Artistic director: Gilad Vaknin
Ecoute is a Jerusalem ensemble that has been active for about seven years and performs original music, mainly the poems of contemporary Jerusalem poets. The creative core of the ensemble is singer Inbal Djamchid and guitarist Gilad Vaknin. About two years ago, the band's first EP, "Katamon Songs", was released: a small collection of original melodies for texts all related to the Katamon neighborhood, a classic Jerusalem neighborhood in every way. Apart from the neighborhood and everyday themes, the songs are the work of writers who reside in the neighborhood. In the past year, the ensemble has released their second album: "Maspik Dibarnu Al Ahava": a long musical work based on a song by the Jerusalem poet Almog Behar, which deals with the romance that may have taken place between Umm Kulthum and one of her songwriters, Ahmad Rami.
In 2020, the activities of Ecoute Ensemble focused on recordings of new works and documentation. A new album was released. A clip for the song "Jerusalem" was filmed and promoted on social media. We started recording a new work based on Efrat Mishori’s poems.
Ecoute Ensemble performed shows that were broadcast independently, and through public initiatives (InDnegev Festival, Israel Connected, a series of performances via the Yellow Submarine, and more).
Children's show 'Side to Side' - the first Jewish Oriental children's song show in Hebrew
Imagine for a second: little children grow up with other sounds, varied and rich. Aside from wonderful European folk songs and the good old Israeli songs, parents and children naturally hum together tunes from North Africa, Ethiopia and Iraq. With the help of intriguing musical instruments, we will embark together on a fantastic journey between the sounds of the area, the city and the desert, music from the past and the present. We will become a fish that swims in the water and also in the sky; on Friday morning we will make a cake made of seven ingredients; we will look at a curtain and see a dancer's dress; we’ll sing, dance and move together from side to side. Side to Side—an album of Jewish Oriental songs for children—is a modest attempt, but pretentious in its aspirations to update, even slightly, Israeli culture, from the ground up. A chance to connect to local traditions, from our home or the neighbor's, and an invitation to peek into a distant, magical and mysterious culture.
Ecoute is a Jerusalem ensemble that has been active for about seven years and performs original music, mainly the poems of contemporary Jerusalem poets. The creative core of the ensemble is singer Inbal Djamchid and guitarist Gilad Vaknin. About two years ago, the band's first EP, "Katamon Songs", was released: a small collection of original melodies for texts all related to the Katamon neighborhood, a classic Jerusalem neighborhood in every way. Apart from the neighborhood and everyday themes, the songs are the work of writers who reside in the neighborhood. In the past year, the ensemble has released their second album: "Maspik Dibarnu Al Ahava": a long musical work based on a song by the Jerusalem poet Almog Behar, which deals with the romance that may have taken place between Umm Kulthum and one of her songwriters, Ahmad Rami.
In 2020, the activities of Ecoute Ensemble focused on recordings of new works and documentation. A new album was released. A clip for the song "Jerusalem" was filmed and promoted on social media. We started recording a new work based on Efrat Mishori’s poems.
Ecoute Ensemble performed shows that were broadcast independently, and through public initiatives (InDnegev Festival, Israel Connected, a series of performances via the Yellow Submarine, and more).
Children's show 'Side to Side' - the first Jewish Oriental children's song show in Hebrew
Imagine for a second: little children grow up with other sounds, varied and rich. Aside from wonderful European folk songs and the good old Israeli songs, parents and children naturally hum together tunes from North Africa, Ethiopia and Iraq. With the help of intriguing musical instruments, we will embark together on a fantastic journey between the sounds of the area, the city and the desert, music from the past and the present. We will become a fish that swims in the water and also in the sky; on Friday morning we will make a cake made of seven ingredients; we will look at a curtain and see a dancer's dress; we’ll sing, dance and move together from side to side. Side to Side—an album of Jewish Oriental songs for children—is a modest attempt, but pretentious in its aspirations to update, even slightly, Israeli culture, from the ground up. A chance to connect to local traditions, from our home or the neighbor's, and an invitation to peek into a distant, magical and mysterious culture.
