Ofer Portugaly - Jazzing it up with Ofer Portugaly (2017)

"Jazzing it Up with Ofer Portugaly" is a project combining a concept album with a series of live performances showcasing the country's leading singers and songwriters. Ofer Portugaly and his guests perform Jazzy versions of their familiar songs, as a homage to Israeli music.

In the context of the "Jazzing it Up" project, Ofer Portugaly assembled an impressive line-up of artists whose songs had shaped the scenery of our collective childhood and youth, along with younger artists who made their mark in recent years:
Miki Gavrielov – "I can See Her on the Way to High School", Yehudit Ravitz – "The Gardeners are Sad Today", Doron Talmon (Jane Bordeaux) – "How Can I Avoid Falling in Love with You?", Danny Robas – "Coming Home from the Night", Ohad Hitman – "Tell Him", Leah Shabbat – "They Will Always be Waiting for You", Din-Din Aviv – "Looks Familiar from Way Back", Sagiv Cohen – "God Will Observe", Leah Shabbat & Sagiv Cohen – "From Far Away", Alon & Yehuda Eder – "Some Love can do No Harm", Eli Magen – "Tall is the Tree", Nathan Cohen & Daphna Levi – "A Vocal Duet", Iris Portugaly with Yossi Fine & Ben Eilon – "I Love Jazz" (an original).

Portugaly, an established pianist and arranger and a senior faculty member at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, is a highly regarded musician who has been creating, over the course of nearly three decades, original Israeli Jazz and unique arrangements for Israeli music staples. Throughout his career, Portugaly managed to link Jazz with the local culture and prove that "Jazz" is not a dirty word.
Through the familiar songs and the artists taking part in the project, Portugaly makes Jazz more accessible to a wider audience.
"In fact, this is the essence of Jazz," says Portugaly. "That was how they did it in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s in America, when Jazz musicians took the popular songs, the hits of the day, gave them their personal interpretation and used them as a platform for improvisation – and that's how they still do it today. I love arranging these songs and giving them a personal interpretation, and this project put me in contact with the singers-songwriters that I love the most and truly appreciate their work," Portugaly adds. "With many of them I had collaborated in the past. Some of them were my students at the Rimon School while others were the heroes of my childhood and I had grown up listening to their music. Working with them on the songs I love so much and jointly creating quality Israeli Jazz is, for me, the apex of artistic creation, the fulfillment of a dream and a major privilege."

A distinguished roster of artists enlisted in the project, as all of them regard it as a homage to Israeli music and to Ofer Portugaly the musician, pianist and arranger.
"I was taken by surprise by the whole thing, I had never thought of this direction for the song, of spicing it with a little Jazz, a little Blues, an American style – but it turned out beautiful! It creates a nostalgic sense of something that had existed once and was lost… the entire project is truly beautiful and I was glad to take part in it," said Miki Gavrielov.
Din-Din Aviv: "I am glad to be a part of this wonderful project with Ofer Portugaly. To embrace, touch and return to this realm of Jazz that for many years was a source of inspiration and influence and now it flowed so naturally… It was fun working with Ofer. He has the excitement of youth along with maturity, experience and an excellent taste. A gifted musician and a wonderful person… I am blessed!"
"I enjoyed participating in Ofer Portugaly's project that takes familiar songs in different directions of Jazz and Soul music," says Leah Shabbat. "It definitely gave my song a fun, refreshing regeneration!"
Shlomi Shabbat (Leah's brother) listened and was moved: "I heard your version of 'They Will Always be Waiting for You' from Portugaly's project, Perfecttttt!"
So far, three songs from the project were issued as singles for radio promotion:
"I can See Her on the Way to High School" with Miki Gavrielov, "They Will Always be Waiting for You" with Leah Shabbat and "Looks Familiar from Way Back" with Din-Din Aviv.



Track List:
1. Ohad Hitman (אוהד חיטמן) - Tell Him (תגידי לו) (Ohad Hitman)
2. Danny Robas (דני רובס) - I'm Coming Home from the Night (אני בא הביתה מן הלילה) (Danny Robas)
3. Yehudit Ravitz (יהודית רביץ) - A Gardeners are Sad Today (הנגנים היום עצובים) (Lea Goldberg - Yehudit Ravitz)
4. Eli Magen (אלי מגן) - How High Is The Tree (העץ הוא גבוה) (Hanoch Levin - Zohar Levy)
5. Miki Gavrielov (מיקי גבריאלוב) - I See Her Walking (אני רואה אותה בדרך לגימנסיה) (Yaakov Rotblit - Miki Gavrielov)
6. Doron Talmon (דורון טלמון) - How Can You Not Fall In Love? (איך אפשר שלא) (Doron Talmon)
7. Leah Shabat (לאה שבת) - Aiways Waiting For You (תמיד יחכו לך)
8. Sagiv Cohen (סגיב כהן) - Good Will Watch You (ישקף) (Yehosef Ben Israel - Sagiv Cohen)
9. Din Din Aviv (דין דין אביב) - Looks Familiar From Way Back (מוכרת לי מפעם)
10. Alon & Yehuda Eder (אלון ויהודה עדר) - Some Love Can Do No Harm (קצת אהבה לא תזיק) (Alon Eder)
11. Sagiv Cohen & Leah Shabat (סגיב כהן ולאה שבת) - From A Far (מהמרחקים) (Sagiv Cohen)
12. Nathan Cohen & Dafna Levy (נתן כהן ודפנה לוי) - Two Voices (שני קולות) (Ehud Manor - Nathan Cohen)
13. Iris Portugaly With Yossy Fine & Ben Aylon (איריס פורטוגלי עם יוסי פיין ובן אילון) - I Love Jazz (Ofer Portugaly)

Ofer Portugaly - Piano
Yotam Silberstein - Guitar
Eli Magen - Bass
Eviatar Slivnik - Drums
Joca Perpignan - Percussion
Yaakov Amar - Trumpet & Flugelhorn
Yuval Drabkin - Tenor Sax
Oded Meir - Trombone
Elia Yalin & Najda Perl - Violins
Victor Kristosov - Viola
Lev Matikov - Cello
The Gospel Choir: Lior Kodman, Chen Yamin & Reut Levi – soprano; Michal Guy, Yael Mintz & Keren Paz – alto; Gil Moses & Amit Daitshman – tenor; Yossi Hillel & Shimon Smith – Bass.

On 13 only:
Iris Portugaly - Vocals & Drums
Ofer Portugaly - Fender Rhodes
Yossy Fine - Bass
Ben Aylon - Percussion

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