Raphi Gottesman – Unwrapped Gifts : A Guest Mix

In early 2021, Oakland musician Raphi Gottesman released an album on German label AOsmosis. The instrumental The Clarity of Dawn features many guest instrumentalists around the world but the majority of the work is done by Raphi himself, broaching themes of finding hope in the face of his young son undergoing treatment for leukemia. The record is jazzy at times, atmospheric at others, but heartfelt and emotionally resonant through and through. Raphi’s played with a myriad of artists and bands including Black Swans and Sonny and the Sunsets and he also gives music lessons! Have a listen to the playlist he curated just for us, then check out the beautiful video for the single “Black Coffee and the News”.

As an attempt to cope with the impersonal world of streaming music, I decided to dedicate this mix to artists who have handed me their album face to face in the “before times.” 

Get The Clarity of Dawn on Bandcamp.

Photo by Jon Feinstein