Iris & Ofer Portugaly With Their Israeli Gospel Choir - Adon Haselichot (2013)

Iris Portugaly is a vocalist, drummer, composer and performer and the academic director of the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music.Ofer Portugaly is a pianist, musical director, composer and arranger and a senior faculty member at the Rimon School.

Iris and Ofer Portugaly met in 1987, on the steps of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. During their stay there, they formed a jazz quartet with two more Bostonian musicians, and started performing in Boston jazz clubs. The couple has performed over the years, with their quartet, in countless concerts and festivals in Israel and abroad, and collaborated with Israeli and international jazz artists.

In the summer of 1991, fully aware that the Jazz scene in Israel is still in its infancy, they decided to return and establish themselves as performers-composers in the Israeli music industry. Upon their return, they formed an ensemble and started creating original Israeli jazz, drawing upon trends and influences of local culture. Their music included original pieces flavored with Mediterranean touches, as well as Israeli classics and newly arranged jazz staples.

The Portugalys actually created a new genre – jazz that is truly Israeli, and in 1994 released their first album, which enjoyed a very warm reception from critics and audiences alike, and was successful in Japan, too.

The fourth album by Iris and Ofer Portugly, "Gospel Jazz Live", was recorded live with the gospel choir. Over the years, the ensemble has collaborated with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with such guest artists as Margalit Zan´ani, Ruthie Navon, Sagiv Cohen, Gabriel Butler, Subliminal, Mosh Ben-Ari and Momy Levy, among others.