Biography

When South African-born bassist Yosef-Gutman Levitt made the journey to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music, he encountered a number of likeminded souls there. One of them, a guitarist originally from the West African nation of Benin, had come to Berklee from Paris. His name: Lionel Loueke. After moving to New York, the two continued to nourish their musical bond on a weekly gig in Brooklyn. Their paths diverged: Loueke became one of the most sought-after musicians of his time, signing to Blue Note and joining the bands of Terence Blanchard and Herbie Hancock, among others. Levitt left the music business, got married, started a family, found success as a tech entrepreneur, and moved to Jerusalem in 2009 following a spiritual rebirth. By 2018, he returned to music and began to refine a distinctive voice on the five-string acoustic bass guitar, his musical calling card, heard to great effect on his debut trio album Upside Down Mountain. Soul Song reflects a mutual love of music played from the heart, with melodies clearly and lyrically expressed. Pianist Omri Mor and drummer Ofri Nehemya complete the quartet lineup. The tracks are primarily Levitt originals cowritten and arranged with producer Gilad Ronen. Levitt plays mainly upright bass, preferring to accompany Loueke rather than attempt to share the lead melodic role. “Lionel is bringing himself to the music, he’s coming as a player,” Levitt explains. And what you give a player like Loueke is all the room he wants.