A couple of weeks ago thousands of New Yorkers enjoyed an amazing concert by Idan Raichel in Central Park. The place was packed and lots of my friends were, unfortunately, turned away extremely distressed for not making it. This comes to show the people’s thirst for new and different kinds of music coming from near or far, making the world smaller and bringing people closer.

The New York Times, in an article on world music and the way it has broken free from geographic isolation and has been reaching people all over, is has chosen “The Idan Raichel Project” among the best world music CDs of the year. Here is what they have to say about it…

” ‘THE IDAN RAICHEL PROJECT’ (Cumbancha)
The Idan Raichel Project was a huge hit in Israel for good reason: it envisions a modern, multicultural nation where voices of young and old, Ethiopian and Yemenite, are all heard in songs devoted to love and tolerance. Idan Raichel is the keyboardist, songwriter and producer behind the scenes, and he’s clearly as familiar with Peter Gabriel as with Middle Eastern traditions. His arrangements bind the voices together in somber minor-mode anthems paced by electronic beats, earnestly seeking to uplift.”