Elements of the east in Mosh Ben-Ari's latest

The world music vocalist releases a single ahead of new album

By Jessica Steinberg

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

16 February 2016, 5:36 pm Edit

Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center

Mosh Ben Ari, the dreadlocked singer whose longtime association with world music ensemble Sheva has paralleled his solo career, just released a new single, “Flower,” ahead of his upcoming tour in the US.

Recorded in India, where he’s been spending some time of late, it’s part of a new album due out in July that is redolent with the sounds and spirit of that place.

Ben Ari’s longtime musical companions, musicians Marc Eliyahu and Udi Ben Knaan, are both featured in the song playing the sitar and kamancheh, to create a sound that is rock ‘n roll at its core but with touches of Eastern elements.

He told Ynet that the song and melody were written “in a minute” in his home studio, although some of the songs on the upcoming album were written several years ago and some more recently.

Ben-Ari also commented that he’s surrounded by people that he’s chosen to work with and now knows how to combine all of his worlds, as opposed to the past when he was less skilled at figuring out those aspects of his work life.

The vocalist and guitarist, who comes from a Yemenite and Iraqi background, began playing music at 16 and plays acoustic and classic guitar as well as other string instruments from India, Iran, Turkey and Morocco.

He co-founded Sheva, a world music ensemble best known for one of its earliest hits, “Salaam,” in 1995, and launched his solo career six years later. He also served as a judge and mentor on the third season of reality music show “The Voice Israel.”

Ben-Ari will be performing in the US in March and in Israel, including an AIPAC conference in Washington, DC. For links to tickets and more information, go to Mosh Ben-Ari’s website.