Ravid Kahalani is the founder of the Israeli band Yemen Blues, who have played in many a music festival across the world, from New York's SummerStage to Denmark's Roskilde. Kahalani was born in Israel to parents of Yemeni origins. They were attached to their roots, and as a child Kahalani was taught traditional Yemeni chants and was sent to religious courses with a Yemeni rabbi. He dropped out of school at the age of 15, and after a short stint in acting and dancing, he finally realized that his real passion in life was music. He tried his luck in a number of activities, ranging from Serbian church music to a collaboration with the highly acclaimed Israeli musician Idan Raichel. In 2010, Kahalani formed Yemen Blues, whose music is a mixture of Yemen and West African influences with a fusion of funk, soul, blues and jazz. The band's songs are written in a Yemeni dialect of Arabic and sung in different idioms, along with a bit of Hebrew and gibberish. Join us for an eclectic hour, during which Kahalani takes us around the world with his musical influences, and improvises a song on his gimbri.

Playlist:

Marie Lou Williams – st martin de porres Archie Shepp – Attica Blues Prince – The Truth Habib Koite – Sirata Yemen Blues – Trape La Verite Yemen Blues – Baraca