I made sure that I arrived at the Idan Raichel concert early—the friend I brought with me wasn’t so pleased that we had to wait outside the Paradise Club’s box office in the New England cold for an hour, but short of sitting on the Israeli piano player’s lap (though that wouldn’t have been so bad), I wanted to be as close as possible to the stage.

The Idan Raichel Project—the brainchild of piano-playing/hair-swinging/songwriting/singing sensation Idan Raichel—is one of the most eclectic, innovative and creative musical groups I have ever heard or seen. Born in Kfar Saba, Israel, Idan Raichel grew up surrounded by music and later performed in one of the IDF’s many bands during his mandatory military service. While later working as a keyboardist for several famous Israeli artists (including Ivri Lider), Idan finally got his big break when he was signed to Helicon Records, one of Israel’s biggest record labels.

Joined by the vocals of Cabra Casey, who was born to Ethiopian-Jewish parents in a refugee camp in Sudan and moved as an infant to Israel, Avi Wassa, who was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Haifa, and Lithal Gabay, who is “from the Persian community” (as Idan announces proudly at every show), Idan Raichel is also backed by talented percussionists, guitarists and brass players. Together, the musicians create a powerful fusion of diverse cultural music, dance and energy.

I had seen the Idan Raichel Project perform at Brandeis University the previous year and have been a big fan of their music for a long time. The rhythmic, melodic, entrancing, emotional, upbeat, makes-you-want-to-dance/hug somebody sound the Project produces is fabulous on their records, and is infinitely that much more spectacular live, in person.

This particular concert was no exception. Each song was performed with enthusiasm and tremendous dynamism. The audience loved hearing its favorites—“Mima’amakim” (“From the Depths”), “Im Telech” (“If You Leave”), “Boi” (“Come”) and “Milim Yafot Me’eleh” (“Words More Beautiful Than These”). Although my Hebrew is far from being even passably decent, I would definitely suggest finding out what the songs mean. The lyrics are expressive despite (and perhaps because of) their honest simplicity and always make me wonder why so many American artists can’t be more eloquent than to say, “I want you, baby.”

I’m certainly looking forward to the next time Idan Raichel and his musicians grace the stages of Boston (although flying halfway around the world to see them sooner doesn’t sound like a bad idea). To learn more about this musical phenomenon, check out Idan Raichel Project’s website at www.idanraichelproject.com.

Liz Imber is JVibe’s editorial intern and is a junior at Brandeis University. She is thinking that becoming Idan Raichel’s groupie might be a bit more fun than studying for finals.