Yair Dalal, born in 1955; composer, violinist, oud player and singer; is probably the most prolific Israeli ethnic musician and plays an important role in shaping the global world music scene. Over the last decade he has put 11 albums, covering wide and varied cultural territory, and authentically representing Israel’s cultures and fusing them through music as whole. Much of Dalal’s work reflects his extensive musical skills in both classical and Arabic music and also reflects a strong affinity he has for the desert and its habitants. Dalal’s family came to Israel from Baghdad and his Iraqi roots are embedded in his musical work. Whether working on his own, or with his Alol ensemble, Dalal creates new Middle Eastern music by interweaving the traditions of Iraqi and Jewish Arabic music with a range of influences originating from such diverse cultural milieus as the Balkans to India. The evocative compositions comprise a unique and colorful sound. Apart from creating music, Dalal devotes his time to preserving musical heritages from becoming extinct - the Babylonian musical heritage and the music of the Beduim (the Sinai desert nomads).
www.yairdalal.com

Electro Morocco, a New York-based band of Israeli expatriates, including Assaf Spector and Roy Gurel, together with Yula Beeri, Ilil Paz-el and Brian Wolf mix everything from retro-rock and Middle Eastern folk, to warped electro, in a fierce, high energy performance. Their music draws from different parts of the world, but share an aesthetic, both technical and emotional, with artists such as M.I.A. Both include Eastern belly-shaking samples—Indian in M.I.A.’s work, and Middle Eastern in Electro Morocco’s. But Electro Morocco seamlessly have established their own fresh sound, layered with organic guitars and synthetic beats, that is clearly their own. The off-beat rhythm, the interplay of tweaked, Oriental-sounding guitars, and the frenzied climaxes call to mind bellydancing music and hard rock. Their performances combine live music with synced video clips that creates an unforgettable visual and musical experience. "Ever since electronic music took over, poor old guitars have been short of work. Electro Morocco is dusting off those axes and yanking them out of the unemployment line and giving them enough amplitude to compete with their buzzing synths. … So it looks like you'll just have to peep these kids on a dance floor near you." -URB Magazine
www.myspace.com/electromorocco

Levi Mordechai came together as Dugans, the innovative and multifaceted guitarist/composer from Austin, Texas met Mordechai Friedman, his neighbor from down the street in Crown Heights. Friedman, South African classic rock performer and songwriter, who worked the Israeli club and disco circuit in the 70's, had never actually recorded an album in his life, and decided that at 55, it was finally time. Along came Diwon, the brainchild behind the birth of Jewish hip hop, who also happened to live down the street. He got wind of the tracks, that at the time were just guitar and vocals. Diwon, always sensitive to, and looking out for new waves, heard something unique and beautiful in the demos and immediately wanted to take them on as a project and take the sound to the next level. After he laid down synths and drums, the project started to sound exactly how Dugans had pictured it from the start. Levi Mordechai bridges poetry, World music, electronics, and rock in a way that has not been heard before.
www.myspace.com/levimordechai

Michal Cohen’s family comes from Yemen, but she was born and raised in Israel. Michal arrived in the United States after receiving a scholarship at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She graduated in 2000, and has sung in many prestigious venues, including Kats Theatre with the Pittsburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Merkin Hall, The Museum for American Jewish History in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Symphony Space, Scullers Jazz Club, Joe’s Pub, Satalla, Pianos, and the Knitting Factory. Her recordings include collaborations with artists such as DJ Cheb I Sabbah, Guillermo Nojechowicz, Frank London, Avi Elbaz, and many more. Her vocals have appeared on two movies: “Historias Minimas”, by Carlos Sorin, and Pearl Gluck’s “Divan” (Tribeca Film Festival). She has toured widely, including the Avivir Festival, Festival Del Desierto, San Luis Potosi in Mexico, Ottawa Folk Festival in Canada, Tamaulipas World Music Festival in Mexico, as well as the Far East. Her range extends from ancient Yemenite songs through to contemporary. Besides English, Yemenite, and Hebrew, Michal has sung in Bulgarian, Spanish, French, Yiddish and Portuguese. She is the recipient of a “Finalist” from the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2002, as well as The Vocal-Jazz Cleo Laine Award. Her reputation is building as one of the most eclectic and exciting vocalists on the East Coast.
www.michalcohen.com

