Music festival features rare Brubeck piece

NEW YORK, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A seldom-heard sacred piece by jazz musician Dave Brubeck will highlight a New York music festival also premiering nine new works, organizers said.

The second Festival of Universal Sacred Music Nov. 4-5 celebrates the world's religions while pointing to "all that we share in common," says producer Ullamaija Kivimaki.

Brubeck's "Earth Is Our Mother," for choir and jazz ensemble, appreciates "the interconnectedness of all life," she said.

Premiering pieces include "To God of All Nations," by University of Toronto professor Chan Ka Nin; "One," by Maya Raviv of Tel Aviv, Israel, combining Jewish and Muslim music; and "God Picks Up the Reed-Flute World," by J. Mark Scearce of Raleigh, N.C., based on 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi's poetry.

A concert by Kim Cunio of Sydney, Australia, weaves music from earliest biblical times "to the 'golden age' of medieval Spain, when Islamic, Christian and Jewish faiths enjoyed an unrivaled harmony," Kivimaki said.