Yehuda Solomon ( he, ייהודא סולומונ ; born June 20, 1977) is an Israeli-American singer, songwriter, and

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this pr ...

. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the band

Moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

, which heavily influenced

Jewish rock Jewish rock is a form of contemporary Jewish religious music that is influenced by various forms of secular rock music. Pioneered by contemporary folk artists like Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and the Diaspora Yeshiva Band, the genre gained popularity ...

in the late '90s. He is the son of

Diaspora Yeshiva Band The Diaspora Yeshiva Band ( he, להקת ישיבת התפוצות) was an Israeli Orthodox Jewish rock band founded at the Diaspora Yeshiva on Mount Zion, Jerusalem, by ''baal teshuva'' students from the United States. In existence from 1975 to ...

member

Ben Zion Solomon Ben Zion Solomon is an American-born Israeli musician, best known as a founding member of the seminal Jewish rock group Diaspora Yeshiva Band, for whom he played fiddle and banjo from 1975 to 1983. A disciple of Shlomo Carlebach, Solomon and his ...

, while his siblings include Noah Solomon of

Soulfarm Soulfarm (formerly known as Inasense) is an American Jewish rock band based in New York City. They were founded in 1991 by C Lanzbom and Noah Solomon.

Early life

Solomon was born and raised in

Mevo Modi'im Mevo Modi'im (, ''lit.'' Modi'im Gateway), officially Me'or Modi'im (), is a moshav in central Israel. It is also known as the Carlebach Moshav. Located north-west of Modi'in on Highway 443, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hevel Modi'in Regio ...

, an Israeli

moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

founded by musician and spiritual leader Rabbi

Shlomo Carlebach Shlomo Carlebach ( he, שלמה קרליבך; 14 January 1925 – 20 October 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime. ...

, who was a regular fixture in the village. His father is

, a founding member of the

, while his brothers include

Soulfarm Soulfarm (formerly known as Inasense) is an American Jewish rock band based in New York City. They were founded in 1991 by C Lanzbom and Noah Solomon.

's Noah Solomon, Hamakor's Nachman Solomon, and future Moshav bandmates Yosef and Meir Solomon.

Career

Moshav

Solomon played together with his neighbor Duvid Swirsky from a young age, and the two formed the Moshav Band in 1996. They have released ten albums since 1998 and have been credited, alongside

Blue Fringe Blue Fringe was an American Jewish rock band from New York City. Formed in 2001 by lead singer Dov Rosenblatt, the band's debut album, '' My Awakening'' (2003), sold more than 14,000 copies, an uncommon feat in the limited Jewish market, and bec ...

and

Soulfarm Soulfarm (formerly known as Inasense) is an American Jewish rock band based in New York City. They were founded in 1991 by C Lanzbom and Noah Solomon.

, with pioneering a new movement of

in the 1990s.

Other activities

Since moving to Los Angeles, Solomon has been the

chazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer Prayer is an in ...

and prayer leader at the Happy Minyan, one of the largest

Carlebach minyan A Carlebach minyan or neo-Hasidic minyanhttps://www.jewishideas.org/article/dancing-footsteps-reb-shlomo-halakhic-analysis-carlebach-minyan is a Jewish prayer service that follows the style of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and uses the melodies he compose ...

im in the country. He has worked several times with Jewish reggae singer

Matisyahu Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), known by his stage name Matisyahu (; ), is an American reggae singer, rapper, beatboxer Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum mac ...

; while Solomon provided

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

vocals on Matisyahu's song "Two Child One Drop" from his ''Shattered'' EP (2008). In 2016, Solomon and Jewish rapper

Kosha Dillz Rami Matan Even-Esh ( he, רמי מתן אבן-אש; born August 26, 1981), known professionally as Kosha Dillz, is an Israeli-American rapper.Chris Faraone"MC pals' flows are Kosha,"'' Boston Herald'', August 15, 2008.Wiltern Theatre The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a ...

. He was one of the judges on the fourth season of ''A Jewish Star'', a

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

-based reality singing competition for Jewish singers. His fellow judges included

Gad Elbaz } Gad Elbaz (in Hebrew: ) is an Israeli Jewish singer who has gained international success and recorded several albums. Biography Elbaz is of Moroccan Jewish descent. He began to sing and write music at age four. He first appeared with his fath ...

Lipa Schmeltzer Lipa Schmeltzer ( yi, אלעזר ליפא שמעלצער ''Elazar Lipa Schmeltzer'', he, ליפא שמלצר; born March 17, 1978) is an American singer, entertainer, and composer. He is a headliner in Hasidic as well as modern Jewish communit ...

Yossi Green Yossi Green (born 1955)Green, Yossi. "Looking Back at Williamsburg". '' Ami'', April 5, 2017, pp. 158–165. is a Hasidic Jewish composer of contemporary Jewish religious music. As of 2013 he had written more than 700 melodiesBleich, Chananya. "A ...

, and Yeedle Werdyger.

Artistry

Solomon's vocal style combines aspects of cantorial chanting,

Mizrahi music Mizrahi music ( he, מוזיקה מזרחית ' , "Eastern music/Oriental music") refers to a music genre in Israel that combines elements from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa; and is mostly performed by Israelis of Mizrahi Jewish d ...

, and

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

, often being compared to

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

Personal life

Solomon lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with his wife and children, having moved there in 2000.

Discography

With Moshav

* ''The Things You Can't Afford'' (1998) * ''Days ''(1999) * ''Lost Time ''(2002) * ''Return Again'' (2004) * ''Malachim'' (2005) * ''The Best of Moshav Band: Higher and Higher ''(2005) * '' Misplaced'' (2006) * ''Dancing in a Dangerous World'' (2010) * ''New Sun Rising'' (2013) * ''Shabbat Vol. 1'' (2014) * ''Shabbat Vol. 2'' (2018)

Other credits

and Sons, ''Give Me Harmony: The Songs of Shlomo Carlebach'' (1996) – vocals * Yaniv, ''Bakhol'' (2003) – choir/chorus *

, ''Shattered'' EP (2008) – vocals on "Two Child One Drop" *

Peter Himmelman Peter Himmelman (born November 23, 1959, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter and film and television composer from Minnesota, who formerly played in the Minneapolis indie rock band Sussman Lawrence before pursuing a ...

, ''The Mystery and the Hum'' (2010) – background vocals * Various Artists, ''A Cappella Treasury: Shabbos'' (2010) – primary artist on "Carlebach's V'Shomru" * Hamakor, ''World On Its Side'' (2010) – background vocals on "Memories" * Matisyahu, '' Live at Stubb's, Vol. 2'' (2011) – guest artist, vocals,

shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the ...

* Naftali Kalfa, ''The Naftali Kalfa Project'' (2013) – vocals with

on "I Will Be" * Diwon, ''Gonna Light'' EP (2013) – guest vocals ("Sivivon")

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Yehuda Living people Jewish rock musicians Israeli emigrants to the United States Moshav (band) members 1977 births