Yosef Gutman Levitt: Day and Night

You could say that Yosef Gutman Levitt makes a musical version of land art—that '60s-'70s movement that involved making images or sculptures fitted to existing landscapes, and often using the earth's own materials. The bassist likewise uses a worldly range of tones with no need to fit them into any particular roles, simply letting the sounds grow and flow until it feels like another layer of nature itself. This adjacent pair makes a yin and yang of two beautifully complementary moods.

Yosef Gutman Levitt
Resisei Lyla
Soul Song Records
2026

The onset of evening comes with a myriad of shades physical and emotional. There may be a little sadness and/or relief that most of the day is over, or it could rather mean anticipation if the more interesting part is still to come. The sky can dazzle with changing colors or just dully slide to black. Through Resisei Lyla (Fragments of Night), Levitt and comrades savor the richness of that twilight time when the light changes and his Jerusalem neighborhood fills with song.

The feeling is one of history and ritual, of fellow travelers sitting down to simply share their time together while following in the steps of countless others. This session unwinds like a warm and easygoing conversation among friends—because that is exactly what it is. Levitt's bass is the calm voice of reason while Omri Mor's piano weaves thoughts more fanciful and airy. The rich sweep of the cello adds more weight and substance at the low end; some light hand percussion keeps the dialogue flowing with the odd dash of punctuation or humor.

Whatever ideas emerge, the players happily use them to muse and banter and philosophize with endless openness and mutual respect. If the pieces never stray terribly far from their middle-Eastern roots, they are not too tied to any specific setting either. The blend is not quite world music, but rather music of the whole world. Most important is the feeling of deep calm at the center, allowing a rich communion both effortless and elegant.

Yosef Gutman Levitt
Shir Yedidot
Soul Song Records
2025

While keeping the same center of inner stillness, Shir Yedidot (Songs of Friendship) revolves around celebration. "Pode el Hashem" starts off at a charming bounce with time-honored folk melody and warm percussion. It soon subsides to thoughtful mode with the quietly optimistic "Ya Lach Nafshi," but there is an effusive streak to this set that insistently keeps peeking through. Several pieces jump along at the pace of a spry dance, with the joyful "Burning Fire" even bringing the percussion all the way up to a trot.

In keeping with the leader's eclectic background, the magic comes from disparate things coming together. The earthy primal patterns of drums are balanced with lighter hand percussion; the low resonance of Yoed Nir's cello weaves beautifully with the more sinuous string-bowing of the oud or the Persian kamancheh. Levitt's resonant bass notes are placed with artful simplicity, complemented by Yonathan Avishai's floaty piano handling the busiest leads. Even while celebrating, the affair stays ever-grounded and thoughtful.

Levitt's personality being what it is, even the somber moments express a certain quiet optimism. Exploring traditional Hasidic nigunim (devotional songs) or weaving timeless-sounding melodies of their own, the cast offers a subtly joyful program packed with the feel of the sand and the breeze. As they bounce through thoughtful and soulful moments to a suitably radiant close, each piece makes it impossible to miss the friendship behind the notes.

Tracks and Personnel

Resisei Lyla

Tracks: Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li; Kumi Lach; Mi Zot Olah; Nigun Funke; Resisei Lyla; Rachamim Rabim; Shuvi Shuvi; Sleeping, My Heart Awake; Tzei Lach; Yedid Nefesh.

Personnel: Yosef Gutman Levitt: acoustic bass guitar, contrabass; Omri Mor: piano; Itamar Doari: percussion; Yoed Nir: cello; Tal Yahalom: guitar.

Shir Yedidot

Tracks: Pode El Hashem; Ya Lach Nafshi; Nigun Gaaguim; 117 Yedidot; Azamer Bishvachin; Burning Fire; Haroe; Nigun Simcha; Shafal Ruach; Vehacohanim; Yedidot 157; Yedidot 259.

Personnel: Yosef Gutman Levitt: bass, five-string acoustic bass; Yonathan Avishai: piano; Yagel Harush: kamancheh, oud, ney; Yoed Nir: cello; Gilad Ronen: reeds; Yshai Afterman: percussion.

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