March 2009

Dror Sinai
Founder - Rhythm Fusion, Musician, Music Teacher, 

My grandfather was a rabbi, my father a rebel,” said Dror Sinai, musician and founder of iconic Santa Cruz landmark Rhythm Fusion. During a performance for Pizza and Prose Art & Lit Series, Israeli born Sinai talked about his cultural and musical roots. His passion for percussion goes back to his childhood during the Jewish Sabbath, a time to take a break from anything that resembles work, including playing an instrument.  We could “…never cut bread. No tools. Don’t pick up flowers. Don’t touch anything but ourselves. Dance, sing, prayer, yes. Have sex, if we’re lucky,” said the seemingly always upbeat musician and teacher as he used humor and stories to talk about how he came to be a percussionist. Throughout the evening he would invite the audience to accompany him by creating rhythms through tapping and clapping as he had as a child. He also led a high spirited call and response during one song. One audience member joined in on a couple of songs with his homemade flute.

 Singing in Hebrew and Arabic, his songs were a mix of soulful prayers and uplifting beats about nature and human nature. Describing one song from an old Jewish prayer that his grandfather had sung, he explained its meaning as being about “a beautiful space.”  

“Space we are all looking for. All Jews around the world know what this means. The great space within ourselves. We all want to have that…Most Jews understand this yearning as a yearning for Jerusalem but never mention the actual word. So it leaves it up for different interpretations. The yearning is this ideal place within. The Jerusalem within.”  

As if on cue, a man selling roses walked in on the last note of one particularly mesmerizing song. Sinai chuckled as he told the audience the name of the song was “Evening of the Rose.” He waved the man over with a smile, took some money out of his pocket and started a chain reaction of people buying flowers from this clearly happy person with the perfect timing.

 That was one magical moment in a magical evening with Sinai taking the crowded wine bar on a musical journey through the Middle East from Israel to Egypt to Morocco . Using music to bring people of all faiths and traditions together to heal cultural rifts as well as physical ailments is the essence of Sinai’s work. Locally, he plays all over the central coast and bay area. In May he has been invited to the World Sacred Music Festival in Fez , Morocco . This multi-cultural annual event brings together top musicians from all over the world to promote peace through music.

 Sinai can be contacted at 831-423-2048 or rhythm@rhythmfusion.com. To purchase instruments on-line or find out about upcoming events and workshop visit www.rhythmfusion.com. He teaches various levels of Djimbe, Conga, Pandeiro, Didjeridoo.    

He can also be found on Facebook and on YouTube demonstrating how to use his own percussion creation, the ZilZil, and in other performances.