RAZA on Uncovering the Heart of Song, and their Debut Album, Kapelya
Lifting the veil of mystery and discovering the heart of the niggun is what drives Chana Raskin, the woman behind the project RAZA. This spiritual pursuit shines throughout their newest project, Kapelya, the debut album from RAZA.
The name RAZA is drawn from the Zohar Terumah §163-166 (K’Gavna) text sometimes read in between Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv. Where it is written, “The secret of Shabbat is Shabbat herself.”
רָזָא דְשַׁבָּת אִיהִי שַׁבָּת דְּאִתְאַחֲדַת בְּרָזָא דְאֶחָד
Here, “Raza” is defined as secret, or hidden.
The founder of RAZA, Chana Raskin grew up in the Chabad community of Crown Heights New York, surrounded by the tradition of niggunim dating back to the 18th-century emergence of the Hasidic movement. She learned these wordless melodies by singing with her father, listening to chasidic recordings, and attending farbrengens. Traditionally, the world of niggunim is mainly made up of men. Many of the Chabad niggunim are sung at a fast tempo, in a march-like fashion, and this fascinated Raskin. She asked the niggunim,
“What destination are they trying to reach? What is the niggun trying to release?”
So where does this leave Raskin and her connection to this Jewish musical tradition dating back to the Baal Shem Tov?
In 2014 Raskin sustained a minor traumatic brain injury. A few years into her recovery, some women reached out about singing together, and eventually convened in what became the first RAZA singing circle.
Shmulie Lowenstein, UpperDeck Film
Continuing from December 2017, the women-only RAZA singing circles are still going strong today. But Raskin needed encouragement to step into her role as a leader and sharer. Her inner monologue was saying, “No I can’t. Only men are allowed to teach niggunim.” At some point, after her head injury Raskin ended up at a Hadar Shabbaton where she met Joey Weisenberg. Weisenberg was a voice of encouragement, asking “Let’s go, Chana, when are you teaching niggunim?” And she did.
A Women’s Farbrengen in the men’s section of 770 Eastern Parkway, 16th of Iyar, 1975. Velvel Schildkraut.
The 13 tracks on Kapelya feature an ensemble of female voices, and a select number of virtuosic instrumentalists contributing Cello, clarinet, percussion, guitar, mandolines, flutes, shruti box, and kaval. But the vocals are the heart of the album and stand just as strong on their own. Recording the songs live captured the essence of each niggun, in each voice of the ensemble, in fact, the entire album was recorded in two days. Moments of laughter after the final takes are left in, allowing the listener to feel like they are in the room with RAZA circle. There is almost no separation between the performance and the listener, making it that much easier for the fullness of each song to intertwine with the audience's experience of the album.
Today Raskin asserts, “I am not an expert. I’m just encouraging people to listen to what already exists. By listening, we lift the veil on sound. A niggun is soul deep.”
Raskin explains that the process of singing a niggun is “harnessing the ability to release the self.” In the Chabad tradition, there is an emphasis on singing the niggun properly. No harmonies. No deviation from the original melody. All in unison, repeating the niggun, like a mantra, as a method for connecting with the Divine.
Shmulie Lowenstein, UpperDeck Film
This past December of 2022, I had the honor of singing in a room with Raskin at Hadar’s Rising Song Intensive held at B'nai Jeshurun on the Upper West side. Raskin led the group of over 100 singers in the “Yemin Hashem” niggun, the third track on the record. She emphasized the importance of avoiding “singing pretty.” Putting our whole breath, our whole neshama into the onset of each vowel is how we reveal the true nature of the niggun. I felt the heartiness of song in my chest, I heard reflections of sound surrounding my head, and experienced the divine in each breath.
Kapelya is streaming on all platforms this Wednesday, Rosh Chodesh Adar.
Click here to stream Kapelya
Starting Rosh Chodesh Adar, Listen to Kapelya: Bandcamp | Spotify
Album Credits:
Produced by Joey Weisenberg & Chana Raskin
Directed & Arranged by Chana Raskin & Joey Weisenberg Mixed & Mastered by Don Godwin
Recorded Live by Mike Richelle at Rittenhouse Soundworks, Philadelphia, PA
Chana Raskin…lead vocals
Rena Branson…vocals
Aly Halpert…vocals
Deborah Sacks Mintz…vocals
Eleonore Weill…kaval, flutes, vocals
Jessie Reagen Mann…cello
Joey Weisenberg…clarinet, shruti box, percussion, guitar, mandolin, octave mandolin
RAZA Circle Vocalists.
Tsiporah Gottesman, Jess Berlin, Rachel Binstock, Ariel Dominique Hendleman, Esther Shoshana Holder, Rahel Stein, Emily Weintraub, Chani Trugman, Carmiya Weinraub, Sonia Walinsky, Jessi Roemer, Nomi Teutsch, Anat Hochberg, Kelilah Miller, Daniella Forstater, Erica Kimmel
Cover Photograph - Velvel Schildkraut, JEM
Header Photograph - Shmulie Lowenstein
Album Design & Layout - Jessica Tamar Deutsch
