Summit is the culmination of nearly twenty years of composition—a body of work that slowly took shape over time but ultimately revealed itself as one cohesive journey. Though these pieces were written across different eras of Nadav Remez’s life, it was during a live performance three years ago that it became clear they belonged together—despite being written years apart, the tunes spoke the same musical language, and the set flowed in a way that felt cohesive and complete. It became clear: they belonged together, and it was time to make this record.

The album features a fearless, deeply expressive band. Some of the musicians—Greg Tardy and Ben Tiberio—had played with Remez for years. The others—Guy Moskovich and David Sirkis—joined him on stage for the first time at that pivotal concert. They recorded over three days at Dreamland Studios in upstate New York. Though the compositions stretch back decades, this particular group brought the music into sharp focus—making it feel fresh, immediate, and grounded in the present.

The emotional arc of the album is long and layered. The album unfolds as a continuous emotional journey—serious, curious, tender, intense, spiritual, at times even playful. There are peaks and valleys throughout—with tension that keeps building, twisting, and shifting forward as the band climbs ever higher. There are brief moments to rest, but full catharsis arrives only on the final track.

The first act begins at the base of the mountain. “The Awakening” opens with bold, cinematic force—setting the tone with its serious, searching energy. “Shedemati” follows with grounded swing and sun-bathed soul, a reimagining of a century-old agricultural song that evokes hard work in open fields. From there, “King Tut” shifts the mood into the mystical and ancient, channeling the spirit of Pharaoh Tutankhamun with an air of glory and spiritual occult. “Hephasteus” answers with jagged energy and unruly melodies—a fiery odd-metered piece named for the Greek god of fire and volcanoes. “Soon,” written in the early days of COVID, offers a tender opening that swells into epic longing for what was lost—and what might return. “Tango for Greg” closes the first act with charm and wit, featuring Gregory Tardy on clarinet in a playful, dance-like interlude.

The second act begins with “Tribute,” the shortest and oldest tune on the album. Written as a farewell to a beloved great uncle, it’s brief but potent—celestial and fast-moving, like a comet flashing across the night sky. “Hinach Yaffa Raayati” brings things back to earth with sweetness and steady motion—a love song, earthly or divine, built on a rhythmic bass line and a final melody that quietly says “and I love you.” “Beyond!” stretches out like an open horizon, spacious and exploratory—calm at first, then building with purpose. The title track, “Summit,” is the final ascent: a high-altitude journey through contrasting terrain, with moments of wide perspective and others of narrow uncertainty. At the summit, the air is thin, the view is clear—and the arrival is hard-won.

But it’s “Adon Olam” that lifts the record even higher. A traditional Jewish prayer reimagined as a ballad, it rises through Gregory Tardy’s soaring solo into something transcendent, radiant, and full of eternal love. “Boulevards” serves as the epilogue—beginning with gentle, almost naïve beauty before the weight of reality settles in. Inspired by the town of Sderot, the piece closes the album with grief, resilience, and a quiet return of hope.

Throughout the album, opposites coexist: ancient melodies and brand new ones; earthy grooves and ethereal textures; personal stories and collective memory. These tensions are not resolved—they’re not meant to be. Instead, they live side by side, shaping the emotional terrain of the record. That includes arrangements of Israeli oldies and Jewish melodies, which Remez didn’t set out to include—they simply felt inevitable. They are what ground the music, and what open it up to the sky.

Visually, the arc is mirrored in the artwork: each single features a circular symbol with a mountain silhouette. As the singles unfold, the mountain grows clearer, evolving toward the full album cover—where the full summit is revealed.