Just Like Home K’mo Babayit I wanted to tell you something about my Israel through the choice of songs on this CD, something the history books, the endless news articles and TV programs don’t convey: Israel, the land of my birth, is a land created and built as much by poets as by statesmen; a land whose music has not only reflected the deepest, most profound elements of the Israeli experience, but has actually helped form and articulate the very best its inhabitants have to offer; a land whose artists have adored, scolded, prodded, exalted and mourned tirelessly. It is the land whose rebirth my brave parents, my extraordinary grandparents and my visionary great grandparents, in large measure, helped make a reality. I love my homeland for its unwavering, tumultuous love affair with the arts; for its obsession with the quality of the word and the worlds it can create and destroy; for the central role artists played in the Israel of my youth. The notion that a nation, so overwhelmed with the impossible task of building its ancient- nascent country in one of the most contested, war-torn areas of the world, would produce more musicians, visual artists, actors, writers, poets and dancers, comparatively, than any other nation in the span of a mere 60 years is, in my opinion, Israel’s singular, most astonishing contribution to modern civilization. May she never lose her heart, her soul, her truth, and may she continue to pour forth her beauty, her passion and her heartbreak through the arts, so that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through her. Special thanks to Terry, for allowing me to play and experiment with my music in a darkened room for hours on end and for her support, insight, faith, love and patience; to Carmel, Jonathan and Jordan, my sweet sons, for their keen comments, but, mostly for their love; To Sivan and Emma, just because; to my teachers, friends and mentors to whom I owe all I know; to Melvin and Marvin Bloom for their unrequited passion and, finally, to Michael and Kenji for making this project a sheer delight, a joy, a new discovery and a blessing. Danny Maseng, November 2007

Listen • Introduction • Credits • Guide • Lyrics