Ararat

As the four-day long Delhi International Jazz Festival recently ended, Ararat, an Israeli jazz band, surely had an advantage over other international bands when it came to winning Indian hearts.
The band enthralled the audience at Nehru Park as they played some of their famous songs including Sapari Tama, Comci Comca and Ararat. - The Asian Age

As the four-day long Delhi International Jazz Festival recently ended, Ararat, an Israeli jazz band, surely had an advantage over other international bands when it came to winning Indian hearts.
The band enthralled the audience at Nehru Park as they played some of their famous songs including Sapari Tama, Comci Comca and Ararat. - The Asian Age

"Chowdaiah Memorial Hall was packed with hundreds of jazz lovers, who got to witness something they probably weren’t expecting. From Moroccan religious chants, Bulgarian and Polish songs to even Andalusian poems set to music — the band played that and more. Some were smooth and hypnotic, while others had a happy, energetic vibe that saw the vocalist dancing and the audience clapping along".

"What was most appealing was the assortment of instruments played by the musicians — there was a soprano saxophone, Egyptian oud, qawwal, didgeridoo, flutes from Egypt and Turkey, bells, ghungroos, cajon, tombak and even an olive can, used by Jews from Yemen who weren’t allowed to make music".

"It was a rich exchange of culture, where the listener could feel the stories knitted into the lyrics, even if they didn’t know what they meant. There was always a surprise element in each song, which seemed to fascinate and win the hearts of the audiences. “The programme was attended by people from every community, faith, religion and belief. And in that sense, it was hugely successful as it definitely promoted cultural relations,” shares Amitabh, an audience member. His son, Arnav, adds, “It was lovely — the music was meditative, energetic and a lovely blend of different cultures.”
The final piece was an enriching one due to the inclusion of Pandit Narasimhulu Wadavati on the clarinet and a young tabla player named Venkatesh. It was a beautiful collaboration to watch".
- DECCAN HERALD

"Chowdaiah Memorial Hall was packed with hundreds of jazz lovers, who got to witness something they probably weren’t expecting. From Moroccan religious chants, Bulgarian and Polish songs to even Andalusian poems set to music — the band played that and more. Some were smooth and hypnotic, while others had a happy, energetic vibe that saw the vocalist dancing and the audience clapping along".

"What was most appealing was the assortment of instruments played by the musicians — there was a soprano saxophone, Egyptian oud, qawwal, didgeridoo, flutes from Egypt and Turkey, bells, ghungroos, cajon, tombak and even an olive can, used by Jews from Yemen who weren’t allowed to make music".

"It was a rich exchange of culture, where the listener could feel the stories knitted into the lyrics, even if they didn’t know what they meant. There was always a surprise element in each song, which seemed to fascinate and win the hearts of the audiences. “The programme was attended by people from every community, faith, religion and belief. And in that sense, it was hugely successful as it definitely promoted cultural relations,” shares Amitabh, an audience member. His son, Arnav, adds, “It was lovely — the music was meditative, energetic and a lovely blend of different cultures.”
The final piece was an enriching one due to the inclusion of Pandit Narasimhulu Wadavati on the clarinet and a young tabla player named Venkatesh. It was a beautiful collaboration to watch".
- DECCAN HERALD

