Often the best albums are the ones that take you completely by surprise. The ones where you don’t expect much but in just a few minutes are transported to another realm entirely. That’s very much the case with The World And Its People by Yosef Gutman-Levitt, his tenth studio album in the last five years.

Yosef, who? Yep. Sometimes one needs to leave the comforts of the States to find something worth remembering. Gutman-Levitt is a Jerusalem based composer and bassist (mostly upright, though he does play electric as well) who has mostly performed jazz music. The World And Its People has its hands in jazz but also chamber music, bluegrass and borrows a lot from Chris Thile’s Goat Rodeo Sessions with Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan. Self-released on Gutman-Levitt’s newly formed Soul Song Records, the album was produced by Gilad Ronan and produced by Richard King (who won a Grammy for The Goat Rodeo Sessions). Nylon and steel-string guitars are performed by Tal Yahalom, piano by Omri Mor, cello by Yoed Nir and upbright bass and five-string acoustic bass by Gutman-Levitt. Each of the players are self-assured, without flaw and downright spellbinding. This is air-tight, richly produced, luxuriant music.

Gutman-Levitt is a Hasidic Jew and has gone on record as saying that this album is in many ways a worship album, an attempt to appreciate a wondrous God and the world and people He has created. Many of the greats of classical music also used their canon as worship and The World And Its People borrows that template and takes it to new heights. Opening track “Awakening” alone is enough to stop one in its tracks. Featuring wintry piano and a sonic landscape that is barren it eventually segues into supple acoustic guitar, autumnal cello and Levitt’s prominent bass. Bordering on elegaic “Awakening” is a stirring opening to an album that pulses in every quivering second.

“My Soul Thirsts” is summery and vernal, while at the same time twinkling and nocturnal. Think of a late night summer walk in warm July heat. That’s the veneer that “My Soul Thirsts” presents. “Shifting Sky” is a bit more frenzied and has the album’s first real sense of pace. There’s a definite nod to his jazz background as the song is nimble, playful and almost jovial. Frolicking along with a sense of whismy and wonder “Shifting Sky” is best fit for the approaching winter thaw and the unyielding promise of summer. Arguably the strongest asset of “Shiftng Sky” is Omri Nir’s inspired piano work.

Despite its buoyant moniker title-track “The World And Its People” opens melancholic and sanguine, but don’t let that start fool you. By the final minute the composition rises to something jubilant, hopeful and sun-drenched. Levitt once again thumps his bass in such a way that one can’t help but marvel at his deft playing. That pronounced sense of hope and wonder is revisited in the rich and vibrant “B’nei Heichala” an effervescent cut that is thick with cadence, scope and melody. The album’s Side A concludes with the urgent and immediate “Dancing Together” a three minute jaunt buttressed by Mor’s ebullient pinao.

Side B opens with “The Shepherd” a five-minute opus that is a tour-de-force in emotion and impact. A spartan opening yields to some affecting cello before opening up to something grander, majestic and celestial. Emotionally rich and resonant “The Shepherd” is the kind of song that makes one want to re-listen again and again. The World And Its People has many winning moments but few can rival the scope of “The Shepherd.”

As if imploring the session musicians to take a breath “Morning Star” opens delicately with wintry piano and the song very much evokes its title. Few songs on the album are more hushed then this and the entire mood is subdued, contemplative and prayer-like. Then again that’s probably the point.

Levitt’s pronounced focus on whismy and wonder returns in “Nigun Tzernach Tzedek” a colorful and jovial affair that is sprite and lively from the very first seconds. The final minute however is something else altogether. Like a riveting cinema score playing over end credits the final 60 seconds of “Nigun Tzernach Tzedek” is pure bliss. One cannot listen to it and not feel grateful for every breath and every ticking second.

Penultimate offerng “David’s Harp” is playful and punchy and easily the most jazz-centric track on the album. Once again Levitt’s inspired bass playing takes center stage but equal weight should be given to Yahalom’s skillful guitar work. Levitt’s masterwork concludes with “Purim Lamu” a sedate affair that inches towards something more pulsing, immediate and antic. Bolstered by Mor’s winning piano “Purim Lamu” is a fitting end to an album that needs to be heard to be fully understood.

Without question The World and Its People is our album of the week but to be frank this just might be our album of the month and likely an AOTY candidate by year’s end.

Let’s face it. The world is splintered, fractured and feels like utter chaos on the daily. One focused listen of The World And Its People reminds you that there is beauty, joy and hope still abounding. God bless Yosef Gutman-Levitt and the players on this album. This is why we listen to music and this is why we wake up every day. This is why we blog.