the KlezmerShack

I lost track for former KlezSka leader Glenn Tamir when he moved to Israel. Recent posts to YouTube got my attention and this email in response:

Hey Ari,

Yup, it's me. I've been here in the Galil for about a year now. It's been really great and the family is very happy. We're building a house in Shorashim—a Masorti yishuv in the Misgav close to Karmiel. You are welcome anytime so come on up to the Galil as we say!

I've been putting together a business to bring Israeli music to the US. There are many wonderful musicians up here - many who play traditional instruments like the saz, baglama, tar, darbuka, oud, etc. … as well as the contemporary stuff.

I just returned from a 10-day tour with a group called Ahavat Haaretz. We played in several camps and spent a few days at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival which was a blast. I've got some videos from a show I did here in my village on youtube. Just type Ahavat Haaretz into the youtube search and you'll see them. The composer and singer is Roi Levi from Shotei HaNevuah and his wife Osnat. Roi is an amazing composer who wrote many of the Shotei songs that were big hits here and even in the US.

I am also very proud of a group called Ruach Glilit which is made up of Israeli Jews and Arabs from the Galil. Here is an mp3 that I think is particularly interesting. It's a Hebrew/Arabic version of Erev Shel Shoshanim with Oud, Didgeridoo, and Djembe.

I hope all is well with you and I hope to see you over here sometime.

Kol tuv,
Glenn