Yemen Blues

Yemen Blues - Ravid Kahalani

by Benedict Croft

Ravid Kahalani, the founder of Yemen blues, is an Israeli musician with Yemenite parents, living between New York and Tel Aviv, known now for his creative integration of sounds from numerous traditions including Yemenite folk, Jazz, Afrobeat and Middle Eastern takht. This album announced Kahalani onto the scene, with critics unable to satisfactorily place its musical origins or influences in a way that allowed it to transcend genre, surely the ultimate aim of any fusion music. Kahalani sings in Yemeni Arabic alongside Ahmed Alshaiba, a Muslim Yemenite oud player making Yemen Blues more than simply a musical collaboration but a cross cultural exploration between Jewish and Islamic traditions. In ‘Jat Mahibathi’, Alshaiba opens with a dūlāb that references typical takht traditions, yet, this is instantly confused by the entry of the darbuka percussion, which, although sounding intrinsically Arabic, feels rhythmically more North African. Then enters Kahalani’s distinctive vocals which provide great intensity through dramatic pitch changes and layered voices which are softened only by brass and flute lines that eventually break out into a trumpet solo, giving the piece an overall jazz-like feel. Yemen Blues is by no means limited to this sound however, with tracks such as ‘Trape La Verite’ referencing folk styles that could be heard from the Scottish Highlands to the Sarawat Mountains of Yemen. It is this diversity which creates a work, that, despite drawing on numerous ancient musical traditions, sounds entirely unique. ◆