American-Israeli world music maestro Diwon is one of the most innovative and versatile Producers and DJs performing and recording music today.  Diwon’s beats are strongly influenced by the musical traditions of his mother’s family, whose roots lie in Yemen. He blends Yemenite & Israeli music with electro hip-hop and cinematic psychadelia, and draws inspiration from the Middle Eastern musical canon. A prolific producer, Diwon releases a clutch of albums every year. The last twelve months has seen The Sabra Sessions, The Beat Guide to Yiddish, the quirky Rarities & Remixes and the hour-long meditation Shir Ha Shirim (The Song of Songs), mixing heartfelt Moroccan song with hypnotic hip-hop, rock, and Middle Eastern beats.  Diwon is currently completing work on the revolutionary hip hop record This is Unity with acclaimed multilingual MC Y-Love, as well as working on his own records, Diwon Riddim and Others, which will feature vocalists and rappers from across the globe, including the top selling Jamaican dancehall sensation, Sizzla.  URB magazine listed him amongst their NEXT 1000 and wrote that "Diwon is something else…in a profound kind of way", calling his sound titillating and ‘juicy for the ears’, while The Village Voice described his producing as 'adventurous and banging'. CBS featured Diwon as part of their Faith, Music and Culture series and he has made appearances on NPR, PBS, and BBC World. .
www.mysace.com/diwon

Blending a psychedelic sensibility and a pan-Mediterranean sensuality, Basya Schechter leads her band, Pharaoh's Daughter, through swirling Hasidic chants, Mizrachi and Sephardi folk-rock, and spiritual stylings filtered through percussion, flute, strings and electronica. Basya's sound has been cultivated by her Hasidic music background and a series of trips to the Middle East, Africa, Israel, Egypt, Central Africa, Turkey, Kurdistan and Greece. She began retuning her guitar to sound like a cross between an Arabic oud and a Turkish saz, with harmonic minor melodies, and odd time signatures. With the many amazing musicians, named below and others as well she has recorded three albums as Pharaoh's Daughter.

Pharaohs' Daughter has toured extensively through America, Eastern and Western Europe, as well as Greece and the UK. Pharaoh's Daughter had the honor of debuting at Central Park's Summer Stage series in August 2004, and has played such presigious stages as Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park, and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. When she's not touring or performing, Basya plays darbuka, riq and frame drum as part of the B'nai Jeshurun music ensemble that accompanies Friday night services.
www.pharaohsdaughter.com

Few artists make an impact as complete as the one Matisyahu made with his Top 40 hit “King Without a Crown”: Here was a true original, the song announced—a Hasidic Jewish musician from New York City singing reggae songs about his religious devotion. Fans responded to this one-of-a-kind voice, driving Youth, Matisyahu’s Grammy-nominated 2006 studio disc, to the top spot on Billboard’s reggae albums chart. That album, as well as Matisahu’s previous recording "Live at Stubb’s," went Gold. His new album, "Light," which debuted in the top 20 on the Billboard charts, is out now on Epic Records. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, Sublime), Matis recorded the album in Brooklyn, NY and Jamaica and got an assist from several guests Stephen McGregor, Sly & Robbie, members of Fyre Dept. and Fishbone, and others. The result is a bold new direction for an artist who has transcended cultures and genres.

* check out "two child one drop" on his Shattered EP to hear one of the best Yemenite style hip hop tracks we have ever heard!
www.matisyahuworld.com

DeLeon plays 15th Century Spanish indie rock infused with the deeply mysterious and entrancing cadences of the ancient Sephardic  tradition. 

