"His source materials range from east-European folk music through to hard bop, funk and French accordion tunes. He manages to weld it all together with such righteous fury that the end result is nothing short of devastating". James Griffiths 5* REVIEW IN THE GUARDIAN
"You might be surprised, but the most telling combination of politics and music in years has been produced by a jazz musician. Of course, jazz in the '50s and '60s was inextricably linked to the Civil Rights Movement in the US; and the music of Israeli-born reeds-playing genius, Gilad Atzmon, is similarly enmeshed with the struggles of the Palestinian people. Indeed, the remarkable Palestinian singer, Reem Kelani, opens this staggeringly brilliant collection. Her keening vocals hold a plaintive conversation with Atzmon's mournful clarinet, before the song spins into a defiant, swirling dance. Next up, Al-Quds takes an Israeli favourite of the '67 war and substitutes lyrics by an Arabic poet. The track interweaves Atzmon's fluid, fervent post-bop stylings with Middle Eastern, Balkan and North African modalities. A tactic he employs throughout to prove that the West and the Muslim world can coexist. And produce great art"...*****JOE CUSHLEY What's On in London
In his new album: 'Exile', Gilad & The Orient House Ensemble move further towards a cultural hybrid. The band tries to remove the unnecessary barriers between Jewish and Arabic cultures. Gilad tries to emphasize the similarity between the two peoples that lived in perfect harmony for hundreds of years. The new album features the great Palestinian singer Reem Kelani and The world famous vocalist and oud player Dhafer Youssef.
Exile represents a significant milestone in Gilad's musical career. For the album Gilad has selected musicians who live in exile, including musicians from Palestine, Italy, Romania, Britain and the Israel.
Exile features Gilad Atzmon - saxophones and clarinet; Reem Kelani - voice; Marcel Mamaliga - violin; Romano Viazzani - accordion; Frank Harrison - piano; Yaron Stavi - bass; Asaf Sirkis - drums & bandir and Dhafer Youssef - oud. |
