Customer Reviews

Ashkelon

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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I heard him in NYC's Central Park in July and bought the CD. Emil Zrihan is a master of Judeo-Andalusian and Moroccan Jewish music. Andalusian "al Tarib" music dates to the Ninth Century Cordoban court of Emir Abdu Rahman lbn al Hakam. It is Hispanic-Maghreban in style. Born in Rabat in 1954, Emil Zrihan came to Israel in 1963 at the age of 9. After his arrival in Israel, he studied Piutim with Rabbi Shlomo Ouanounou and for 3 years he appeared in the "Folklore of the Orient" television program. In his youth, Mr. Zrihan was dubbed the "Israeli Joselito" in reference to great Spanish singer. With his unique vibrato voice, Mr. Zrihan has established a reputation of a great Cantor among the large public who frequents the Synagogues during the High Holidays. His many appearances both in Israel and in the world attract large attendance. The impressive vocal range on this CD and power of Zrihan's counter tenor express both the emotional intensity of North African religious song and the vivacity of Andalusian music. The guest of honour on this CD, Baldi Olier, adds the sensitivity tempered with pride of his guitar playing style, which stems from the purest of flamenco tradition. This extraordinary album is elegant, light, playful and invites the listeners to move and shake, to click their fingers, to clap their hands and inevitably, to dance.

This is a great disk. I saw this group tonight in Los Angeles, under the stars and immediatly bought the disk! Emil's voice ranges from soft to powerful in a single moment. The musicians bring together elements of Morocco, Isreal and Spain. There are cuts that feature Flamnco guitar and the cantors incredible voice. These are my favorite. A great release - all around.

Virtuosity that energizes. Zrihan packs in so much enthusiasm,
I dare the listener not to feel joy.

Zrihan must be seen in concert to truly appreciate his talent and artistry. I like the more traditional stuff more than the newer poppier stuff.

I decided to purchase this cd exclusively because of the listener reviews. I had neither heard nor heard of Emil Zrihan before. Two years and countless playbacks later, Ashkelon is still as fresh and exhilarating, lyrical and rapturous, as it was when I first heard it. A flamenco guitar nimbly wraps itself around Zrihan's haunting and electrifying voice in songs that celebrate everything from the sacred to the sensual. The album's appeal is universal, as friends from Canada, England, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States will attest!

Older folk may find resemblance to the child singer, Joselito. For me, Zrihan is a stand alone, and 'Ashkelon' is as good a place to start with him as any. It might be boxed as Sephardic music with oud, violin, accordion and dabouka accompaniment. but it transcends the genre.The effect produced by singing depends on the depth of feeling of the singer. The voice of the sympathetic singer is quite different from that of one who is heartless. However artificially cultivated a voice may be, it will never produce feeling, grace and beauty unless the heart be cultivated also. Singing has a twofold source of interest: the grace of music(here, Andulusian Middle Eastern brew), and the beauty of the poetry. In proportion as the singer feels the words he sings, an effect is produced upon the listener; his heart accompanies the song. 'Tonal breath control', I recall Bob Dylan uttering on an a record sleeve back in the 1960s. Emil has it in spades. Inspiration through the text, and expiration as the sound is emitted with the most astonishing power I've ever encountered.