"The modern-day traditional Jewish music revival is filled with artists exploring klezmer's Eastern-European roots, but you'll hear no clarinet and little violin on cantor/educator
Richard Kaplan's Life Of The Worlds. Although these are traditional songs, there is a broad range of the Diaspora represented on his second album, including Afghani, Spanish, Moroccan, and Algerian traditions. Kaplan dives into the sacred and the secular, the prophetic and the exultant, finding commonalities amongst different tribes and fusing them together. Musical accompaniment comes in the form of an occasional flute, piano, and violin as well as Moroccan clay drums, oud, dumbek, and other pre-modern-era instruments, but the instrument at the center of each song is Kaplan's voice--his high baritone majestically soars, quavers with sensitivity, and rings out with joy. To hear him sing solo versions of traditional Niggun is to hear a world-class master savor the multifaceted nuance of each note and transcend the concept of song, turning it into religion and high art."
Tad Hendrickson, Amazon.com, January 2004

"In an interview promoting Life of the Worlds, cantor and songwriter Richard Kaplan explained that the loose and free feel of his music came from encounters with the recordings of John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, and Elvin Jones. Listening to the album it's easy to see why Tyner himself has thrown kind words Kaplan's way. Life of the Worlds contains Jewish sacred world music from the Middle East, Andalusia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia played by a small ensemble, often augmented by guests from around the world. Kaplan sets sacred texts and poems to traditional Jewish melodies and new compositions, or in the case of "Eyn Keloheynu," he offers a new arrangement.His love of music that is both deep and moving keeps the album from being too syrupy, and a respectful but maverick attitude makes it charmingly cosmopolitan over academic. Kaplan's excellent writing and arranging skills are matched by his passionate vocal delivery and lyrical piano playing along with some excellent interaction with his fellow musicians. Take the Afghani Jewish chant "Le'el Adir Neranenah," for example. After Kaplan's fiery vocal opens the number he blends into a radiant choir of voices with the message and mysticism coming through loud and clear. It's his combination of talent and humility that makes him so charismatic and Life of the Worlds such an appealing and illuminating listen. Add a detailed 32-page booklet and you've got an excellent package for both ethnomusicologists and novices who appreciate spiritual music."
David Jeffries, All Music Guide, January 2004

"Plenty of well-meaning, if ultimately lightweight, Jewish records take the multiculti aspect of the Jewish experience as a license for exploring exotic roots and slinky rhythms. Cantor Richard Kaplan's Life of the Worlds is indebted to a wide range of Jewish traditions, from Yemen to North Africa to Eastern European Chassidism, but more than just multicultural, it's multidimensional. A fluid ensemble crosses cultures with understated taste and grace. Shared rhythms and melodies join the sacred music from various traditions, highlighted by frame-drum percussion and solo violin, clarinet, oud, and accordion. But the ringer is Kaplan himself, the possessor of a resonant, intimate tenor and no slouch on the piano. His performance of "Le'El Adir Neranenah" is given a spiritual boost by Kaplan's McCoy Tyner­esque chords, transforming this Afghani-Jewish melody into a post-bop jazz exploration. It's only one of the many complex moods -- and satisfying triumphs -- of this sophisticated collection."
Mark Schwartz, Barnes & Noble, February 2004

Life of the Worlds is a remarkable and wonderful journey into Sephardicpiyyutand Hasidic niggun. Cantor Kaplan has a rich baritone voice that he uses expressively, at times with great bravura, at other times with an intimacy that goes deep into the heart. On this wide-ranging recording, Kaplan applies his ethno-musicological training to liturgical texts from Jewish communities around the world.

As a result, no two of the eighteen tracks are alike. The selections are interpreted with a sure musical sense that always seems intuitively right. The accompaniments are engaging and fit naturally with the music. The accompanying booklet has personal notes on each piece along with the words, transliterations and word for word translations, in other words it is both accessible and useful.