DeLeon’s intricate sound has been a long time in the making.  Their music, birthed in Spain before the Inquisition and raised in pre-WWII Italy, has finally reached maturity in modern-day Brooklyn. The band, named for 12th Century Kabalistic philosopher Moses Deleon  and front man Daniel Saks’ great-grandfather Giorgio Deleon, was conceived to reconcile Saks’ cultural journey with modern influences. By re-imagining these ancient melodies as contemporary pieces, DeLeon has given the world at large a unique chance to experience the rich musical history of Sephardic Judaism. 

DeLeon’s groundbreaking sound is as rare as the process that created it.  Saks, along with band mates Kevin Snider, Justin Riddle, Amy Crawford and Andrew Oom, pioneered this form, one that marries ancient Sephardic melodies sung in Ladino, Hebrew and English with the chaotic symphony of urban living. 
www.ilovedeleon.com

Hadag Nahash was formed in Jerusalem in 1996. After touring Israel for more then four years and generating a large following, they released their first album, “Hamechona Shel HaGroove” (the Groove Machine) in September 2000. The album was very successful and proved that excellent music can go along with important ideas. In 2003 the band released their second album, “Lazuz” (To Move), produced by internationally acclaimed musician Yossi Fine. The album had four # 1 hits and achieved gold status.

Blending a reverence for North African traditions with a love for innovative composition and improvisation, Asefa creates a fresh sound that moves your mind, body and spirit. Bandleader, woodwindist and frame drummer Samuel Thomas is joined by Shanir Blumenkrantz on oud, Eric Platz on drumset and Rich Stein on percussion.
www.asefamusic.com

In Hebrew, Pshutei Ha'am - Gilad Vital and Roi Levi are two of the founding members of the Israeli supergroup, Shotei HaNevuah. With Pshutei Ha'am or "Simple People", they are bringing you their combination of Gilad's vocal and studio/mix wizardry and Roi's guitar and vocal charisma. Simple People can perform for a dance club audience or as a full six-piece band which includes some of the finest Israeli musicians. It's music for your head AND for your feet! Enjoy! Love Life!
www.myspace.com/simplepeopleband

Rivka Amado was born in Holon Israel, and spent most of her adult life in Jerusalem before moving to Berkeley, California in 2004. She traces her roots back to prominent Sephardic families—the Amado’s and the Barbut’s--on both sides of her family. After their expulsion from Spain both families eventually found their way to the Balkans where they remained for generations. Rivka’s parents made aliyah in 1933. She grew up In a Ladino-speaking home in Holon, where she learned traditional melodies from her grandmother, Rivka Amado-Mandil.. For years Rivka sang Ladino songs and played the piano informally, and as well as sang in her synagogue choir in Jerusalem. Since moving to Berkeley, she has dedicated much of her time researching Sephardic culture and performing traditional Ladino music. With the aid of guitarist Joel Siegel, she has developed a program, A Journey Back to Spain, in which she recounts the ways the Jews of Spain have been able to maintain their identity for five hundred years, long after their expulsion, first from Spain and then from the entire Iberian Peninsula. In this program she mixes historical narrative, accounts of Sephardic culture, and popular Ladino songs. Amado and Siegel have performed in many venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, and elsewhere.
www.rivkamusic.com

ANISTAR is a Middle-Eastern, Balkan Jazz Orchestra. ANISTAR was formed in 2002 by composer, saxophonist and clarinetist Harel Shachal to explore the classical and traditional music of Middle Eastern and Balkan worlds from the perspective of New York downtown jazz. This ensemble seamlessly fuses elements of ancient and modern in its instrumentation and repertoire. The improvisations of Harel and the band seal this fusion by uniting the language of desert music with the aesthetic urgency of urban dwellers.
www.myspace.com/anistargroup

"Edery and his band are among the best interpreters of Sephardic Music in the business." -The New York Jewish Week

Born in Morocco, raised in Paris, and now based in New York City, master Sephardic Singer/Guitarist/Composer Gerard Edery draws from his wordly background to create music that spans genres, cultures, and eras. Gerard leads several different bands and projects through which he explores the depths of ancient Sephardic music and blends it with modern World Music.
www.myspace.com/sefaradrecords

