In the late sixties, Israel had a large Yemenite community in which original folk artists started blending western instrument into traditional songs. The biggest name of the time was the innovative Aharon Amram, who was the first to introduce electric guitars, bass, farfisa organs, and drum kits to traditional Yemeni rhythms, conventionally played by tapping fingers on an olive-oil tin can. Tsvia Abarbanel and 'Piamenta's Guys' took a few steps ahead into the unexplored territory of Yemenite jazz. The synergy between Albert Piamenta, one of israel's leading funk and jazz arrangers, and Tzvia Abarbanel with her extraordinary voice and haunting melodies, is something like Mulatu Astatke meets Yma sumac. The strange rhythm patterns, the enchanted performance of the musicians and the amazing voice of Tsvia all come together to create a raw and unique style, capturing the sound of the warm desert wind and its glowing dust.
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