Genres

From: South Asia > India
And: North America > United States
And: Middle East > Iran, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Yemen

Genres: Sufi Music, World Fusion, World Jazz, Arab Classical, Inspirational, Jazz, Traditional, Turkish Classical

Eliyahu Sills

A native of Boston, Eliyahu Sills has been studying and performing music for over 20 years.

In the early 1990s, he studied the upright bass in at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. Deeply influenced by teachers Makanda Ken McIntyre, Arnie Lawrence and Reggie Workman, the bassist who played with John Coltrain and Art Blakely, Eliyahu began performing as a sideman and bandleader in renowned jazz clubs such as The Village Gate and Small's.

In the years that followed, Eliyahu fell in love with the flute and applied the musical theory that he learned through his jazz studies to teach himself this most ancient of instruments. After falling under the spell of the Sufi music of Turkey, he became a devoted student of both the nay, the reed flute of the Middle East, and the bansuri, the bamboo flute of India. He has since continued to study and perform these magical instruments under the guidance of masters Steve Gorn and his teacher G.S. Sachdev, to whom he is a devoted student.

In April, Eliyahu returned from a 4-month pilgimage to Turkey in search of a local living master to take him in and teach him the nuances of the nay. During his journey, he fell in love with Istanbul and had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study under masters Neyzen Omer Erdogdular and Neyzen Ahmet Kaya.

Eliyahu's mastery of musical styles spans the globe. He has performed and recorded vibrant sacred music of the Middle East with Za'atar, West African folk music with the Palm Wine Boys, soul roots reggae with the Original Intentions, Latin-tinged jazz with Sparlha Swa, bluegrass-inspired beats with Ilene Adar, and revolutionary Hip-hop with Rebels Advocate.

He loves performing for and teaching music to young people. He produced and performed bass and flute on Mitzvah Magic, a fun filled journey through morning prayers and songs, and has taught at The Mosaic Project.

He has recently been in the studio recording with the JP Cutler Band for their new EP scheduled for release in Fall 2006 and appeared live with Jason Ranjit Parmar on KPFA's Discreet Music Archives with Jane Heaven. Eliyahu now plays public and private concerts throughout the the United States and is completeing work on his newest CD, Eliyahu & the Sounds of Qadim.
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Eliyahu Sills

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Songs of Qadim

Acclaimed in the San Francisco Bay Area for performances rendered with passion, authentic musicianship and spirituality, this ensemble consists of Eliyahu Sills, Rachel Valfer and Jason Ranjit Parmar.

Rachel Valfer plays oud, the Arabic lute, and performs vocals. She studied Maqam and Persian dastgah modal systems in Israel and Palestine for six years at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. She sings in Greek, Hebrew, Turkish, Arabic and Farsi.

Jason Ranjit Parmar is a dedicated student of tabla master Swapan Chaudhuri and performs tablas with many well known kirtan leaders in the Bay Area. He is also adept on the drum kit as well as with Middle Eastern and African percussion.

Qadim is a word found both in Arabic and Hebrew meaning "ancient past" and "that which preceeds" as well as "forward movement" and "that which will come." Our group is aptly named as the music bridges cultures as well as the bringing old traditions into the contemporary world.

The CD also features Faisal Zedan on riqq, Micha Patri on drums, Alan Bruggman on frame drum, Chuck Wood on shakers and Brian Schachter on sitar.

Traverse the deserts of the Middle East, the mountains of northern India, and the warm waters of the Mediterranean with Eliyahu & Qadim.

Indicates Most Popular Song

	Title	Length	Sample
	The Dunes	5:05
	Nubar Nubar	5:01
	Durme Durme	4:46
	The Wagon Ride	6:25
	Patdeep Groove	5:03
	Ya'Adili Bilah	4:47
	V'Ahavta	9:03
	Buy all songs of this album

All songs just $0.99 each!
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Title	Rating	Review
wondrful!! Trancescendant!	5	This music rocks my soul into peace and connection to the divine. It feels deeply authentic and is deeply felt.
Eliyahu Sills- SOngs of Qadim	5	Truely beautiful and deeply felt. This music takes me places. To really wonderfull places.
	4
loved it	4
SUBLIME TRANSCENDANCE	5	The melodies and rhythms wash over me with a deep caress which only a subtle art form can give.