1. Ha'aderet Veha'emunah-LeKhay Olamim: A Yemenite piyyut (sacred poem) with a refrain for Leader and Congregation to be sung before the Amidah. I think this piece is eminently suitable for worship because the congregational refrain is so singable that people would pick it up immediately. It is performed with an arrangement of Middle Eastern instruments that builds as the song goes on.

2. Le’El Adir Neranenah: An Afghani piyyut in alphabetical acrostic for leader and congregational response accompanied with piano, doira (framed drum with jingles) and tar (framed drum). The verses are rhythmic and the response is instantly learnable.

3. Bati Legani: A beautiful melody by Rav Zalman Schachter-Shalomi; the text is from Shir Hashirim. The intimate singing combines with the piano accompaniment in an especially affective rendition.

4. Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden: Based on the concept ofKinot on Tishah B’Av, this is a lament for the destruction of the earth (an 'eco-lament'). In Hebrew and English, with words and music by Cantor Kaplan, the unaccompanied melody uses Eikha (Book of Lamentations) trop as its inspiration. Here Kaplan does some of his most creative work as a composer and writer.

5. Sephardi Yerushalmi Khatsi Kaddish: The melody is the popular Ladino song, “Cuando El Rey Nimrod.” The accompaniment by oud (pear-shaped lute) and kanun (board zither) is charming.

6. Navah Tehilah: Shokhein Ad is set to an Afghani Folksong in 7/8 meter; this is one of the most interesting of all the settings. Accompanied by mey ? (Turkish double reed) saz (wire-stringed lute), dundun (African talking-drum) and dumbek (hand-held drum), the piece rocks.

7. Hayoshevet Baganim: Set to a text from hir Hashirim, the melody is Yemenite. With only a drum for accompaniment, the music is almost mantra-like. Cantor Kaplan is in his element here with a performance that is truly meditative.

8. Eyn Keloheynu: This is an authentically non-Western approach to the familiar piyyut, its Moroccan melody being worlds apart from the usual four-square tunes heard in most American synagogues. I suspect that without the accompaniment, worshipers would find the melody difficult to follow. That being said, the performance is quite engaging.

9. Modeh Ani/Elohay Neshamah: These two excerpts from Birkhot HaShachar are set to a beautiful Sephardi melody from Salonica that suits both the text and most voices. The performance is full of feeling, with a supple, expressive line and very effective accompaniment on the oud and ney (long, end-blown flute).

10. Eli Shema Koli: The piece opens and ends with an unaccompanied, unmeasured chant from the Sephardi Yerushalmi community. This Moroccan piyyut is sung to the tune of an Algerian freedom song in which the leader intersperses each verse with a chorus that involves the congregation responsively. The accompaniment on accordian, dumbek (chalice-shaped drum), riqq (Arabic tambourine), bendir (Moroccan framed drum), violin and oud gives the song a driving verve.

11. Reb Nachman’s Niggun: Kaplan is at his most captivating in this unaccompanied, meditative niggun of the Bratslaver Rebbe.

12. Hishtapkhut Hanefesh: This is a beautiful rendition of the piece by Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. The Yiddish is beautifully pronounced and the accompaniment by cimbalon, bass, tilinca (Romanian wooden pipe with no finger-holes), baraban (two-skinned drum from the Caucasus played with sticks), and violin is effective. In the accompanying notes, Kaplan identifies the mode as a gypsy doina; in Yiddish it’s known as a volokhl (shepherd’s song in the Ukrainian-Dorian minor mode with characteristically raised fourth and sixth steps).

13. Niggun of the Alter Rebbe: In this deveikut (meditative “clinging-to-God”) niggun by Shneur Zalman of Lyady, who founded the HaBaD branch of Hasidism), Kaplan attains an appropriately devout mood, through his beautiful and deeply felt tone of voice.

14. Ve’erastikh Li: Set to a Salonican melody, this three-part nuptial vow from Hosea is used in daily prayer while wrapping the fingers with the Tefillin shel Yad. Here Kaplan combines vocal sonority, sinuous line and supportive accompaniment into a very moving rendition.

