Amir Perelman

Amir Perelman (42) has been playing string instruments since he was 15. He grew up in Israel and partly in the U.S. and lived for ten years in the Netherlands and France where, as an active musician, he performed at various jazz clubs and festivals throughout Europe. He taught music at the Rotterdam Conservatory and composed scores for the theatre, as well as for commercial television. During his formative years, Perelman was exposed to many different musical influences such as Jazz, Rock, Latin, Indian, Armenian and Mediterranean music, all of which are reflected in his work. By fusing rhythms and scales from both east and west, he has created his own personal sound and style. For the last ten years, he has been living in Israel where he has been playing and leading ensembles while teaching at music in Megido music center and at the Arab Jewish center for arts of Tel Aviv - Jaffa. To date, he has recorded eight albums four of them distributed by Magda Music.

Take Five With Amir Perelman

by AAJ Staff
May 24, 2010

Meet Amir Perelman: Amir Perelman (42) has been playing string instruments since he was 15. He grew up in Israel and partly in the U.S., living in the Netherlands and France for ten years, where as an active musician he performed at various jazz clubs and festivals throughout Europe. He taught music at the Rotterdam Conservatory and composed scores for the theatre, as well as for commercial television. During his formative years, Perelman was exposed to many different musical influences ...

A cross-cultural bridge linking Hassidic and Kabalistic melodies generated by the many varied Diasporas of Israel and a highly innovative ethno-jazz fusion, arranged for this unique acoustic ensemble: the New Song of Jerusalem is the distilled expression of Amir Perelman's contemporary repertoire.

CNET Editors Review:

Skilled guitarist Amir Perelman meshes the many musical styles he's picked up while plucking his way around the globe. Whether dabbling in traditional Indian music or playing contemporary Western material, the Israeli composer seems to always teeter his tunes on the edge of complexity. He's gone as far as to modify his guitar to sound like a sitar, strumming dazzling melodies in the process.