ADAMAI Ensemble – One of a kind

Shlomo Gronich and Lubna Salame gathered the finest musicians in Israel when establishing the ADAMAI ENSEMBLE with the intent to create something new and something unheard of in the world-music scene, but particularly in the Arab-Jewish genre. Numerous bands have been formed with the east-meets-west formula, but none like ADAMAI. Born of a commitment to make a change in the region, at the outset of the 2^nd intifada, and at a time when standing up for non-violence was unfashionable, the roots of ADAMAI are found in the November 2000 meeting of three original members, Shlomo Gronich (musical director, keyboard, vocals and shofar) Lubna Salame – world renowned interpreter of Um Khoultum, and Gadi Seri – known for his use of darbouka and eastern percussion instruments in jazz and Latin arrangements. Imad Dalal (oud) joined Gronich and Salame in 2004 for the first time when they appeared together on Channel 1 of the Israel Broadcasting Authority Independence Day programming. Veteran world-renowned jazz artist Albert Piamenta - master of the clarinet, saxophone and Arabic flute, the nay, joined when the ADAMAI Ensemble was founded in February 2005, along with multi-talented electric bass and contrabass artist Gilad Ephrat and keyboard-synthesizer- accordion celebrity Doron Picker.

Shofar, nay, accordion, electric bass, contrabass, synthesizer, saxophone, Darbouka, oud, keyboard and vocals – instruments and personality that give the ADAMAI ENSEMBLE its birthright and originality. Each musical arrangement is unique to this extraordinary make-up of musicians that comprise the ensemble. Similarly, the repertoire is unique to the ADAMAI Ensemble’s commitment to making a difference, culturally and socially. The classic “Blowin’ in the Wind” when performed in English, Arabic in Hebrew is just one example. “Hello peace, hello”, written by Gronich for the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan was given a new arrangement for Lubna Salame to take the lead with the text in Arabic language. When a typical ”khafla” begins with the pulsing beat of Ephrat’s bass guitar and the riffs Piamenta’s saxophone and is followed by Salame’s agility that is interjected with a klezmer melody by Gronich , the audience enjoys a musical experience heard nowhere else but at an ADAMAI Ensemble performance. Two new songs “Absurd” and “A Song” written since the second war in Lebanon signify the dilemmas and challenges of making music in a battle zone.