Esh by Harel Shachal & ANISTAR

Harel Shachal launched the ANISTAR Group in spring of 2002 with the mission of using music to overcome fear and break down boundaries between historically estranged cultures.

Assembling its own unique sound from the various musical traditions of the Middle-East, Mediterranean, Africa, and America, ANISTAR is at once inviting and challenging, familiar and exotic, ancient and modern.

Harel Shachal & ANISTAR are based in New York. The members of the band are originally from the USA and from the Middle East.

Harel Shachal is playing Middle Eastern Saxophone and Clarinet. Harel takes his inspiration from the foremost iconoclasts and innovators in each idiom he has explored-- from Jazz and Be-Bop to Klezmer, Gypsy, Mediterranean, North African and Middle-Eastern music; from Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy and Henry Thredgill to Samir Srour (the Egyptian saxophonist) and the great Turkish clarinetists, Mustafa Kandirali, Sukru Tunar and Suffet Gundeger. Harel incorporates quarter tones and Middle Eastern mellisma into his approach to the saxophone and the G Clarinet with a fluidity that demonstrates the depth of his exploration of the style. The freedom and driving sense of narrative in his improvisations evince an equal command of the Jazz aesthetic.

"This fine local nonet is led by an Israeli saxist named Harel Shachal. The instrumentation includes oud, darbuka, dumbek, frame drum, cello, violin, accordion, bass and assorted percussion... I am most impressed by this disc. Harel plays alto & soprano sax & clarinet and wrote all but one of these tunes. The music reminds me of Ivo Papasov's high-speed Bulgarian Wedding Band. It sounds like there is no trap drummer here, leaving it up to the three hand percussionists, acoustic bassist and oud player to provide the great, driving groove. Harel's reeds, Skye Steele's violin, Chris Hoffman's cello as well as Harvey Valdez' oud all take a number of spirited solos. When the band slows down, Harel's charming, sly melodies really stand out. Uri Sharlin's accordion and both string players provide great simmering harmonies with whoever is soloing. Harel's wonderful clarinet has a distinctive mid-eastern sound, coming from a much different background than most of the jazz clarinetists one often hears. This was recorded live in February of this year and has rich, devilish sound..." - BLG. Downbeat Music Newsletter October 2005.

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