The spirited New York City-based ensemble East of the River debuts on AVIE with "Ija Mia: Music of the Sephardic Diaspora." Directed by the dynamic duo of internationally renowned "recorder virtuosos" (The New York Times) Daphna Mor (a regular collaborator with Apollo’s Fire) and Nina Stern, the album is inspired by love and commemoration of the musicians’ collective cultural backgrounds – Nina’s Venetian Jewish ancestry, and Daphna’s Ladino heritage. Spanning a vast range of Sephardic folk and traditional musics - stories and dances, prayers and anthems – "Ija Mia" is by turns haunting, soulful, and exuberant. Daphna and Nina’s cosmopolitan collaborators include an astonishing assortment of musicians, including renowned Armenian-American oud player Ara Dinkjian, Silk Road percussionist Shane Shanahan, the phenomenal Israeli bassist Tal Mashiach, and Palestinian multi-instrumentalist Zafer Tawil on qanún, violin, and percussion.
