Search - Ofra Haza :: At Montreux Jazz Festival

A Suberb Live Recording

Rachel, Music Lover | Brooklyn, NY | 11/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The late Yemeni-Israeli singer, Ofra Haza was a consummate singer and live performer who mezmerized audiences of all ages (all too infrequently outside of Israel) and backgrounds. I attended 2 of Ofra's 1990 concerts, in Boston and Brooklyn, New York, and this recording beautifully captures the same energy and enthusiasm generated both by Ofra and the audience that she so artfully delighted with her truly magnetic prescence. Very few singers can capture the fascination of an audience like Ofra could, with her unsurpassed natural beauty, satiny voice and perfect pitch. Of her voice, the famed Israeli lyricist, Ehud Manor wrote, "She sang like a bubbling brook..." This recording is Ofra UNPLUGGED. The musicians, part American & part Israeli capture the feel of her groundbreaking Yemenite albums "50 Gates of Wisdom" and "Shaday" with Tzour Ben Zeev on bass and Danny Sidounick on Yemenite tin. The arrangements are artfully crafted by Haim Cotton and they lose none of the special Yemenite flavor, while incorporating some jazzy sequences. Aric Person's playful flute adds a joyful accompaniment. East meets West as the musicians turn "Galbi" and "La Fa La" into an impromptu jazz session- a must hear! This live album is a MUST HAVE for any Ofra Haza fan. However, Hed Artzi, Ofra's record company released her Greatest Hits Volume 2 Collection (Osef Manginat HaLev 2) of which this live recording is Disc 1. Therefore, if you plan on buying that collection, this purchase is unnecessary. In any case, treat your ears & soul to this rare live recording of one of the world's greatest singing legends."

Wonderful World Superstar Live at Height of her Career

MusicMan | Midwest USA | 07/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great entertaining live concert of world singer superstar Ofra Haza at the height of her career. She is as wonderful live as on her studio recordings. The Montreux Jazz Festival concert was performed in 1990 and mainly featured selections from her latest albums up to that date, Desert Wind, and Shaday. Ofra's powerful, beautiful voice is in fine form and everyone in her band is excellent on their instruments. The concert is no carbon copy of the studio songs. There are great variations and medleys to be enjoyed in which everyone in the band at some point has a great solo on their instrument. Particularly noteworthy are the excellent medleys of Galbi (My Heart), and La Fa La (The Wedding Song.) In La Fa La each musician one after the other at various points during the song stops playing and joins Ofra in a wedding dance, leaving at the end just the drummer driving a great solo. The percussion is particularly strong throughout the concert with a percussionist and a drummer both performing. Drums, Congas, Bongas, Timbales, and Yemenite percussion instruments all lend to the driving beat. Eric Person is a virtuoso on sax and flute, and the whole live sound is expertly crafted by keyboardist and musical director Haim Cotton. Some jazz improvisational elements are tastefully blended into the music, which on the albums is not jazz. It is very well done, and the improvisational/jazz elements blend well in the songs to produce a great listening experience. The a cappella "Love Song" is a stunning example of the beauty and power of Ofra's voice in a live setting. Overall a great live performance by one of the greatest female vocalists. Highly recommended, as well as the DVD of the same concert."