Fragments

American multi-instrumentalist Yoni Avi Battat has undergone a journey of discovery to reconnect with his Iraqi-Jewish roots through the medium of poetry and music. An accomplished classically-trained violinist, Battat sings on this record as well as playing violin, viola and oud.

Sonically, this album is rooted in the soundworld of the Middle East; in addition to Battat's contributions, we have ney (flute), qanun (zither), darbuka (goblet drum) etc. And all with stunning execution of microtonal maqam-based melodies, not least in Battat's vocals. His deep connection to his heritage is audible both in the way he performs, and in the voices of members of his community who feature, either singing – like his great uncle Razi – or, on one track, sharing childhood food memories. The album's title reflects the ways in which cultures become fragmented over time, distance and across languages. In his own words: ‘How do we access memories that we don't remember? How do we connect with the lost generations of ancestors we never met?’ Indeed, the songs are themselves fragments of texts in different languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Yiddish and English; from the Psalms to 1970s Iraq and the present day; each fragment representing a displacement, an emigration.