You are not alone. NEW SINGLE OUT NOW
Gam Ki Eilech - You Are With Me
Gam Ki Eilech - Click to Watch!
Coleen Dieker, Rabbi Josh Warshawsky, and the Chaverai Nevarech Band
Seek Comfort and Let Comfort Seek You by Coleen Dieker
For all the abundance of blessings that fill our lives, life can certainly be heavy. I found myself in a deep state of grief in late 2018. I had endured too much loss, heartbreak and death that year to enjoy my lifelong passion of playing music, to enjoy my hobbies and friends, to enjoy food. I flew to LA in October to rehearse with Josh for our upcoming tour. I could barely play a note without breaking down.
He shared with me these two familiar verses from Psalm 23, which I had heard many times throughout my life. But this time, I needed them. I clung to them, and let them sink in. I let the medicine of these words wash over me, and we wrote a melody for them. We wrote a melody of comfort that acknowledges the grief and pain of life, and holds that heaviness with love and compassion.
The first verse (verse 4 of the Psalm) is like a mantra, that shortens itself to “ki atah imadi”, or “you are with me.” You are with me. You are with me. The second verse (verse 6 of the Psalm) insists with its melody that goodness and mercy are chasing me, washing me with compassion, incessantly, all the days of my life. All the days of my life. All the days of my life.
Find the comfort that you seek in this setting of Psalm 23, verses 4 and 6.
Coleen Dieker, a Kansas City, MO native, performs on a wide variety of instruments: piano, guitar, flute, ukulele and especially the violin. She is also an accomplished composer and arranger, a gift she has employed in various roles, including as a music director in the non-secular world. She attended Boston's Berklee College of Music for two years, an experience that inspired her to pursue music as a passion and a profession but bound to no single genre or style. She has since flourished as a go-to artist in Kansas City and beyond. Her current projects include Ensemble Iberica, which explores the traditional music of Spain and Portugal, and Flannigan's Right Hook, a high-energy country/bluegrass/Celtic rock band. She also writes, records and tours with acclaimed Jewish singer/songwriter Rabbi Josh Warshawsky.
No matter the endeavor, Dieker contributes more than just her music virtuosity. She also delivers a passion, enthusiasm and that sense of adventure that her peers admire and respect. Clint Ashlock, artistic director of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, once said of Dieker: “She is not afraid to assert her personality, which is difficult to do consistently when you play in such a wide variety of musical settings like she does. She’s really one of the most brilliant individual musicians in our scene.”
Guest Teachers!
As we spotlight each of the melodies, I invite you to learn from the words of some of my teachers and mentors throughout the years. I am only where I am today because of the help and guidance I have received from them. They have supported me - offered advice, honest critique, suggestions, wisdom, and Torah. I asked a few of my teachers if they would be willing to share words of Torah and Kavanah (intention) about the music and the texts from Chaverai Nevarech Vol. II. A short bio will follow each post. Thank you to my teachers - you have made me who I am!
Rav Todot (much gratitude) and Shabbat Shalom,
Josh
Gam Ki Eilech by Coleen Dieker and Josh Warshawsky
Out now wherever you find your music!
Artwork by Lizzie Sivitz www.nirehor.com
Stream Chaverai Nevarech Vol. II wherever you find your music by clicking here!