Producer and creator Patrick Sebag and the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra of Ashdod have launched an unusual new music project built around the songs and voice of Shlomo Artzi. The album gives some of the Israeli singer-songwriter’s most familiar work a fresh, cinematic treatment by combining Artzi’s original vocals with rich Andalusian arrangements and contemporary production.
Nine songs are being reworked for the project, including “Nivra’ti Lach,” “Tachat Shemi Yam HaTichon,” and “Yareach.” The production team says the result is “a musical journey connecting past and present, personal memory and the shared Israeli story.” Sebag’s method uses Artzi’s original recordings and blends them organically with the orchestra so the collaboration sounds as if it had existed from the start.
Artzi said he was moved by the result. “On the day I first heard what Patrick and the Andalusians did with my songs, I was captivated by the new arrangements,” he said. “It was like sailing in sound to other countries and musical styles that only the Andalusians know how to create.” He added that the renewed meeting between his songs and the Andalusian ensemble was “almost a miracle,” thanking them for giving the songs new life.
Sebag said the idea took shape several years ago, after working with Artzi on “Osher Express” and identifying the potential for a further collaboration after producing “Shinui Mezeg HaAvir” with Nia Bareli and the orchestra. Before beginning, he asked Artzi for permission to use the original recordings, and Artzi gave him full trust. Sebag, who grew up in Ashdod and moved to Tel Aviv at 20, described the project as a personal homecoming. The orchestra’s artistic director, Elad Levi, called Artzi “a modern paytan,” said the pairing feels natural, and described the album as proof that Israeli music can still renew itself. The release is accompanied by the single “Kol Yom,” the first song from Artzi and Sebag’s earlier collaboration, now reissued with an Andalusian arrangement and Moroccan singing.
