Yair Dalal - Biography and Musical Style

Biography and Musical Style

Yair Dalal was born in Israel in 1955, though his parents were Iraqis who had immigrated to Israel the year before. Growing up, he was exposed to many different kinds of music, and studied violin at Givatayim Conservatory, just east of Tel Aviv. Though he was influenced by Iraqi folk music, he was also interested in Western rock. In his early twenties, he started played the oud. In his thirties, he lived on Kibbutz Samar, on the southern tip of the Arava Desert, and started playing music with the Bedouin tribe Azazme. His experience playing music with Bedouin tribes helped him find the identity he has today, and inspired him to write music that bridges the gap between Israelis and Arabs. His musical style now draws influence from European classical, jazz, blues and Arab music. He describes it as, “It is Arabic, it is Iraqi, it is Jewish, and Israeli.” Nowadays, when he performs, he often wears a loose white robe or long jacket, with a cloth draped ober his shoulder like a prayer shawl. He says this shows his heritage and spirituality without being orthodox or overly religious. He also believes in the emotional and transformative power of music.

During the first Gulf War, he composed a piece with his then band, called Midian. The piece has a violin part which imitated the sound of Scud missiles falling from Iraq to Israel. After that, he began touring and recording both as a solo artist and with his band, Al Ol. Between 1995 and 2002, he recorded seven solo albums. In 1994, he wrote and performed the song “Zaman el Salaam” during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for Rabin, Peres, and Arafat.