Yemenite Songs

Infobox Album
Name = Yemenite Songs
Type = Album
Artist = Ofra Haza


Released = 1984
Recorded = 1984
Genre = Traditional music, Folk music
Length = 38:12
Label = Globe Style Records
Ausfahrt
Shanachie Records
Producer = Bezalel Aloni, Benny Nagari
Reviews = Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wifoxqqgldke]
Last album =
This album = "Yemenite Songs"
(1984)
Next album = "Shaday"
(1988)Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate Cover
Type = album


Lower caption = Fifty Gates of Wisdom

"Yemenite Songs" a.k.a. "Shirey Teyman" is a 1984 album of Ofra Haza, on which the Israeli pop star returned to her roots interpreting traditional Yemeni Jewish songs with lyrics coming from the poetry of 16th century Rabbi Shalom Shabazi. The album was recorded with both traditional and modern musical instruments; wooden and metal percussion, Yemenite tin and tambala, strings, brass and woodwind as well as drum machines and synthesizers.

The opening song "Im Nin' Alu"'s accapella intro would eventually become the starting point of Haza's international career as it was sampled by a number of European and American rap and dance acts like Eric B. & Rakim on their "Paid In Full" and M|A|R|R|S on "Pump Up the Volume" which lead to Haza releasing a dance remix of her own recording in 1988 (subtitled "Played In Full") which became a pop chart hit in many parts of the world. Remixes of both "Im Nin' Alu" and "Galbi" were included on the first international album "Shaday".

The "Yemenite Songs" album has also been released under the title "Fifty Gates of Wisdom".

Track listing

Side A:
#"Im Nin 'Alu" (Shabazi) - 5:18
#"Yachilvi Veyachali" (Shabazi) - 3:27
#"A 'Salk" (Shabazi, Traditional) - 4:45
#"Tzur Mentati"/"Se'i Yona"/"Sapri Tama" (Ben-Amram, Shabazi, Traditional) - 5:44

Side B:
#"Galbi" (Amram, Shabazi) 4:14
#"Ode Le-Eli" (Shabazi, Traditional) - 3:31
#"Lefelach Harimon" (Shabazi, Traditional) 5:08
#"Ayelet Chen" (Shabazi) - 6:30

Personnel

* Ofra Haza - lead vocals
* Lesli Lishinski - bassoon
* Marvin Feinshmit - bassoon tracks A3, B1
* Ilan School - clarinet, bass clarinet
* Eli Magen - double bass
* Iki Levy - drums, congas, metal and wooden percussion, timbales
* Abigail Erenheim - flute, piccolo tracks A1, A2, A4, B2 to B4
* Benny Nagari - flute, piccolo tracks A3, B1
* Shlomo Shochat - french horn
* Meril Grinberg - oboe, english horn
* Herman Openstein - oboe, English horn tracks A3, B1
* Chaim Gispan - percussion (Yemenite tin & tambala)
* Avraham Rosenblatt - strings
* Elchanan Bregman - strings
* Israel Berkowitch - strings
* Israela Wisser - strings
* Rima Kaminkowski - strings
* Yigal Tuneh - strings
* Yitzchak Markowetzki - strings
* Yuval Kaminkowski - strings

Production

* Bezalel Aloni - record producer
* Benny Nagari - musical arranger
* Yoav Gera - audio mixing
* Recorded at Triton Studios, Tel Aviv between August and September 1984.
* Aharon Amram - artistic advisor