Sephardic Actress/Poet/Playwright/Native New Yorker Vanessa Hidary grew up on Manhattan's culturally diverse Upper West Side, graduating from LaGuardia High School of the Arts and Hunter College. Her experiences as a Sephardic Jew with close friends from different ethnic and religious backgrounds inspired her to write "Culture Bandit," a solo show that chronicles Vanessa's coming of age during the golden age of Hip-Hop and her dedication to fostering understanding and friendship between all people.
www.hebrewmamita.com

When Middle Eastern music extraordinaire Raquy Danziger joined forces with
hard rock musician Liron Peled, the result was dark, powerful Middle Eastern
music with a heavy emphasis on Arabic drumming, backed by a band of Arab and
Israeli musicians.

The group features internationally-acclaimed dumbek player Raquy Danziger,
who has performed and taught all over the world and has recently been
invited to Egypt to perform as a soloist with a local 15-piece percussion
orchestra led by Egyptian percussion superstar Saiid El-Artist
Raquy and the Cavemen have performed at Central Park Summerstage,
Lollapalooza and Floydfest among others. Their 1st CD, "Dust" made the top
20 on the CMJ chart for multiple weeks and their 2nd CD "Jordan" debuted at
the top 30 on the same chart.
www.raquyandthecavemen.com

From traditional Sephardic melodies to Latin-influenced originals by way of Thelonious Monk and Jelly Roll Morton, to an Irving Fields arrangement from the classic '50s Borsht Belt mambo/cha-cha album, Bagels & Bongos, Anthony Coleman takes a radical approach to the classic jazz piano trio. Pianist Anthony Coleman has worked with Marc Ribot, Glenn Branca, and the Krakauer Trio, and has performed and recorded with John Zorn since 1979. He has a previous album as a composer/performer on Avant (Japan) and two albums as a duo with Jazz Passengers' saxophonist Roy Nathanson on Knitting Factory Works. Coleman also composed "Below 14th St. / Above 128th St." for Guy Klucevsek's Manhattan Cascade (CRI).

Yoel ben Simhon & The Sultana Ensemble (with spacial guest dancer - Daliah Carela)

Avram Pengas

An exciting new voice emerging from the NYC world music scene, Smadar is an Israeli-Moroccan singer whose craft is best described as pan-Mediterranean music peppered with a gypsy sound. Smadar sings original and creative renditions of traditional tunes in Hebrew, Arabic, and Ladino. The Epoch Times International recently dubbed Smadar"a euphonious and haunting voice" for peace and unity, while the internationally-renowned nonprofit organization Seeds of Peace honored her with an award for "uniting cultures to achieve peace through music."  Smadar's current project consists of an all-star international band
whose aesthetically arresting sound reflects the rich cultural mosaic of the Mediterranean world. www.smadarlevi.com

Based in New York City, Aviva and Dan is an electrifying duet that performs an eclectic mix of Spanish and Mediterranean music. Their repertoire spans generations and genres from medieval to modern, classical to tango, and includes pieces from Spain, Israel, Argentina and France, as well as the melancholic romances of the Sephardim (exiled Jews of Spain.) Their signature concert program, Beyond Carmen, weaves legends of the Old World into a modern musical tapestry.
www.myspace.com/avivaanddan

DJ Shotnez (shotnez =illegal hybrid), known in the jazz and Bulgarian world as Ori Kaplan, has been instrumental in such groups as Shot'nez, Firewater, Gogol Bordello and Balkan Beat Box, bringing melodies from around the world with infectious beats that have had no problem settling everywhere. DJ Shotnez is a multi cultural maestro that spins a mix of Turkish, Middle Eastern music and Baili Funk, which gets the most famous US clubs to resemble the craziest festivals abroad. DJ Shotnez is the house DJ at Nublu and the famed Rubulad parties, amongst other international DJ parties from Beijing to Istanbul. www.balkanbeatbox.com/djshotnez.html

