACE…
LET US DANCE TOGETHER
LILACS
THE LONELY DANCERS
LOOKING DOWN THE RIVER
MOSCOW DREAM
NIGHT JOURNEY
ON THE HILLSIDE
ON THE ROAD OF LIFE
THE ORANGE GROVE
OVER THE CLOUDS
PRAYER FOR A FRIEND
SHALOM, KRAKÓW
STEPPING STONES…
SUNFLOWERS AT DAWN…
SUNRISE DANCE
SUNRISE IN BUDAPEST
SUNSET OVER THE HILLS
TAVERN ON THE RIVER…
TEL AVIV
THROUGH THE MIST
TO THE ANCIENT LANDS
TOWARD THE VILLAGE
THE VILLAGE MARKETPLACE
VILLAGES OF OLD
WALTZ OF THE EAST
WALTZ OF THE PELICANS
WALTZ OF THE STARS
WATER DANCE
WATERS OF HOPE
WAVES IN THE SUN
WE ARE ONE FAMILY
WE CAN BE AT PEACE
WINE FOR PEACE
YOUNG AND OLD
ZAY GEZUNT