“…Gerard Edery, a master of Sephardic song…” (New York Times)
Gerard Edery (vocals, guitar) Master of Sephardic song, winner of the Sephardic Musical Heritage Award.
Meg Okura (violin, erhu, vocals) Highly acclaimed world music, classical and world chamber jazz virtuoso.
Daniel Ori (upright bass) Much sought-after NY based, Israeli bassist.
“Treasures of Sephardic Song” traces the surprising and exotic musical synergies between Christians, Arabs and Jews from Medieval Spain to the present. Secular and liturgical songs from Ancient Persia, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, The Balkans and Syria will tell a rich musical story and promote the cause of cross-cultural appreciation and understanding. The Gerard Edery Ensemble interprets the ancient repertoire as a living legacy, combining stylistic authority with an immense creative and re-creative flair. From joyous hymns of celebration to poignant ballads of loss, from flamenco-inspired pieces to holy works of praise, the Ensemble’s instrumental virtuosity and masterful arrangements create an unforgettable musical experience.
“Edery and his band are among the best interpreters of Sephardic Music in the business.” – The New York Jewish Week
Gerard Edery (vocals, guitar) is recognized as a leading musical folklorist, a master singer and guitarist with a remarkable range of ethnic folk styles and traditions at his command. He sings in fifteen languages and speaks four fluently. Not only does he regularly uncover and preserve songs from many oral traditions, he energizes them by interpreting them for contemporary audiences and by teaming up with some of the world’s most highly acclaimed virtuoso musicians. His special brand of world music fusion prizes formal authenticity and an appreciation for how disparate cultures overlap, parallel each other and often borrow from one another. He is a recipient of many awards and grants including The Sephardic Musical Heritage Award and a “Meet the Composer” grant for his original songs. Gerard has been featured in performances at Zankel Hall (Carnegie Hall), Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Merkin Concert Hall , Florence Gould Hall, The United Nations in both New York City and Geneva, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Royce Hall in L.A., Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, Fez International Festival of Sacred Music in Morocco, Festival Cervantino in Mexico, Vilnius International Folk Festival in Lithuania, Spitafield Festival in London and International Folk Music Festival in Warsaw, among others. Gerard has recorded 14 CDs of his work on the Sefarad Records label and published a widely acclaimed Sephardic Songbook.
Meg Okura (violin, erhu, vocals) Okura who has just returned from her successful tour of Japan, playing sold-out concerts, is the foremost violinist on today’s chamber jazz scene, leading her Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble. A soloist, composer, arranger, and vocalist, her credit has appeared on over forty albums and films. She has toured as a soloist with Cirque du Soleil and has performed with David Bowie, Lee Konitz, Diane Reeves, Kanye West and Bebel Gilberto. As a concertmaster in L.A., she has led the orchestra for Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall and others. Meg Okura is currently collaborating with choreographer Caron Eule on the production of the Crane Wife, a Japanese fable, which New York Times described her music to be “vibrant, Eastern-influenced, jazzy score.”
Daniel Ori (upright bass) is an Israeli born bassist and composer, and a prominent young voice in the New York contemporary Jazz scene. He has performed Worldwide in venues and Festivals such as, Blue Note NY, Smalls, Red Sea Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival and Boston Beantown Jazz Festival to name a few. Ori is a scholarship recipient and graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston as well as a 2009 ASCAP Jazz Composers Award winner, and has recently received much acclaim with the release of his debut album, So It Goes, through the Art of Life Records label.
“Daniel’s music is flowing and cohesive, with a pronounced tendency for melody.“ AllAboutJazz.com
