Yemen Blues:
Conceived from vocalist Ravid Kahalani’s vision, Yemen Blues’ mixes Yemen and West Africa influences with contemporary grooves from funk to mambo and the deep soul of old chants. Conjuring up a rich and diverse aural palette with the use of percussion, oud, horns, and strings, Yemen Blues coexists in both the past and present, at once timeless and modern. The collective is a true collaboration of top master musicians, its core including Ravid Kahalani, Itamar Doari, Rony Iwryn, Shanir Blumenkranz and Itamar Borochov. Founded by Ravid in 2010, Yemen Blues is one of the most gripping and fun live bands in contemporary music today. The band has toured extensively over the past several years, performing for enraptured audiences across the globe.
Dates and Venue:
9th October: Hotel Clarks In, Jaipur, 8pm onwards
10th October: Performance at Old Zenana, Courtyard, Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
11th October: Hall No 1, International Carnival Stage, IIT Kanpur, 10pm onwards
12th October: Rai Umanath Bali Auditorium, Lucknow, 6.30pm onwards
13th October: Kamani Auditorium, Delhi, 6.30pm onwards
Webpage: http://www.yemenblues.com/
Genre: Music
Partners: ICCR, RIFF Jodhpur, IIT Kanpur, Hotel Clarks In
Moses sings the blues: Yemen Blues, an Israeli band on its first India tour
Written by Suanshu Khurana | October 13, 2014
In Israel, where music is a torrid affair, musician Ravid Kahalani (pictured) sings of insanya (humanity). With an Arabic guitar strapped to him, his long locks swinging with a voracity enough to make the ’90s metal bands feel honoured, 36-year-old Kahalani croons, Look at the blood of your own children on your hands/ You are looking for more revenge?. The turn of phrase is unvarnished, but the effect is high-octane, like the intricate melody lines played on that guitar. There is his trademark 12-bar blues format in place, the one Kahalani is so inspired by “because the heart of it falls in line with the ritual chanting in synagogue services”. And in Israel, Kahalani has become something of a legend, at least among the more radical people, who are ready to listen to him while he captures a variety of global influences.
A Yemenite Jew who now lives in Israel (Yeminite Jews aren’t accepted in Yemen), his music — that blends ancient synogogue chants from the Torah with jazz, funk, rock and blues — is sneaking into spaces where geo-politics and diplomacy have failed to go. “It seems good things are sometimes boring to people. Wars exist all over the world, one is worse than the other. Yes, geographically, I am in a region of war but the idea is to spread the good, make people feel good,” says Kahalani, but through Insanya, he had this moment, that could be expressed through melody. “The song talks about my moment of anger with human beings. I see governments, the never-ending wars, people fighting about such stupid and simple things. So I ask questions and express what I see. Seeing things creates such powerful imagery, that people can find it easier to spread the message. And that creates such powerful imagery, which makes it easier to spread the message. I have hope. As long as we can take that hope and bring it to the next level, we’ll be fine,” says Kahalani, who has brought together an eclectic group of international musicians, which includes Israeli percussionist Itamar Doari, Uruguayan percussionist Rony Iwryn, New York-based bassist and oud player Shanir Blumenkranz and New York-based trumpeter Itamar Borochov, who will perform in the Capital today, courtesy the Embassy of Israel.
The group’s performance at this year’s Jodhpur RIFF, with its gripping blend of sounds had the crowd asking for more. The band has already performed at some of the finest venues all over the world including Womex World Expo, Roskilde Festival Denmark, New York Central Park’s Summerstage and Millennium Park Chicago, among others.
“Yemen Blues is a rare meeting of some phenomenal musicians. Music is a tool stronger than any religion, any politics