Yitzhak Attias
Yitzhak Attias is a percussionist and songwriter originally from Gibraltar, a British colony in the South of Spain. Having grown up on the Mediterranean, Yitzhak brings African, Latin, and Flamenco influences into his music, which mingle with the Sephardic traditions on which he was raised.
Yitzhak was extremely moved on his first visit to Israel by the desert - the Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, and the Sinai. The profound change he felt from this trip drew him back to Israel, where he has lived since 1980.
Yitzhak relates powerfully to the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. One well-known idea of Rebbe Nachman relates to the role of human beings in creation, to listen for, evoke, resonate with and elevate the melodies of the grasses, the trees, the animals. Yitzhak, in keeping with these teachings, sets out when he can to the depths of the Jerusalem forest and other natural settings in Israel for music, prayer and meditation. His A.M.I. workshop, "Sounds of the Jerusalem Forest," uses percussive and vocal techniques to simulate the forest sounds, as students are transported on a contemplative musical journey to the Promised Land of the soul.
His CD "Gather the Sparks" reflects this influence of Rebbe Nachman's teachings, and includes some of Israel's finest musicians. He has played professionally for over twenty years, leading his own bands "Ladino," "Yerushalmi" and "Azamra" and has performed and recorded with Shlomo Carlebach, Yehudah Glantz, Reva l'Sheva, Chaim David, Avraham Rosenblum, Moshe Yess and Mordechai Ben David.
Yitzhak lives with his wife and children in Jerusalem where he works in music and as a graphic artist. See his work at www.yitzhakattias.com
