Itai Kriss, a Grammy nominated recording artist praised by Jazzwax as “one of the most exciting new flutist-composers” on the scene, commands a variety of musical genres with an eclectic style infused with Jazz, Latin and Middle Eastern sounds.
According to Downbeat Magazine, there is a “tangy, exotic flavor” to the New York musician’s style, which can be heard on his debut album, The Shark (2010) as well as on his subsequent releases TELAVANA (2018) and SUPERMOON (2021). The Shark features Kriss’ “soaring technique and phrasing that is both aggressive and pastoral,” which displays the versatility of his command of the flute, shifting through genres from funk and reggae to salsa and Arabic stylings with fluid ease.
After spending the past 20 years working at the forefront of New York City’s Jazz scene while performing, recording and touring with some of the world’s top Afro-Cuban, Latin and Salsa artists, flute virtuoso Itai Kriss fuses the sounds of his native Israel with those of his adopted homelands in the Americas to create TELAVANA. From the desert shores of Israel to the tropical beaches of Cuba, TELAVANA bridges the musical spheres of the Middle East and the Caribbean by combining Timba, Soul, North African music and Jazz to create a unique and lively mix of rhythms and textures.
When not touring and recording with likes of Orquesta Akokán, Dafnis Prieto, Brian Charette, Edmar Castañeda, Yemen Blues, Burning Spear, Los Hacheros, Pedrito Martinez, Omer Avital, Cuarteto Guataca, David Broza, Avishai Cohen, Eric McPherson & Elio Villafranca, Kriss performs regularly at premiere New York music venues including The Blue Note, Birdland, and Lincoln Center.
From The Press:
“..clearly a virtuoso..” (Nigel Williamson, Songlines, August 25, 2018)
“authentically beautiful melodies”
“[Kriss] plays with majestic virtuosity”
“Mr Kriss has matured into a musician who bestrides the two musical worlds of the Middle East and Latin America like a Colossus” (Raul da Gama, Latin Jazz Network August 23 2018)
“synthesizing and globetrotting”
“musical wanderlust” (Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz, September 12 2018)
“a musical synthesis as appealing and unforced as the cultural mix of the band” (Nate Chinen, WBGO.org, July 8 2018)
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