Yosi levy was born in Jaffa, Israel. He started playing the guitar when he was 12 years old. He studied classical guitar with Menashe Bakish and jazz with Egon Kerten.
Yosi received scholarships from "Israel-America cultural foundation".
After military service in an army band, Yosi started playing with the leading jazz musicians in Israel: Roman Kuntzman, Peter Wertiemer and Danny Gottfried to name a few.
Yosi continued studying in New-york city in Mannes college of music, there he studied classical guitar with Fred Hand. He studied jazz with Jack Wilkins, Adolphe Sandole and Charlie Banacos. In New York he recorded with the great Dave Liebman the album: "The House On Lefferts Blvd". The album was released in Israel on the M.C.I. label and received great reviews.
Back in Israel Yosi formed groups of his own- {"Yosi Levy Trio and solo guitar} and was a member in other various bands. With them he performed at many festivals and clubs in Israel and around the world from "The Red Sea Jazz Festival"in Israel to "Jazz Yatra"in India.
With flute player Ilan Salem Yosi formed an acoustic unique group called "Essel". The group fuses modern jazz and ethnic Israeli music. The group includes the great tabla player Bikram Gosh who plays regularly with sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.
Yosi played with Frank Gambale, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Kenny Werner, Jeff Berlin, Mordy Ferber, Bob Gilloty and with Israeli artists Gilad Atzmon in the group "Shpil" and with Alon Nadel in the group "Jazzeppelin".
He played with The Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra under the conducting of maestro Zubin Meta, maestro Daniel Birenbaum and maestro Mstislav Rostropovich. He also played and collaborated with leading Israeli singers and songwriters such as Ester Ofarim, Yoni Rechter, Shem Tov Levy, Yosi Banai, Gidi Gov.
Yosi is the head of the guitar department at the Berklee affiliated "Rimon school of jazz and contemporary music",and teaching at the "Jerusalem academy of music".REVIEWS:
"Yosi levy is a musician of a great diversity and complex. He has broad horizons and what reserved serene intensity consisting and intensifying tension in the music Asopposed to his introverted appearance his playing is full of confidence decisiveness and willingness to take chances and risks".
Haaretz - amir harel.
"Levy's skills as a composer are beyond style sound and trend. In the tunes you find colors and imagination of the type which only guitarists who went deeply into solo pieces can play"
Haaretz.
"Levy is revealed at his best with a very musical virtuoso and original solo which uses different kind of effects and special sounds in the best possible manner. The dialogue between the guitar and the saxophone (of dave liebman) in the end of the tune is absolutely brilliant. "Number four" is a bouncing and swinging delight".
Ha-ir-udi asherov.
"The touch of levy(on classical guitar)reminds me the touch of thelonius monk on the piano: modest style which gives up ornaments and flattery".
Ha-ir-yosi mar chaim.
On trio essel (with bikram gosh):
"What makes the musical conversation between gosh levy and salem fruitful and so enjoyable, is probably the fact they have the same musical temperament: "they think fast and play fast"
Haaretz-gidi avivi.
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