15. El Mistater: Kaplan chants this unaccompanied piyyutfrom the Husyatiner Hasidim without the varied coloration and vocal agility that is so evident on every other track on this recording.

16. Ashrey: This is a jazzy version of the deservedly popular responsive setting for Psalm 145 by Pinchas Spiro. In the middle of it — from Tov HaShem la-kol... through L’-hodi’a livnei ha-adam ...(verses 9-12), Kaplan inserts a Gregorian chant as sung by Joel Cohen and the Boston Camerata on their recording, The Sacred Bridge: Jews and Christians in Medieval Europe. The chant actually originates in Sephardic practice, as Eric Werner showed so clearly in his book The Sacred Bridge (1955: 419f).

17. Yemeni Shema : This melody is verifiably Yemenite, and Kaplan is once again in his comfort zone—combining his beautiful voice with musical sensibility to create an impressively novel rendition of a familiar text.

18. Grandfather Sang a Song: The prayer ha-ma’ariv aravim (Who brings down the evenings) – from the Evening service — is first chanted in Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) style. That is followed by the personal tale of how Kaplan’s family emigrated to America. The chant then re-emerges in a jazz version interposed with Yiddish. This story of the American Jewish Experience interweaves cultural elements from all over the diaspora, and transforms them into something new and unique.

Richard Kaplan is an artist well worth getting to know. His varied interests and musical acumen make this recording a listening pleasure from beginning to end. Whether accompanied or a cappella, the music is served with a conviction that allows for setting aside one’s critical ear in order to make the journey with Kaplan. Moreover, his innovative melding of piyyut texts with disparate musical traditions points a plausible way toward the re-invigoration of Jewish music generally and Jewish worship in particular.
Cantor Ira Bigeleisen, Journal of Synagogue Music,
Jewish Theological Seminary NY, Fall 2010

Southern California native and Bay Area resident Richard Kaplan, cantor of Oakland’s Temple Beth Abraham, is conversant in the range of Jewish sacred genres from Afghanistan to Yemen, Morocco, Andalusia, Greece, and Eastern Europe. Kaplan’s crystalline baritone enjoys restrained choral backing harmony and understated accompaniment on accordion, clarinet, ney, mandolin, oud, saz, cimbalom, kanun, violin, bass and hand percussion. But Kaplan’s voice remains central, whether self-accompanied on piano, as on “Ashrey” (adapted from Psalms),“Bati Legani” (from the Song of Songs) and “Grandfather Sang a Song” (a jazz-tinged hymn to the immigrant experience), traditional material such as “Sephardi Yerushalmi Khatsi Kaddish” (to the timeless Sephardi folk melody “Avram Avinu”) or in acappella settings. Striking examples of the latter include “Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden” (Kaplan’s self-described “eco-lament” on the destruction of the Garden of Eden, with a haunting female chorus), the reflective Yemeni text “Hayoshevet Baganim,” and the Hasidic pieces “Reb Nachman’s Niggun,” “Niggun of the Alter Rebbe” and “El Mistater,” the evocative prayer from the Sabbath third meal celebration.
Michael Stone, Global Rhythm Magazine, June 2004

One of the most wonderful qualities of Jewish culture is that it encompasses elements from so many of the world’s traditions. As a people dispersed through virtually all corners of the world, Jews have been unusually privileged to develop a culture of broad diversity that nevertheless manages to express a uniquely Jewish vision. This is nowhere more apparent than in the vast treasury of Jewish sacred music. In recent years, many fine artists have enriched our appreciation of cantorial music, klezmer, Hasidic and neo- Hasidic niggunim, Sephardic ballads, Yemenite chants, and Yiddish songs. Rarely, however, has an artist appeared who could integrate so great a range of Jewish cultural expression as Richard Kaplan.

While he was still in his teens, a friend opened up Kaplan’s musical horizons by playing him recordings from around the world. “I don’t think there is a traditional music on this planet that I can’t take in,” says Kaplan, “but then, I could argue that all of them are part of everyone’s aural DNA.”

