Yogev Shetrit - Serenity (2020)

A mesmerizing beauty and exhilarating energy flow through Serenity, composer and drummer Yogev Shetrit’s new album, released on December 7, 2019. Drawing on traditional North African music, Gnawa, and Andalusian music from his Moroccan heritage, composing on the piano and working from a place of connection, freedom and surging creativity, Shetrit feels at home in myriad genres, including contemporary jazz, funk, and hip hop. Dazzling, playful, and endlessly inventive, he is a brilliant drummer, whose incandescent performances evoke a feeling of wonder and the thrill of the unexpected.

Serenity is grounded in deep roots and from there it soars. Shetrit’s debut album, New Path, was released in 2016, and opened with Ayala, written for his daughter. Continuing that tradition, Serenity opens with Eviatar, a playful, vivacious piece written for his son. Beginning with a song-like melody on piano, performed by Moshe Elmakias, there is a joyous sense of exploration in Eviatar, that reaches into the unknown, returning ultimately to its original phrase, and experiencing it differently. Meni Welt is featured on bass in Guatemala, a quiet, almost meditative piece in which an underlying, engaging rhythm connects with the melody in an intriguing manner.

The third track Ana Farach Bikum revels in the undulating sound of its Moroccan influences. The title is a Moroccan phrase that means ‘we are glad that you are here’ and refers to the collaboration on this piece, which began as a trio with Moshe Elmakias on piano and Avri Borochov on bass, and hosts Amir Alaev on kanun and doira, Aviva Alaev on violin, Matan Caspi on darbuka, and was co-produced with renowned singer Mike Karuchi. Opening into seductive rhythms and swirling melodies, it transports the listener to faraway places, swaying and clapping along with the beat. Hopes opens with a happy, uplifting melody on piano, that takes on a warm depth with Avri Borochov on bass. It’s an invitation to smile.