Zion Golan & the El Khat Ensemble

Original Production

The king of Yemenite singing Zion Golan, for the first time on stage with the El Khat ensemble in a special production by the Jerusalem Jazz Festival. The show will feature huge hits from Golan’s vast repertoire, in new and original arrangements by Eyal Wahab and the members of the Israeli ensemble, taking the groove of Yemenite Arab music of the 20th century to various musical locations and mixes them to create a new, hybrid sound that transcends worlds, boundaries, and any preconceived notions. Singing in authentic Yemenite Arabic, Golan has worked for more than four decades to document the traditional language, pronunciation and singing.  The exciting collaboration with El Khat is a continuation of this lifelong commitment to the preservation of Yemenite culture.

Golan’s songs and works are a source of inspiration for the creators of the new wave of Yemenite music in Israel. Ravid Kahalani and the band “Yemen Blues” performed “Aba Shimon”, a tribute to Rabbi Shalom Shabazi and one of Golan’s greatest hits. The female lineup, A-WA, has made his “Habib Galbi” an international hit.

The one-off show at the Jazz Festival, is a particularly intriguing meeting between a singer and musician who has become an icon, and his successors who have made a name for themselves in the international arena and have recently signed with GlitterBeat world-music label.

El Khat’s debut album, “Saadia Jefferson” released by the British label Batov Records, has opened doors for them around the world. The distinctive and intriguing sound lent by the unique acoustic instruments that Wahab builds from everyday objects and scraps, inspired by the traditional string and bow instruments in Arab countries and North Africa aroused great interest among world music lovers. Their second album, “Albat Alawi, Op. 99”, a tribute to the late popular Yemenite singer Faisal Alawi, was released in early 2022 , leading the ensemble’s international breakthrough.