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Yosi Levy
YOSI LEVY – GUITARIST AND COMPOSER
Yosi Levy is an Israeli multifaceted acoustic and electric guitarist of exceptional range and depth.
Yosi just received the most prestigious prize for musicians in Israel- The Pime Minister Aaward for Jazz Composers 2022.
His new album, "The Yosi Levy Acoustic Project II - The Duo" with the amazing flutist Itai Kriss, is now in the process of being released on streaming platforms. .
His first album in the series,"The Yosi Levy Acoustic Project" was recorded live with two outstanding musicians: the Israeli flutist Ilan Salem and one of the greatest living Indian tabla players Bickram Ghosh. A longtime accompanist to sitar legend Ravi Shankar.
As a solo guitarist, Levy fuses a fascinating breadth of jazz and baroque-style polyphonic improvisation. His free movement between genres creates an exciting polyphonic texture that showcases Levy's unlimited capabilities as an improviser. His solo videos get numerous and amazing responses on social media from all over the world.
Levy's acoustic project works in three formats: as a trio (guitar & flute & percussion) duo (guitar & flute), or solo performance.
Levy's Acoustic Project tours internationally and has performed in a wide variety of festivals and clubs in the U.S.A, India, China, and Israel.
He is also an adroit electric guitarist, as can be heard on his first album
"The House On Lefferts Blvd" featuring legendary jazz saxophonist Dave Liebman.
As a tireless performer, Levy has collaborated and performed with a spectrum of musicians, including Dave Liebman, Phil Woods, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Frank Gambale, Jeff Berlin, Bob Gullotti. He has also played as a guitarist and collaborated with some of Israel's greatest stars: Yoni Rechter, Yosi Banai, Ester Ofarim, Shem Tov Levy, Yair Dallal, and many more.
Yosi Levy is a well-known jazz teacher and educator in the Berklee affiliated “Rimon School of Music” . in which he created and currently leads the prestigious competition “The Jazz Player Contest”. He also teaches at the - “Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance” where he leads the representative jazz ensemble.
Awards
Yosi just received the most prestigious prize for musicians in Israel- The Pime Minister Aaward for Jazz Composers 2022.
Tags
Yosi Levy: Acoustic Project II: The Duo
by Dave Linn
Yosi Levy was born in Israel and began playing guitar at the age of 12. After a mandatory stint in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), he began working professionally in clubs around Israel. In the early 1980s, he decided to move to New York City and study classical guitar at the prestigious Mannes College of Music in New York. Toward the end of his 5+ year stint there, Levy established a connection with saxophonist Dave Liebman and with Liebman, recorded ...
read moreYosi Levy: The Yosi Levy Acoustic Project
by Budd Kopman
The Yosi Levy Acoustic Project is truly amazing musical experience that merges into a virtuosic whole the seemingly disparate musics of Israeli folk music, jazz and Indian tabla rhythms. Each member of the trio is a master of his instrument; Levy can perform anything his mind hears on his acoustic guitar (and self-accompanying) voice, Ilan Salem is the desert wind incarnate, and Bickram Ghosh both drives the group and reacts instantly as needed. The music is acoustic, despite ...
read moreYosi Levy: The Yosi Levy Acoustic Project
by James Nadal
Beyond the element of surprise found in the music of exotic lands, there is the alluring mystery which emanates from the ancestral origins of the culture itself. Guitarist Yosi Levy, with The Acoustic Project, has produced an amazing fusion of traditional Middle Eastern and Indian music injected with improvisational jazz textures and nuances, offering an amalgamation which sounds vaguely familiar yet remains furtive and mystical. Levy is an accomplished guitarist with an innate intellectual knowledge of Israeli music, ...
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“This cat is something else” - Dave Liebman
“He is a great guitar player” - Frank Gambale
“Each member of the trio is a master of his instrument; Levy can perform anything his mind hears on his acoustic guitar” - Budd Kopman – All About Jazz
"The Acoustic Project is a mesmerizing production of the highest caliber. These three virtuosos perform from beginning to end with uncommon wisdom of cohesion rarely heard" - James Nadal– All About Jazz
