Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi
Photo by Laurent Burst
YEMEN BLUES was founded by Ravid Kahalani, a rising star in Israel who grew up to a traditional Yemenite family, learned the language and the traditional chants of his origin. Ravid joined forces with Omer Avital, a well known bass player and composer, and together they gathered YEMEN BLUES, a group of musicians from New York, Israel and Uruguay which fuses traditional Yemenite music with blues, jazz, funk and West African rhythms and melodies.
About Ravid Kahalani
The rising star Ravid Kahalani was born in 1978 in Israel to a Yemenite family which originated from Kohlan near Sanaa district in Yemen. Coming from a Yemenite-Jewish culture which is well known for their singing talents, his family has a great history of singers. Read more about him.
About Omer Avital
Born and raised in Israel to parents of Yemenite and Moroccan descent, Avital was surrounded from early age by the diverse musical and cultural landscape of his homeland: Israeli folk songs (a mix of Arabic melodies with European harmonies), Yemenite-Jewish liturgical music (an ancient and beautiful tradition of poetry, melody, rhythm) and Dance-, Arabic and Mediterranean popular music from Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, North Africa etc… the various Jewish traditions of songs and prayers (Ashkenazi and Sephardic), European Art music, Western popular music and American Jazz and Blues. In 1992, Omer Avital moved to New York. Read more about him.
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About the band/line up
Avi Leibovich (Trombone)
Galia Hai (Viola)
Hadar Noiberg (Flutes)
Hilla Epstein (Cello)
Itamar Borochov (Trumpet)
Itamar Doari (Middle East Percussions)
Omer Avital (Oud, Bass, Vocals)
Ravid Kahalani (Vocals, Percussions, Srtings)
Rony Iwryn (Latin Percussions)
Yemen Blues’ U.S. Tour Schedule
02/27/2011, Sun
Chicago, IL
Old Town School of Folk Music
4544 N. Lincoln Ave
Tix: $16-$20, Show: 7:30 pm
Ph: 773.728.6000
03/01/2011, Tue
Philadelphia, PA
Rodeph Shalom Synagogue
615 N. Broad Street
Tix: $36-$180, Show: 8:00 pm
03/02/2011, Wed
Seattle, WA
The Triple Door
216 Union Street
Tix: $25, Doors Open: 5:00 pm, Show: 7:00 pm
Ph: 206.838.4333
03/05/2011, Sat
Berkeley, CA
Freight & Salvage
2020 Addison Street
Tix: $25.50-$30.50, Doors Open: 7:00 pm, Show: 8:00 pm
Ph: 510.644.2020
03/06/2011, Sun
Los Angeles, CA
Troubadour
9081 Santa Monica Blvd
Tix: $25, Show: 7:00 pm
03/09/2011, Wed
New York, NY
Le Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street
Tix: $20, Doors Open: 7:00 pm, Show: 8:00 pm
Ph: 212.505.3474
03/10/2011, Thu
Needham, MA
Somerville Theatre
123 Gould Street
Tix: $20-$30, Show: 8:00 pm
Ph: 781.883.2091
