Lee Oskar

Never Forget

Dreams We Share Productions

You know the name Lee Oskar. Aside from his melodic harmonica tones, don’t expect to hear anything resembling “Slipping Into Darkness” or “The World Is a Ghetto” from his renowned tenure with War, yet this tour de force, Never Forget, is every bit as indelible in a completely different way. Its singular sound, unlike almost any you’ve heard, carries a rather inexplicable element of soul as it potently addresses the atrocities of the Holocaust, while in the vein of the best music, it also serves as a positive force for healing. The project is largely instrumental, sequenced like a soundtrack, all composed, produced and illustrated by the harmonica legend. Oskar, who was born in Denmark, is the son of a holocaust survivor so this musical memoir is his way of telling his family’s story, his journey, and making the statement of never forgetting this horrific event.

With over two dozen listed in the credits, the cast includes not only guitarists, bassists, and drummers but strings, brass, woodwinds, and background vocalists. Special touches feature an oud player and a flamenco guitarist. Oskar’s musical memoir will inevitably evoke a range of heartfelt emotions, as his harmonica lines soar over the orchestration in just about every piece, as if a vocalist. The work rarely drags one down too deeply into maudlin territory but instead rings with triumphant tones. One can gain further insight into his familial history through the photography and his brilliant artwork in the enclosed booklet.

Oskar’s mother and her sister, both of whom were teenagers at the time, escaped from the death march coming out of the Stuthoff extermination camp in Poland, traversing tundra-like terrain to eventually land in Denmark. Oskar says, “For all my life the things my mother told me about that experience have remained with me. It’s something I wanted to make certain is never forgotten and in many ways that’s always been on my mind and always been a driving force in my work, those memories.”

The opening “Far Away Dreams” is a sweeping orchestral arrangement as if the soundtrack to a opening vista in a film. It’s calm, melodic and teeming with Oskar’s harmonica refrains that sit beautifully with the piano chords and majestic strings. “Miracle Children,” dedicated to his family, is slightly darker with a European symphonic character with prominent strings. “Song from Mom” and the title track are the most poignant, direct expressions of the tragedy that occurred, urging us to not only remember but to never venture into such an ugly place again. In between, Oskar bids farewell to his dad in “Last Moments (Saying Goodbye),” a brief piece buoyed mostly by his harmonica with subtle accompaniment, also hits tenderly. His love song “Song for Sri” does so well.

The second half of the album has a more celebratory aura with “Liberty (An American Waltz)” and “World for Peace (Tolerance)” as the orchestra swells with positivity in the former and a more contemplative approach in the latter, which features the flamenco guitarist, oud and spiritual vocalists chanting for unity.  Oskar’s final piece, “My Road,” returns to the sweeping elements of the opener before yielding mid-piece to a harmonica-guitar duet, impeccably framed by the orchestra.

This will defy almost any expectation you may have, given Oskar’s soulful history with Eric Burdon’s War or that band’s supergroup incarnation. Oskar takes you on a completely different emotional journey here, one that will surely move you and leave a lasting impact.

• Jim Hynes

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