Itamar Erez – Mi Alegria (Itamar Erez, 2019)
Israeli multi-instrumentalist and composer Itamar Erez is currently based in Canada. On his new album Mi Alegria, Erez put together an ensemble with some of the finest jazz and world music artists in Vancouver.
Mi Alegria (my joy in Spanish) combines exquisitely-crafted contemporary jazz intertwined with Brazilian, Flamenco, Middle Eastern and various additional global music influences.
Although the guitar is Itamar’s primary musical instrument, he plays the piano as well. Throughout Mi Alegria, Erez engages in captivating, spirited guitar and piano interplay with the clarinet, percussion and a diverse set of other instruments.
“I’ve been playing and composing on the piano for years, but this album is the first to feature my piano playing so prominently,” Erez clarifies, “It’s an interesting process to write on piano and shift to guitar, or vice versa. You need to find creative solutions to solve difficulties.”
The band on Mi Alegria includes Itamar Erez on guitar and piano; Francois Houle on clarinet; Hamin Honari on percussion; James Meger on bass; Kevin Romain on drums; Ilan Salem on flute; Dani Benedikt on percussion; and Celso Machado on percussion.
Mi Alegria is dedicated to Itamar’s daughter, Mia.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.