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What is Being Said About Jaffa Road...

“Jaffa Road blends Jewish, jazz, Indian and Arabic music with electronica and dub. The result is fantastic.”  -CBC Radio One

 "If Toronto had to pick one group to reflect the world music scene in that city, well Jaffa Road would definitely be in the running as musical ambassadors" -Garvia Bailey, CBC Radio2

"Jaffa Road put on a fantastic performance and were undoubtedly one of the hits of the 2008 Ashkenaz Festival..." -Eric Stein, Artistic Director Ashkenaz Festival (Toronto)

“Their eclectic mix of world beat, jazz, and electronica has a combination of cultural elements that is a virtual peace plan for the Middle –East – their essence should be distilled and send to long feuding lands...Highly recommended!"  -Larry Rossignol, Artistic Director, The Distillery Jazz Festival

 "...Aviva Chernick’s voice is one of the top in the industry and her presence is incomparable to anyone performing in the Jewish World...I highly recommend checking them out!"  -Isaac Zabloki, Director of Film & Literary Programs, JCC Manhattan


music

Sunday
Sep192010

photo credit: Steve Carty

   

 

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Personelle Caption: (for top photo , Left to right, Aaron Lightstone, Chris Gartner, Aviva Chernick, Jeff Wilson, Sundar Viswanathan.  For lower photo, Aaron Lightstone, Chris Gartner, Aviva Chernick, Sundar Viswanathan, Jeff Wilson.)  Photo Credit- Steve Carty. 

Elevator Pitch

Hebrew, English and Spanish poetry intertwined with electrifying improvisations, belly-dance rhythms and pulsing dub grooves

Short Bio

JUNO nominated (2010, 2013)  Jaffa Road is an acclaimed Toronto based world music group made up of some of Canada’s most exciting and innovative interpreters of inter-cultural music. They recently released their second CD Where the Light Gets In to critical acclaim, a Juno nomination, and an enthusiastic, standing room only crowd at Hugh’s Room, one of Toronto’s premier music venues.  Their music creates a unique sonic landscape that draws organically from the worlds of Jewish music, Arabic and Indian music, modern jazz, electronica, rock, pop, and dub.  Their song, L.Y.G., off their debut album, Sunplace, won Grand Prize and the  Lennon Award in the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the band was also awarded Best World Music Artist at the  Toronto Independent Music Awards.  They have traveled to many communities across Canada delighting audiences with their unique brand of genre-bending fusion.

Full Bio

JUNO nominated (2010, 2013) Jaffa Road is an acclaimed Toronto based world music group made up of some of Canada’s most exciting and innovative interpreters of inter-cultural music. Their music creates a unique sonic landscape that takes listeners on a journey that is at once ancient and modern, acoustic and electronic, sacred and secular.

Jaffa Road's organic fusion blends influences and inspirations from the worlds of Jewish music, Classical Arabic and Indian music, modern jazz, electronica, rock, pop, and dub.  Their song, L.Y.G., off their debut album, Sunplace, won Grand Prize and a Lennon Award in the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the band was awarded Best World Music Artist at the  Toronto Independent Music Awards.

They released their second CD Where the Light Gets In in late 2012 to critical acclaim, a JUNO-AWARD nomination and an enthusiastic, standing room only crowd at Hugh’s Room, one of Toronto’s premier music venues.   The album was not even officially released when the first track Ana El Na, won the prestigious Songs from the Heart Song Writing contest from the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals, and the second track Sim Shalom was selected by the CBC as a "Song of the Week".

Their debut CD, Sunplace, was released in early 2009 to a packed house at The Lula Lounge in Toronto and was recorded for CBC Radio 2 Canada Live. Sunplace was nominated for a 2010 JUNO Award for World Music Album of the Year.  Tracks from the CD have received regular airplay on a number of regional and national programs on CBC Radio, and college radio. Sunplace has earned the #1 spot on the CIUT world music chart.

The band’s trailblazing musical odyssey is ignited by the ethereal vocals of multilingual lead singer Aviva Chernick, the evocative oud playing of Aaron Lightstone,  the visionary grooves of bassist Chris Gartner, the entrancing exhillerating sounds of saxophonist/flutist Sundar Viswanathan and the driving beat of percussionist Jeff Wilson. Together, these stellar musicians challenge accepted notions of Jewish music while creating a new form of expression that breaks cultural boundaries.

 

 Jaffa Road is very grateful for the support received  from The Toronto Arts Council, The Ontario Arts Council, FACTOR, and The Canada Council for The Arts.