Kaplan spent many years as a professor of music at Skyline Community College, teaching a course called “Sacred Musics of the World.” Over time, he was inspired to embark on the cantor’s path, absorbing the traditional liturgy during an apprenticeship with Hazzan (Cantor) Mark Dinkin. In 1997, Kaplan was named Cantor of Temple Beth Abraham, a Conservative synagogue in Oakland, California, a position he still holds.

Life of the Worlds lives up to its title by presenting an expansive “worldcentric” view of Jewish spiritual expression. Kaplan, with his sensitive and soulful singing, extensive repertoire, exquisite taste, and meticulous production treats us to melodies from Afghanistan, Morocco, Yemen, Spain, Salonica, Jerusalem, and Eastern Europe. Most of the selections are traditional and Kaplan is faithful to the aesthetics of each source. Not only does he sing each melody in its native style, he has gathered a group of exceptional musicians who accompany him in an authentic and transporting manner. Kaplan seems to have found just the right musician and instrument for each melody and rhythm, whether Afghani or Gypsy. Take, for example, the incredible musicianship of Stuart Brotman and Daniel Hoffman accompanying the Yiddish classic, “Outpouring of the Soul,” attributed to the Hasidic master Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk. No less impressive is the remarkable accompaniment of kanun, oud, and saz master Mimi Spencer on the Middle Eastern and Central Asian selections and the beautifully nuanced playing of violinist Jeremy Cohen on “Ve’erastikh Li” (“I Will Betroth You to Me”).

Life of the Worlds is no mere journey through diverse traditions. It is also an expression of the inner spiritual vitality that sustains all worlds and a guide to the One within Whom all worlds arise. Most of the texts are drawn from familiar Jewish liturgy and biblical verses. Several of the most beautiful pieces set verses from the “Song of Songs” to supporting melodies, including a particularly lovely version of “Bati LeGani” (“I Came to My Garden”), composed by Rabbi Zalman Schachter- Shalomi. Reb Zalman is also the source for a very rare Husyatin Hasidic musical rendering of the mystical hymn“El Mistater” (“The Self-Concealed One”). Kaplan also takes us with him on deeper contemplative journeys via wordless niggunim by Rebbe Nachman and Chabad Rebbe Schneur Zalman of Lyadi. Complementing the introspective and devotional selections are rhythmic hymns of praise that arouse wholebody devotion, like the irresistible Afghani “Navah Tehilah” (“It is Lovely to Praise”) in 7/8 meter.

Of special note is an “eco-lament” (a term Kaplan coined for an “ecological lament”), which is based on traditional Eastern European melodies for Tisha b’Av, a festival which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history. Kaplan here expands the concept of “temple” to represent Gaia (Mother Earth), and weaves the ancient tunes into an emotionally powerful dirge entitled “Lament on the Destruction of the Garden of Eden.”

Life of the Worlds is a remarkable recording. The production includes Hebrew and Yiddish texts as well as transliterations and creative translations. The performances by Kaplan and his accompanying master musicians are consistently stellar. This is a collection of sacred music of the highest order, guaranteed to delight and move in so many different ways. It is a recording that one may turn to for inspiration, to learn new ways of expressing old prayers, or just for fun.
Miles Krassen, Tikkun, September 2004

"A remarkable album of mostly sacred music from a cantor. From the full range of Jewish traditions, this is essentially Jewish world music. Kaplan's own vocal and piano work is arresting, but he's supported by an excellent cast, although they're used sparingly - which only increases the emotional effect of the disc. Heavily annotated (which is a good thing) it's an album that absorbs the listener completely into a world that manages to be both ancient and modern at the same time. Perhaps one of the best records concerning the Jewish Diaspora."
Global Village Idiot, January 2004

"Kaplan fills the songs with such sparks that they awaken a spiritual feeling in the listener...
The album can be appreciated by those looking for a more complex spiritual Jewish music, those looking for alternative arrangements of chestnuts like Eyn Keloheynu, or for new music to sing at services. Definitely recommended."
Aaron Howard, Jewish Herald-Voice, December 2003

