The Idan Raichel Project

The Idan Raichel Project
The Idan Raichel Project
Idan Raichel
  • country:Israel
  • style(s):Electronic, Experimental
  • label:Cumbancha
  • type:Band
  • gender:male, female
  • instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
  • artist posted by:Cumbancha / Putumayo

While recent headlines are dominated by news of conflict and war in the Middle East, an Israeli musical collaborative has achieved
success by looking beyond intercultural differences and celebrating the value of diversity. With its blend of traditional Ethiopian
folk music, Arabic poetry, Yemenite chants, Biblical psalms and Caribbean rhythms, The Idan Raichel Project has already taken
Israel by storm with multiple number one hits and triple platinum sales. On November 7, 2006, the recently formed record label
Cumbancha presented the powerful music of The Idan Raichel Project to the world with an international CD release of The Idan
Raichel Project.

The Idan Raichel Project is the brainchild of Israeli keyboardist, composer, producer, and arranger Idan Raichel, who invited over
70 different musicians from a wide variety of backgrounds to participate in the recordings. In particular, Raichel has long been
fascinated by the music of Israel's growing population of Ethiopian Jews, and many songs feature members of Israel's Ethiopian
community. The recordings also include Arab musicians, traditional Yemenite vocalists, a toaster and percussionist from Suriname
and a South African singer, among others.
The Project released its first album in Israel in 2002 and quickly became one of the biggest success stories in the history of Israeli
popular music. The haunting Ethiopian chorus of the first single, "Bo'ee" (Come With Me), sounded completely unlike anything
most Israeli's had heard before. The groundswell of interest propelled the album to heights rarely seen in the local music scene
and firmly established Idan Raichel as a new type of Israeli pop star. Now a musical icon in the Israeli community worldwide, The
Idan Raichel Project has performed to sell-out crowds in prestigious venues in Paris, Brussels, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore
and beyond.

The international release of The Idan Raichel Project's recordings promises to introduce a wide new audience to the electrifying
work of this unique musical collective. The Project offers a new vision for how Israelis, their neighbors in this volatile region, and
people all over the world, can cherish their individual cultural traditions, celebrate their differences and through respectful
collaboration create new and inspiring expressions. "Our ability to live in peace with one other depends on our learning to
appreciate and respect each other's differences," notes Idan. "The way forward is not by trying to change your neighbor, but by
accepting him and recognizing that we are all looking for the same things in life: bread, water, spirit, respect and love."

Founded by Jacob Edgar, the longtime head of A&R and music research at Putumayo World Music, Cumbancha is a new record
label that seeks to present exceptional artists from around the globe whose work merits attention by a wider public. "We often
say at Putumayo that doing compilations was like dating, and signing artists is like getting married," says Edgar. "After years of
flirting with some of my favorite artists, it's nice to finally make some commitments and settle down"

The Idan Raichel Project was be released in conjunction with a special Putumayo World Music collection entitled One World, Many
Cultures, which focuses on cross-cultural musical collaborations and also features appearances by Willie Nelson, Ziggy Marley,
Taj Mahal, and Youssou N'Dour, among others. A portion of the proceeds for One World, Many Cultures will go to support the
non-profit organization Search For Common Ground (www.sfcg.org), which works to transform the way the world deals with
conflict - away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative problem solving.

Idan Raichel Project - Upcoming Tour Dates

Oct 8 2007 8:00P
US Holocaust Museum Manhattan, New York

Oct 9 2007 8:00P
US Holocaust Museum Manhattan, New York

Oct 10 2007 8:00P
US Holocaust Museum Manhattan, New York

Oct 30 2007 8:00P
Fillmore at Jackie Gleason Theater Miami, Florida

Nov 1 2007 8:00P
Erb Memorial Grand Ballroom Eugene, Oregon

Nov 4 2007 12:00A
Memorial Auditorium Stanford, California

Nov 7 2007 8:00P
Wisconsin Union Theater Madison, Wisconsin

Nov 8 2007 8:00P
Southern Theater Columbus, Ohio

Nov 10 2007 8:00P
Peerys Egyptian Theater Ogden, Utah

Nov 15 2007 8:00P
Royce Hall/UCLA Center for the Arts Los Angeles, California

Nov 17 2007 8:00P
Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachusetts