Ravid Kahalani’s Yemen Blues project begins and ends with the singer’s rhapsodic voice and a Yemeni accent acquired from childhood religious singing – but everything in the middle is global, funky, and outrageous. Kahalani is part Prince, part James Brown, and his music reaches into Moroccan gnawa, Nigerian afrobeat, ecstatic jazz, and global soul. The genre-defying band is famous for live performances that border on the spiritual.
We Believe is the latest project of the internationally beloved global music ensemble – the new songs layer African-American traditions into an already sophisticated patchwork of gnawa, afrobeat, ecstatic jazz, and global soul. It brings together a group of individual artists who respect, honor and celebrate their cultural differences, discovering a sound that none of them could have created on their own. It’s a testament to the power of true diversity and collaboration. They draw from both Middle Eastern and African American traditions that hit home with a new musical sound that is rock solid in its funky, thunderous grooves.
Rahid Kahalani has come to the Valley twice before with Yemen Blues, most recently in a duo format. On this visit he is bringing his big-band ensemble, complete with horns, percussion, and more.
This concert is supported by The Neta Bolozky and Yaffa Gunner Fund, the Consulate General of Israel to New England, the Jewish Community of Amherst, and Collider!