In his new CD, “Life of the Worlds,” Cantor Richard Kaplan goes around the Jewish world in 80 minutes, showcasing the amazing variety of the Jewish musical ecosystem. Subtitled “Journeys in Jewish Sacred Music,” the new disc indeed conveys intense spirituality, not only in the selected material but in the vocal performances as well, sung in Hebrew, Yiddish and English. Drawn from musical traditions born in such far-flung locales as Morocco, Yemen, Salonica and Afghanistan, the CD is itself a form of hallel, or praise Some tracks blend multiple traditions, but Kaplan — a globetrotting ethnomusicologist (and cantor at Oakland’s Temple Beth Abraham) — is ever respectful and knows how to cobble. Moreover, with his soothingly golden voice, he conveys the appropriate prayerful solemnity. The dude sings with kavanah — soul.

The disc kicks off with a Yemeni song, “Ha’Aderet Veha’emunah.” For the uninitiated, the exotic tone of Jewish music from Arab lands seems utterly different from the familiar Ashkenazi melodic minor scale, but it is certainly beautiful. Other North African tracks, like “Hayoshet Baganim,” “Eyn Keloheynu,” and the frenzied “Eli Shema Koli,” feature Kaplan accompanied by all kinds of instruments you probably have never heard of, but the spirit translates into any language of the heart. “Le’El Adir Neranenah” and “Navah Tehilah,” with their syncopated rhythms and vocal peculiarities must have been difficult to sing, but Kaplan makes it seem easy. It’s certainly easy on the ears. Some are sung a cappella or nearly so. “Bati Legani” is a Chassidic melody charmingly arranged for voice and piano. “Reb Nachman’s Niggun” and “Niggun of the Alter Rebbe” are a nod to Ashkenazi tradition, which, as is made clear from this album, grew out of deeper African roots. One track, an Iberian-flavored Sephardic rendition of the Chatzi Kaddish, coveys the feeling of a hot sirocco blowing in from Africa through the synagogue doors. “Kinah Lekhurban Gan Eden” is a wistful song based on melodies sung on Tisha B’Av.

Two tracks are particularly ambitious. “El Mistater” is a seven-minute musical triptych into the Kaballah, complete with the chanting of the sefirot and, in the CD’s 32-page booklet, a cogent explanation. It’s not the most tuneful track, but it says something about his command of Judaic idioms that he could put the piece together so seamlessly. Most impressive is the final track, “Grandfather Sang a Song,” a multiethnic suite that unites the many strands that came before into a striking musical tableau. Alternating from chazzan to jazz singer, Kaplan runs the gamut of his grandfather’s world, riffing in Hebrew, English, Yiddish and Spanish. The jazz piano trio section echoes the soul and R&B music world Kaplan inhabited as a young man long ago, but he’s still got the chops. This is the kind of CD to play when you deliberately want to shut the door, kill the lights and journey to interior worlds. Richard Kaplan is the perfect tour guide.
Dan Pine, J.Weekly, April 2004

"Cantorials of a very different sort fill this second album by the engaging Richard Kaplan. You may recognize the names of some of these songs from your prayerbook, but through Kaplan, they revisit their exotic past. Eighteen tracks explore Jewish spirituality, from its most ancient musical sources. Extensive notes delve into the origins of Jewish mysticism and how it found expression in music. Anyone seeking a deeper meaning in Jewish faith — or just some great globe-encompassing world music played on oud, tar, and kanun — is invited on these "Journeys in Jewish Sacred Music," as the collection is subtitled."
Paul Wieder, Jewish World Review, December 2003

"Grandfather Sang a Song," the last track on Life of the Worlds, is one of the greatest things
I have ever heard!"
Jim Helman - Record Producer, Composer and Musician, July 2003

"... Putting his all into every turn of phrase."
OP Magazine

"A fine artist. I couldn't believe it - the versatility, the different styles, the different languages, the different instruments, the enormous talent - but most impressive was the soul."
Naomi Newman, Co-founder A Traveling Jewish Theater [concert review]