Global Effort Behind EGM’s Just-Released "Little Town of Bethlehem" Soundtrack

Aug. 30, 2011 - PRLog -- Renowned jazz musicians Kirk Whalum and Calvin Jones composed the original score. Distributed through Kingsway, the album includes two bonus tracks —from Christian artist, Shawn McDonald, and Arabic artist, Basel Zayed.

Little Town of Bethlehem was produced by Mart Green and directed by Jim Hanon. The documentary shares the gripping story of three men—a Palestinian Muslim, a Palestinian Christian, and an Israeli Jew—each born into violence but willing to risk everything to bring an end to violence in their lifetime. Little Town of Bethlehem was filmed on location in the West Bank, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, with a hope of bringing awareness to a growing nonviolent movement in the Holy Land that rarely, if ever, makes
international headlines.

Hanon describes the film’s unique perspective, “Little Town of Bethlehem doesn’t focus on who’s right or who’s wrong. Rather, it shows what it truly means and ultimately takes to love one’s enemies. Working with the nonviolence movement, we discovered that Palestinians and Israelis alike had been significantly inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., so I asked Kirk about fusing Middle East sound with Memphis blues for the score.” Recording was done in Bethlehem, Tel Aviv, and Memphis. Whalum produced the
soundtrack by mixing traditional Arabic and Hebrew instrumentation with the blues inspired by the U.S. civil rights movement. Calvin Jones provided additional sound support.

Track Listing:
Street Soldier
Holy Land Theme: Manger Square March of Fire
Father: Hero
Intifada
The Promised Land
Manger Child
Funeral Chords
Holy Land Theme: Wailing Wall
Equality—Mr. Del
Peace Process
Holy Land Theme: Damascus Gate Funeral Chords: Reprise
Fighter Pilot
Little Town of Bethlehem—Shawn McDonald
My Little Town—Basel Zayed

Credits: Music by Kirk Whalum and Calvin Jones with additional performances by Shawn McDonald, Mr. Del, and Basel Zayed

EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) is an educational non-profit (501c3) organization that explores the critical issues of our time. As a community of artists and filmmakers, EGM uses media to tell true stories of hope and compassion in the midst of suffering
and strife. EGM believes that gaining a deeper understanding of the human condition inspires positive action. Recent releases include Little Town of Bethlehem, Miss HIV, and The Grandfathers, as well as bestsellers End of the Spear and Beyond the Gates of Splendor.

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