The Idan Raichel Project is a fusion of Israeli pop, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern music and jazz… generically known as World Music in the States. Songs are sung in Hebrew, Moroccan Arabic, Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole and Swahili. It seems a bit much, maybe even gimmicky, but Raichel makes it work in an acoustically dramatic, pop-jazz fusion kind of way. They were able to sell out Logan Square Auditorium to a diverse all-ages audience, many with blinged out yamacas. SoundCulture did a great job producing the event and seems to be a dominating and growing source for world music in Chicago!
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The Idan Raichel Project |
Logan Square Auditorium
Chicago, IL
May 16, 2010
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Raichel has a somewhat skinny and tall frame with long, wrapped up dreadlocks, and a little hunch from the way he crouches over the piano like a mad scientist. He opened with a soft piano solo sounding like… walking through an Arabian desert or something. His shy voice entered a little too boomy, but I forgot about that quickly when the pretty girl next to me looked at me and said, “Awesome!”
Raichel’s career started as a session keyboardist in Israel for the top names in the business. When the time was right, he called in more than 80 musicians he knew in order to put together the “Idan Raichel Project.” The seven best representatives of those 80 some musicians came together that night. Each of them currently has their own solo career. The result of them together was a very impressive improvised jam rather than the very radio-produced, ambient electronic, pop arrangements from the albums.
Each musician brought their own songs and flavors to the night. Some sad songs spurred goose bumps and watery eyes. Raichel would balance it out with some charming and happy Ethiopian Dance beats. It’s amazing how many different worlds he was able to reach, and it’s fun to try to pick out all the influences.
By the end of the night, the only regret I had was that I didn’t go down to the first floor and dance, and be a part of the completely different energy that was happening there. The sound between the Balcony and the floor were so dramatically different, but the power of the performance transcended gaps in the acoustic treatment.
The next day, I wanted to fill in the lyrical blanks that were lost in translation. I wanted to see what was behind the aguish and sadness, and the hope and joy, the two extremes at the heart of his music. I don’t happen to speak Hebrew, or Arabic, or Swahili So I looked into their latest album where I’ll leave you with a quote that frames their 2009 album “Within My Walls.”
“When you wake in the morning without a dream to fulfill,
You can stay in bed, you can go out into the world,
You can stay in bed and dream about far away places,
And you can go to far away places and want only to return to bed”
- Idan Raichel
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