The Red Sea Jazz Festival, the discipline’s leading national showcase slot, is due to take place down in Eilat, February 22-24. The festival was originally slated for last November but, like all cultural events up and down the country, was put on hold as the violence erupted in the Gaza border communities and Gaza Strip.

The program fittingly opens with a tribute to late artistic director Dubi Lenz, the founder of the winter version of the southern jazz bash, who passed away last July.

On board for that one is internationally acclaimed saxophonist Eli Degibri who, for a while, shared the artistic director berth of the main summer edition of the Red Sea Jazz Festival with Lenz, and a whole host of A-listers from the local jazz and world music fraternity.

A stellar lineup

Degibri will be joined by feted Ladino singer Yasmin Levy, Brazilian-born percussionist Joca Perpignan, New York-based double bass and oud player Omer Avital, Andalusian-leaning jazz pianist Omri Mor, celebrated jazz pianist Tom Oren, and singer-songwriter and cellist Maya Belsitzman.  

Naturally, considering our regional security circumstances and the paucity of air travel possibilities to this part of the world, the lineup for the three-dayer is almost entirely domestically based. There are, however, a couple of exceptions. Brazilian harmonica player Gabriel Grossi and Cuban singer Aymée Nuviola will be joined by dynamic compatriot pianist Kemuel Roig in the Eilat mix. The inclusion of top Latin artists would, no doubt, have pleased Lenz, who had a penchant for the genre.

YASMIN LEVY: ‘We should all try something which really has no chance of succeeding.’ (credit: ALI TASKIRAN)
YASMIN LEVY: ‘We should all try something which really has no chance of succeeding.’ (credit: ALI TASKIRAN)
Other jazz acts to look out for in Eilat include Alon Farber and Hagiga, the Katya Toobool Trio, a quartet led by New York resident flutist Hadar Noiberg and up-and-coming harmonica player Ariel Bart, and an intriguing pairing of Degibri with globetrotting pianist Shai Maestro, while internationally renowned trumpeter Avishai Cohen will play alongside Dutch-Israeli singer-songwriter Keren Ann.

The extracurricular shows in the program include a threesome led by iconic pianist-singer-songwriter Yoni Rechter and a show with pop singer Asaf Amdursky, while veteran rock-pop pianist-singer Rami Kleinstein teams up with folk-country style outfit Jane Bordeaux.

For tickets and more information: redseajazz.co.il