Yemen Blues, a world music ensemble that combines Yemenite music with funk, blues and jazz, performed at the Porta International World Music Festival held in Latvia this past August.
Yemen Blues was founded by Ravid Kahalani and Omer Avital in 2010.
Since 1999, the Porta Festival has been promoting world music in Latvia, inviting musicians from various countries and continents to perform in Riga and other Latvian cities, skillfully combining the traditional and the modern, the authentic and the untamed. Six music groups from seven different countries and five national cuisines were represented at the Porta Festival at the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia on August 20.
Yemen Blues brought new age music to Latvia from Israel, combining Yemeni, West African, blues, funk and jazz rhythms, together with vocals reminiscent of ancient Arabic chants. The ensemble was warmly welcomed by the crowd and was the highlight of the festival.
Celebrating its 18th anniversary, the Porta International World Music Festival has become a well-known and recognized European festival. This year’s gathering featured concerts from six music groups from seven different countries and five different national cuisines.