Piamenta

Talented singer/songwriter David Broza was born in Israel and raised in England and Spain. Son of a businessman and a folksinger, the artist was influenced at a very young age, reaching the stage when he was a teenager. At the age of 21, Broza was climbing local charts with his own compositions, recording his debut album in 1978. David Broza's first English release came out in 1989. That album, produced by Steve Miller, was called Away From Home. In 1995, while promoting Stonedoors, the singer had the opportunity to open for Sting, even playing a song along with him. In 1996, Broza returned to his roots, recording a Hebrew album called Big Secrets in Tel-Aviv. It would be several years before he returned to releasing another English album, eventually returning with 2001's Starting to Breathe. The following year, he tried releasing the first bilingual album of his career, Painted Postcard. ~ Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide

When the roots of Cuban music are traced, one always goes back to the African tradition - U.S-based musicians rarely look to Spain. Yardena y son Ladino successfully finds the common ancestry of Sephardic and Andalusian/Middle Eastern sources with Cuban rhythms and Latin jazz in a unique, dynamic and soulful fusion. Yardena herself is a major vocal talent whose voice transports us to distant, exotic lands.  

Trumpeter/composer FRANK LONDON is a member of the Klezmatics, Hasidic New Wave, has performed with John Zorn, LL Cool J, Mel Torme, Lester Bowieπs Brass Fantasy, LaMonte Young, They Might Be Giants, David Byrne, Jane Siberry, Ben Folds 5, Mark Ribot, Maurice El Medioni and Gal Costa, and is featured on over 100 cds. For the SMF Frank has put together a special band set to perform 70's pop takes on African and Middle Eastern musics.

Daniel Carter is one of the most important living jazz musicians on the scene. Over the past three decades-plus, Daniel Carter has performed with: Sun Ra, Billy Bang, Roger Baird, Sufjan Stevens, The Undisclosed Recipients, William Parker, Roy Campbell, Sabir Mateen, Simone Forti, Joan Miller, Thurston Moore, Nayo Takasaki, Earl Freeman, Dewey Johnson, Nami Yamamoto, Matthew Shipp, Wilber Morris, Denis Charles, MMW (Medeski, Martin, & Wood), Vernon Reid, Raphé Malik, Sam Rivers, Sunny Murray, Hamiet Bluiett, Cecil Taylor, David S. Ware, Karl Berger, Don Pate, Gunter Hampel, Alan Silva, Susie Ibarra, D.J. Logic, Margaret Beals, Douglas Elliot, Butch Morris, Biet Indecisive, TEST, OTHER DIMENSIONS IN MUSIC, ONE WORLD ENSEMBLE, SATURNALIA STRING TRIO, LEVITATION UNIT, WET PAINT, THE TRANSCENDENTALISTS, and many many many many others.
www.aumfidelity.com/carter.html

DJ Equal plays party rocking hip-hop with seamless creative blends and deft cuts. Touring with hip-hop's finest MC's since the age of 17 has led to a lucrative career as a tour dj, party rocker, and studio turntablist. He has shared the stage with Arrested Development,
Hieroglyphics, Rob Swift, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, and many more. Most recently, Equal has performed at Bonnaroo Music Festival, toured the states with Louis Logic, Toubab Krewe and collaborated with Eric Krazno of Soulive and J-Zone. November marks Equal's third European tour, with many big things on tap for 2006.
www.djequal.com

The Elias Ladino Ensemble is one of the very few Sephardic groups whose vocalists are native speakers of Ladino. They are the real thing ,having been born and raised in that musical tradition.Their instrumentalists have mastered " A la Turka" ensemble playing as well as World Class solo virtuosity . The group has performed together since their debut at the Smithsonian Institution's " Festival of American  Folklife " in 1976.  Since then they have performed and collected material in every corner of  the Ladino-speaking world, such as Istanbul, Izmir, Bat Yam, Safed , San Juan, Miami, Toronto, Barcelona, Zaragoza, and Folk Festivals , Universities, Hispanic Institutes, and congregations of many denominnations. In performance , they will explain each song and how it fits into the Ladino culture and where theses songs came from.   Many of the songs can be traced back to 15th century Spain, while others from the Ottoman Empire.  Turn back the clock to the early 20th Century to hear how this music sounded when our parents and grandparents first came to America.