El Khat at Rozz-Tox -- November 19.
Wednesday, November 19, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Lauded by PopMatters as "a project of equal parts technical skill and intangible humanity," the multi-cultural multi-instrumentalists of El Khat headline a November 19 concert event at Rock Island venue Rozz-Tox, the three-piece ensemble from Israel's Tel Aviv boasting the talents of lead vocalist Eyal el Wahab (seer, kearat, pahit), Lo tan Yaish (self-made drum kit), and Yefet Hassan (organ, percussion, self-made instruments).
A homemade "junkyard" band led by multi-instrumentalist El Wahab, El Khat was named for the leaves so widely chewed across the Arab Peninsula like tobacco, and the band delivers original compositions inspired by the music of the golden age in Aden, Yemen. El Wahab plays many instruments, among them the dli and the Kearat, that he constructed himself, employing his skills to make music from the items people discard. With El Wahab a child of the Yemeni diaspora who grew up in Tel Aviv Jaffa. it’s a practice that harks back to the family homeland, where even rubbish can have become an instrument.
As El Wahab has stated, he talked his way into the Jerusalem Andalusian Orchestra as a cellist, self-taught from busking and unable to read music, learning the repertoire by ear as he went along, and picking up music theory. It gave him a strong musical foundation, but his world changed when he was given Qat, Coffee & Qambus: Raw 45s from Yemen, an LP of Yemeni traditional music from the 1960s. It came as an epiphany. He quit the orchestra, began building instruments, and put together El Khat Albat Alawi Op.99, an album released in March of 2022 via Glitterbeat Records. The work celebrates an homage to Faisal Alawi, a popular Yemeni singer who died in 2010, along with an alba, a small tin box that can contain many treasures, while the Op.99 is intended to give the compositions "the same respect as Western classical music.”
Saadia Jefferson, El Khat’s debut album released on Batov Records, brings a funky, psychedelic reimagination to the traditional Yemeni songs that electrified the band leader when he first heard them. As an album almost entirely filled with his own compositions, the artist sees it as something close and personal that constantly looks back to his family’s homeland in Yemen. In 2022, El Wahab, along with the Association For Society and Culture – Yemenite Tradition, established an orchestra focusing on the old sound from the '60-'70s in South Yemen and preserving its traditions. Those new arrangements for the Classical Yemeni repertoire are performed and sung by the entire members of the orchestra and with guests such as Riff Cohen, Zion Golan and others.
Although their detachment from any nation or flag is a driving force behind the group, the heart of their music and heritage remains deeply rooted in Yemeni culture. The constant divisions created by war and migration have given rise to a reassembled identity, one that resonates strongly throughout El Khat’s music. With three albums behind them and a fourth to be released in 2026, El Khat continue to forge a sound that bridges past and present-keeping Yemeni culture alive while reimagining its future.
El Khat performs their Rock Island engagement on November 19 with an additional set by Nick Yeck-Stauffer, admission to the all-ages 8 p.m. concert event is $10 in advance and $15 at the door (cash only), and more information is available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.
