Ancient Jewish Rituals from the Yemeni Desert, produced by Shanir Blumenkranz, co-star John Zorn and Yo-Yo Ma / Stars of Respect Festival 2024 returns to Prague.

Wild vocal harmonies characteristic of their ancestral tradition, intense Yemeni rhythms played on tin canisters, along with amplified grooves. An ancient art form transformed into a deep joyful trance. Voices of Yemen was founded by Ravid Kahalani (Yemen Blues) together by an association dedicated to preserving the tradition of the mystical songs of the Jewish tribes of Yemen. The album debut, Judah, was produced and arranged by ensemble member, sought-after bassist Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz (Yo-Yo Ma, John Zorn, Cyro Baptista).

The group was founded by Ravid Kahalani, known from the successful Yemen Blues line-up, which brings Yemeni chants into a contemporary form with modern instruments. Voices of Yemen, on the other hand, sticks to the original, chamber sound. The combination of four voices, oud lute, guitar, percussion and bass guitar draws you in with a repetitive rhythmic structure, while the vocals gently build up the tension with melodic cycles. The result is a supreme experience on the part of both listener and musicians that evokes the American blues. Yemeni traditions are distinguished from Jewish music elsewhere by this very experience. The reason is that in Yemen, instruments were not used, and singing was done only with the accompaniment of drums. The voices therefore brought the most concentrated feeling. The debut album Judah, with its carefully selected collection of ritual chants, was produced by Kahalani and bassist Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, a collaborator of both John Zorn and Yo-Yo Ma. In addition to the darbuka, the group uses a tin canister, considered a traditional percussion instrument in Yemen.

Event is promoted by Rachot Production