Israeli musician Idan Raichel travels to Africa to "Save a Child's Heart"

Successful Israeli musician Idan Raichel spent a week in Rwanda and Ethiopia, raising awarness and promoting the work of "Save a Child's Heart," an Israeli non-profit organization which sends Israeli doctors to treat children with heart disease throughout the third world.



Idan Raichel (Hebrew: עידן רייכל‎, b. September 12, 1977) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and a musician, widely acclaimed for his Idan Raichel Project (Hebrew: הפרוייקט של עידן רייכל), distinctive for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, Middle Eastern and Ethiopian music. Prior to the Project, Raichel was a keyboardist, collaborating with top artists such as Ivri Lider. His total sales stand at about 300,000 records.

Early life

Idan Raichel was born to an Ashkenazi family in Kfar Sava, Israel. Raichel began to play the accordion at the age of nine. He was attracted to gypsy music and tango, and studied jazz piano in high school, which improved his improvisational skills and ability to collaborate with other musicians.

Military Service

At 18, Idan went into the Israeli army, as is compulsory for all Israelis of that age. It was in this military setting that Raichel developed musical skills that later proved vital. Idan joined the Army rock band, touring military bases performing covers of Israeli and Western pop hits. As the musical director of the group, he became adept at arrangements and producing live shows.

Counselling career

Following his military service, Raichel became a counselor at a boarding school for immigrants and troubled youth. The school was attended by many young Ethiopian Jews, who introduced him to Ethiopian folk and pop music. Whilst many of people in the school rejected their own cultural traditions in an effort to assimilate into mainstream Israeli society, a small core of teenagers remained fans of Ethiopian music, passing around cassettes of songs by Mahmoud Ahmed, Aster Aweke and Gigi. After hearing them, Raichel began to frequent Ethiopian bars and clubs in Tel Aviv. In April, 2007, Raichel travelled with Save a Child's Heart to Rwanda and Ethiopia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idan_Raichel