TSUFIT: Under the Mediterranean Sky

Tsufit's debut CD, "Under the Mediterranean Sky", conveys Tsufit's excitement about the

exotic music she has grown up listening to in an album that addresses universal themes and emotions.

  1. Dance Me To The End of Love - Leonard Cohen (5:17)

    Written by one of Canada's most poetic songwriters, Leonard Cohen, Tsufit's rendition of "Dance Me To The End of Love" radiates a flamenco spirit. Tsufit's seductive vocals and the richness of the violin complement the theme of desire and enduring love.

  2. Hebrew Peace Medley - Stekelis, Braun, San/Hefer, Seltzer/Trad/Trad (6:24)

    This medley is a combination of Israeli and Chassidic songs woven together as a message of peace. The first and second song are remarkably similar in that they both involve fathers communicating to their daughters about war. In the first one, "Higiyah Michtavech" (Your Letter Came), the father is writing to his daughter from the front telling her that the fathers are protecting the borders. In the second, "Hamilchama Ha'Achrona" (The Last War) a father is promising his daughter that this will be the last war. The third and fourth songs, "Adon Olam" and "Oseh Shalom", are Chassidic melodies, the latter one being a prayer for peace.

  3. Somebody - Tsufit (2:20)

    The music of "Somebody" conjures up images of men sitting cross legged on a Persian rug drinking mud coffee under a canopy tent, their camels lounging just beyond the shade. The apparent complexity of the lyrics is deceptive - the message is simple and the overall effect hypnotic.

  4. My Transylvanian - Tsufit (2:13)

    Tsufit reveals her playful side in this melodramatic ballad about a love from the other side of the world. The music bounces between gypsy violin and 1950's style gum-chewing girl group complete with baritone sax.

  5. Erev Shel Shoshanim (Evening of Roses) - Hadar/Dor (3:06)

    An Israeli love song, "Erev Shel Shoshanim" is a favorite at outdoor weddings. The innovative arrangement featuring a clarinet over a bed of saxophones takes the listener into the desert night to a ceremony filled with devotion and the scent of roses.

  6. Last Bridge - Tsufit (2:05)

    This is a song you will either love or hate; it's an edgy, tongue in cheek "I ain't taking any more of this crap" song (in the tradition of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Were Made For Walking"). The lyrics almost spoof the country idiom while the music could be described as "worldbeat bluegrass".

  7. Kol Ha' Olam Kulo (The Whole World) - Trad (2:49)

    This song is a Chassidic "niggun" or melody which translates "The whole world is a very narrow bridge but the main thing is to have no fear at all."

  8. How Does It Feel? - Tsufit (3:25)

    A newlywed's take on marriage just one month after the wedding at sunset, this song celebrates the bond with warmth and joy.

  9. Tov LeHodot (It's Good Top Give Thanks)- L: Trad/ M: I. Katz (3:10)

    In "Tov Le Hodot", another chassidic melody in Hebrew, Tsufit is accompanied by a string quartet.

  10. Hold Me Please - Tsufit (2:41)

    A ballad which bares everyday feelings of vulnerability, "Hold Me Please" touches a nerve, even in children too young to fully understand the lyrics.

  11. Broccoli's On Sale At Dominion - Tsufit (2:05)

    First written by Tsufit as a birthday present to her mother (and with no intention of ever singing it in public), this song is an affectionate and humourous klezmer style ode to "mamale".

  12. Red Sun At Night - Tsufit (3:28)

    A ballad of longing for love lost, "Red Sun At Night" takes the listener on a Jacques Brel-ish merry go round ride near the blue waters of Greece to the accompaniment of Spanish guitars.

  13. A Swallow Song - R. Farina (2:49)

    Written in the 1960's by Richard Farina shortly before his death, "A Swallow Song" is a moving reminder of both the power and the fragility of life.