Jah Levi
Background information
Born1962 (age 60–61)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GenresReggae, World Fusion
Occupation(s)Musician, Music Producer, Ethnomusicologist, Luthier, Workshop Leader
InstrumentsBass, Guitar, Keyboard, Percussion, Sitar, Melodic, Rebab, (Not Jah Levi (Hugh Mundell). Mundell recorded several 12" singles under the alias Jah Levi. In addition to performing live as a reggae artist, Mundell also performed live as Jah Levi throughout Jamaica on the island sound system circuit.
Years active1977–present
LabelsTheocratic Records, Tree of Life Music Circle, Folklorica Records
Websitewww.jahlevi.com

Jah Levi (born 1962) is a music producer and multi-instrumentalist songwriter, bandleader, luthier and archivist of folk and world music.

Early life and education

Son of music producer and folklorist Kenneth S. Goldstein,[1] Jah Levi was born in Philadelphia. His formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in ethnomusicology with a minor in Black studies from Bard College at Simon's Rock and a master's degree in luthiery from the Roberto-Venn School.[2] He studied world music with international masters and teachers, beginning with guitar lessons as a child in the 1960s from the legendary Reverend Gary Davis, whose music his father produced. While his primary instrument is the bass, he trained in the use of over 200 instruments and maintains a vast collection of rare instruments, following in his family lineage as an archivist, producer, and promoter of traditional music from around the world.[3]

Career

Jah Levi founded three record labels, including Theocratic Records (1983), Tree of Life Music Circle, and Folklorica Records (2016),[4] producing over 200 albums for musicians in multiple genres from many ethnic traditions. He built the world's first solar-powered music studio for Theocratic Records, Jah Works Studio, in Oregon in the 1980s.[5]

He has produced music featuring Ernest Ranglin, David Grisman, Steve Kimock, Vieux Farka Toure, Tahir Qawwal, Leroy Wallace, Prezident Brown, Lester Chambers, Dildar Hussain, Mutabaruka, and many others at his studios in Oregon and Northern California.

Music

His primary band, Jah Levi and the Higher Reasoning, has performed roots reggae music for decades with highly acclaimed musicians like "Horsemouth" Leroy Wallace, Ras Pidow, Sachi Hayasaka, Joshua Roseman, Rasul Siddik, Ronnie McQueen. Jerry Johnson and Kevin Batchelor of Steel Pulse, Jay Rodriguez, Kimati Dinizulu, and many other great artists for international audiences since the 1980s.[6] The band incorporates elements of ethnic music from all over the world-as well as liturgical chants in Hebrew, Arabic, and other languages.

Jah Levi has played many international events and festivals, including the Glastonbury Festival (England), the Philadelphia Folk Festival,[7] Reggae on the River, Unite in Babylon (Tel Aviv), Mystic Rising, Beloved Sacred Art and Music Festival,[8] Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival, and Seattle Hempfest.[9]

With over 35 years of touring and over 40 albums of his own music released, he has performed on the same stage with Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Ziggy Marley, Burning Spear, Ijahman Levi, Ras Michael, Culture, Israel Vibration, The Itals, Wailing Souls, The Persuasions, Black Uhuru, Andrew Tosh, The Wailers, Hamsa Lila, Lost at Last, Ester Rada[10] and numerous others.

Ceremonial work

In addition to music, Jah Levi is an herbalist and acupuncturist and practices a form of ceremonial healing work with plant medicines.[11] He earned an OMD through the New England School of Acupuncture and Shenzhou Open University of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in Amsterdam, and founded the Healing Light Alternative Medical Practice in the Netherlands and Shamanismo Botanica in Amsterdam.[12]

The Name Jah Levi

"Jah Levi" was also a stage name sometimes used by the late Jamaican singer Hugh Mundell, who was also known as "The Blessed Youth." While at least two other musicians have used the nickname Jah Levi at times during their career, Jah Levi is the only one to hold this as his legal name (rather than an alias) and it is the only name he has ever made music under, beginning in the early 1970s.

References

  1. ↑ "Kenneth S. Goldstein Dies at 68; Folklore Teacher and Collector". The New York Times. 15 November 1995.
  2. ↑ "Irie™ Magazine - Respect - Jah Levi". 10 February 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  3. ↑ Daily News: New York's Hometown Newspaper, (NY, NY), May 30, 1992
  4. ↑ "Buli Ratu's musical voyage to the US - Fiji Times Online". fijitimes.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Bergerson, Bruce, Oct 1, 1992, "Energy-conscious Jah Works is Mix of Roots Music and Hi-Tech", Pro Sound News: The International Newsmagazine for the Professional Sound Industry, Vol. 14, No.10
  6. ↑ Lang Thompson, Jan/Feb 1989, Option: Music Alternatives magazine, Vol. No.24, pg 81
  7. ↑ "- Local Roots". www.mainlinetoday.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "jah-levi - Top Shelf Reggae". Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Jah Levi concert". Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  10. ↑ "Jah Levi & the Levi'im with Ester Rada & Yossi Fine!". Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  11. ↑ "Jah Levi talks with Gabriel of Urantia". gabrielofurantia.net. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  12. ↑ "Dillards-Not Dullards", Pacific Sun, (San Rafael, CA), June 15, 2007
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