40th Red Sea Jazz Festival Features Israeli Stars and International Acts
The Red Sea Jazz Festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary from November 11-14 in Eilat, featuring over 40 performances across four stages. Ticket prices start at 125 shekels, with festival passes available for 1,099 shekels.
The festival opens on Wednesday, November 11, with a tribute to founding musicians including Danny Gottfried, Albert Piamenta, and Aharale Kaminsky. Idan Raichel will present his original production "Milestones," an acoustic retrospective, joined by Abate Berihun, Eli Degibri, and others. The evening also includes a joint performance by Keren Ann and Avishai Cohen, and Dudu Tassa hosting cellist Maayan Tsabari and a string quartet. Other acts include Shai Zelman's Quintet paying tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, Alon Nir Trio, and groups Zafio, The Slices, and Aybie Group.
Thursday, November 12, will feature an instrumental tribute to the late Matti Caspi, "Titchatzef Veta'aneh," with eight pianists. Gidi Gov will perform a new show with Amir Benayoun and Rona Kenan. Miri Mesika will present a symphonic production with a big band and string quartet. The Jerusalem East West Orchestra, conducted by Tom Cohen, will perform with Maya Belzitzman and Guy Mintus. The fusion group Minuim will return, and Eli Degibri will premiere his tenth album with guest Jess Curran. Additional performances include Abate Berihun and Addis Ken Project, Omri Mor with Joca Perpignan, Yonathan Avishai Ensemble, and Striker Big Band.
On Friday, November 13, Ravid Plotnik will host Yishai Swissa. Yoni Rechter will revisit "Od Sipur" with a new vocal ensemble. Shlomi Shaban will host the Kadosh brothers, and Maoz Cohen will perform with the Israeli Jazz Orchestra. Jazz guitarist Mordy Ferber will perform with a quintet. Other artists include Uri Kaplan and Lehou Melamed with Reverie Ensemble, Gal De Paz, Narkis Ra'am, and the 3 Cohens Sextet. The night will conclude with Tamir Greenberg's late-night jam session.
The festival closes on Saturday, November 14, with performances by artistic director Yossi Fine and friends, and Stav Achai Quartet. It will continue with Peled hosting Alma Gobe and Eden Derso, and Katia Tobol Quartet performing a tribute to Pharoah Sanders' album "Africa." The closing act will be Balkan Beat Box with Carolina and Teddy Neguse. As in previous years, a traditional jam session stage will operate after midnight for spontaneous collaborations between festival artists and emerging Israeli jazz musicians. Admission is open to the public.
Yossi Fine, the festival's artistic director, stated, "Celebrating 40 years of the Eilat Jazz Festival is celebrating so many things. First and foremost, the combination of generations, the founders like Danny Gottfried and his friends, the next generation who discovered rich and complex music thanks to the festival and played in jams with the world's best musicians, and then went out and succeeded globally as Israeli jazz musicians, and the younger generation that is already at a high level from the start."
