Har-El Shachal
“You can’t get rid of your experiences if you are true to yourself. So this is for me, Jewish music – my inner voice”
New York-based Middle-Eastern and Balkan jazz group, Anistar is led by Israeli composer, saxophonist and clarinetist Har-El Shachal. Formed in 2002, Shachal seamlessly fuse classical and traditional Middle Eastern and Balkan music with a New York jazz twist.
Studying classical piano at the age of 8, Shachal quickly developed an interest in improvisation and composition. Switching to the alto saxophone years later, Shachal discovered an emerging jazz and blues spirit in his music. Spending years studying under musical masters, Shachal has become a saxophone and clarinet virtuoso of Middle Eastern maqams (modes).
Shachal and Anistar’s effortless mix of ancient Jewish and modern instrumentation offers the musical language of the desert in the chaotic urban sounds of New York.