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By Alethea Perez, October 6, 2011 9:20 am

Sometimes the unexpected comes with the daily mail. This recent addition arrived just in time for Yom Kippur. It  features Nicolas Jolliet a talented guitarist, sitarist,  and composer.

The Kol Nidre has fascinated composers for centuries. Now it has caught the attention of Guitarist and Sitarist Nicolas Jolliet. Using the sitar, surbahar, tabla, oud, dumbek and other exotic instruments, this CD was recorded on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia, and evolves from traditional ragas into a seductive Reggae beat. The subject of a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary, it was played at a Yom Kippur service held at a U.S. base in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The Jolliet Kol Nidre was written in two parts. The first,  although  innovative, closely follows the original. The second part is a freer interpretation using the richly textured sounds of the East.  Click here to listen to this beautiful rendition of one of Judaica’s most iconic songs.

The producer, Harold Levy, has made the piece available free of charge on Soundcloud’s website.  Information on how to purchase this album can be found at Kolnidre.org.