Biography
An Israeli vocalist and instrumentalist who divides his time between India and Israel, Shye Ben Tzur writes qawwalis that weave Hebrew, Urdu, and Hindi texts together with Sufi devotional traditions and Western influences. Born in New York City, he first encountered Indian music through a Jerusalem concert by classical masters Hariprasad Chaurasia and Zakir Hussain. After traveling to India to study Indian classical music, he began creating qawwali works in his native Hebrew. Rajasthan folk musicians appear frequently among his regular collaborators, who have also included Indian vocalist Shubha Mudgal, Spanish guitarist Fernando Perez, Israeli percussionist Zohar Fresco, and others. A committed film enthusiast, he has produced and directed music videos and short films while composing scores for visual media. Ben Tzur is equally a poet; his debut collection, Souls Expressions, was issued in Israel in 1999. His first album, Heeyam, captured in India, Israel, and the United States, reached listeners in 2003. He appeared at New Delhi’s annual Sufi gathering Jahan-e-Khusrau in 2004. The follow-up, Shoshan, arrived in 2010 and, wider in stylistic range than its predecessor, drew acclaim from Indian and world-music outlets. In 2015 he convened at Rajasthan’s Mehrangarh Fort with British guitarist-composer Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, producer Nigel Godrich, and the local ensemble Rajasthan Express. Director Paul Thomas Anderson documented the sessions for the film Junun, and Nonesuch released an album of the same name.
Singles
