Music: Introducing the pantam drums

The Lavo Ensemble from Spain tours the country

By MAXIM REIDER
The Lavo Ensemble from Spain tours the country. (photo credit: PR)
The Lavo Ensemble from Spain tours the country.
(photo credit: PR)
Starting next week, the Lavo Ensemble will launch a tour in Israel, offering audiences its unusual but easily perceptible music. The ensemble includes pantam (iron drums) player Liron Man; piano/guitar player and composer Itamar Erez; and flutist and composer Barak Sober. The three are acclaimed musicians based in Spain. Man tours the world; Erez, whose music combines influences ranging from flamenco to contemporary jazz, in addition to his solo career, regularly joins Sufi maestro Omar Faruk Tekbilek on his tours around the world; while virtuoso Sober works on multicultural projects in India and leads major Israeli ensembles.
The Lavo Ensemble plays original music, tunes inspired by traditional music from around the globe. The group was established in 2012 when Man invited Erez and Sober to join him on stage.
"The connection was exciting and immediate," says Erez.
"We played my ‘Desert Song’ composition and decided to form a group." But with all due respect to Erez and Sober, it is probably Man's pantam that brings an exotic touch to the Lavo concerts.
“The pantam is a relatively new instrument, and Liron is one of the leading players in the world," says Erez. "He is a player of the highest dexterity and demonstrates that one can play any type of music on the pantam. He is able to play four pantams at a time."
The concerts take place on April 23 at Avtalion (054-447- 9489); April 25 at Beit Hahesed in Haifa (Tel: (04) 866-6235); May 5 at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv, with guest artists Zohar Fresco of Israel and French accordionist Jean-Luis Matinier (Tel: (03) 510-5656); and May 6 at the Yellow Submarine in Jerusalem (Tel: (02) 679-4040).