Ararat gave Bangalore a taste of Israeli jazz, with its myriad influences
Ofer Peled, whose family migrated to Israel from Poland, has been working in the United States and Israel in jazz and other genres of music. On March 18, his current band Ararat was in Bangalore at the invitation of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations to show what Israeli jazz is like, how it mixes seamlessly with various ethnic streams of music that have contributed to his country’s culture, and chiefly to enjoy themselves in exploring these musical blends.
Moyal’s family was from Morocco, so between him and Peled they contributed songs to the repertoire from North Africa and Eastern Europe, including gypsy music and also the klezmer of Eastern European Jews, but also music from the immediate West Asian neighbours of Israel, especially Egypt and Yemen. These are all countries where there are, or were before Israel was founded, sizable Jewish populations, hence have contributed to Israeli music.
The bulk of what Ararat performed was thus Israeli jazz, grounded as it was in all these ethnic streams of folk music with a strong overlay of the solo improvisation that characterises jazz. Rhythm figured strongly in the bill of fare, it being a hallmark not only of jazz but also of these folk musics, as did dollops of verve and passion.
Ararat started with a Bulgarian (possibly gypsy) rhythm­based number in a brisk tempo, with solos on oud, soprano sax and Egyptian flute (Moyal did not sing on this one). They followed with a pulsating piece based on a Moroccan religious chant that Moyal’s father taught him. Peled performed solos on soprano sax and flute, while Moyal contributed a vocal improvisation redolent of Indian classical music, and also blew the didgeridoo.
A Yemeni song, an Andalusian liturgical poem, and a klezmer piece followed, all of them affording scope to the musicians to launch solo improvisations on sax, flute, oud, percussion and vocals. Most of the numbers were brisk­paced and lilting. Peled’s sonorous sax and flutes and Moyal’s powerful voice stood out, but the others pitched in just as well.
This finale was the highlight of the evening, and perhaps surprised some in the audience by the ease with which it blended Indian classical music and jazz, but not yours truly. Both genres of music being strong in improvisation and in rhythm, and jazz not being rigid in the structure and form of composition, there was no problem, and it was all good jazz – mainstream, Israeli or Indian. All six musicians were totally at ease with one another and the audience loved it. - The Hindu

Ararat gave Bangalore a taste of Israeli jazz, with its myriad influences
Ofer Peled, whose family migrated to Israel from Poland, has been working in the United States and Israel in jazz and other genres of music. On March 18, his current band Ararat was in Bangalore at the invitation of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations to show what Israeli jazz is like, how it mixes seamlessly with various ethnic streams of music that have contributed to his country’s culture, and chiefly to enjoy themselves in exploring these musical blends.
Moyal’s family was from Morocco, so between him and Peled they contributed songs to the repertoire from North Africa and Eastern Europe, including gypsy music and also the klezmer of Eastern European Jews, but also music from the immediate West Asian neighbours of Israel, especially Egypt and Yemen. These are all countries where there are, or were before Israel was founded, sizable Jewish populations, hence have contributed to Israeli music.
The bulk of what Ararat performed was thus Israeli jazz, grounded as it was in all these ethnic streams of folk music with a strong overlay of the solo improvisation that characterises jazz. Rhythm figured strongly in the bill of fare, it being a hallmark not only of jazz but also of these folk musics, as did dollops of verve and passion.
Ararat started with a Bulgarian (possibly gypsy) rhythm­based number in a brisk tempo, with solos on oud, soprano sax and Egyptian flute (Moyal did not sing on this one). They followed with a pulsating piece based on a Moroccan religious chant that Moyal’s father taught him. Peled performed solos on soprano sax and flute, while Moyal contributed a vocal improvisation redolent of Indian classical music, and also blew the didgeridoo.
A Yemeni song, an Andalusian liturgical poem, and a klezmer piece followed, all of them affording scope to the musicians to launch solo improvisations on sax, flute, oud, percussion and vocals. Most of the numbers were brisk­paced and lilting. Peled’s sonorous sax and flutes and Moyal’s powerful voice stood out, but the others pitched in just as well.
This finale was the highlight of the evening, and perhaps surprised some in the audience by the ease with which it blended Indian classical music and jazz, but not yours truly. Both genres of music being strong in improvisation and in rhythm, and jazz not being rigid in the structure and form of composition, there was no problem, and it was all good jazz – mainstream, Israeli or Indian. All six musicians were totally at ease with one another and the audience loved it. - The Hindu

"watching them performing live was on the wishlist of hundreds of people who assembled at Nehru Park". - The Pioneer

"watching them performing live was on the wishlist of hundreds of people who assembled at Nehru Park". - The Pioneer

The Saxophone and flute player Ofer Peled releasing a great debut solo album, "Ararat", that will touch many people's hearts with it's Balkan, African and Turkish music. "Ararat" is indeed like a boundless global village, - Israel Post

"Ofer Peled's "Makondo" - a band that combines jazz and ethnic music. And here born a new kind of Israeli jazz, an ethnicaly mixed, original and fresh ..." Yossi Hersonsky , Maariv. 28/8/2005 - Yossi Hersonsky - Ma'ariv

"Ofer Peled's "Makondo" - a band that combines jazz and ethnic music. And here born a new kind of Israeli jazz, an ethnicaly mixed, original and fresh ..." Yossi Hersonsky , Maariv. 28/8/2005 - Yossi Hersonsky - Ma'ariv