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“Growing up on a commune in the late '70s was an amazing and unusual childhood experience," says Hyim (Hebrew for life)….the "hippie child who grew up on hip-hop," California Music Awards Nominee, KFOG Local Scene Artist ("Sunny Day" was track #1 on the KFOG Local Scene CD 2005), Yamaha sponsored artist, "eclectic maestro," and critically acclaimed producer, pianist and performer. He is a singer-songwriter, composer, playwright and poet. He is the next generation's music "fusionisto," following in the footsteps of Dave Matthews, Manu Chao, Peter Gabriel, Ozomatli, Bob Marley, and Norah Jones. This San Francisco native was raised in the Oakland public schools, began playing piano at the age of three, studied sitar in India, clave in Cuba, classical guitar in New Zealand, Turkish rhythms, Persian poetry, the Torah, and whom critics say has "the voice of a young Sting." Hyim blends the rhythms of the world as chariots for his brilliant songs. Hyim provided the score for the short film, "Two Birds," directed by Juan Jose Rivera and winner of the San Francisco Latino Film Festival jury award for Best Emerging Latino Filmmaker 2006. Also in 2006, Hyim held a Five Day Fast and Chain Vigil for Peace and Education, calling into question the economic sense of investing in war as opposed to our children. Hyim is currently working on a new project: A Collection of Ballads.
Hyim has two distinct sides to his solo show. Consistently, Hyim’s energy is an emanation of peace. His message is clear without being contrived. Having traveled the world, he brings the music and energy of those experiences to the stage. He has played in intimate venues where his piano ballads are at the heart of the experience. Poetic, imaginative, and healing are words to describe his quiet songs. Hyim’s piano playing reflects a lifetime at the keyboard and a spirit that has experienced the profound flow of life. His poetic nature and nurturing presence have pushed his fans to ask for more of his contemplative side. Another side of Hyim’s solo performance (Knitting Factory LA/NY, CBGB’s, Makor, The Independent…) reflects the reason he has been called the “eclectic maestro.” Recording himself live, he creates percussion and drum loops that stem from the rhythms of the world and then sings over the created grooves. Dancing out into the audience for one song, Hyim draws the audience in. His guitar playing and beat boxing continue to bring awe to the audience. At some shows, Hyim’s talent is undeniable as he asks for words from the audience and then on the spot freestyles a song using the words. Yet always, it is Hyim’s written songs that are his true genius. With songs of courage and love, treasures and pirates, impounded dogs, and odes to change and peace, Hyim has become the sound track of the modern era: worldly yet cosmopolitan and spiritually soulful. Hyim's music and spirit know no bounds, and as the sounds spread and take flight, the world watches, bodies are moved, and the audiences applaud. www.myspace.com/hyim
"....and that talented Hyim!! It is my pleasure to have a little part in spreading his positive music... may you be well and successful!! L'Hyim!! Wishing you all good things!"
— Annalisa KFOG Midday Host
"Hyim is a spell-binding and formidable talent."
— San Francisco Chronicle
"With a soulful delivery that sometimes recalls Sting from the days fronting The Police, the vocalist and gifted keyboard player shifts easily from confessional introspection to funk drenched exhortation."
— KTVU Channel 2
"Hyim's music holds a rare gravity, and it is clear that he possesses a grand vision."
— Relix Magazine
"They swayed and shook, enraptured, until he stopped."
— San Francisco Bay Guardian
"Hyim is just one of those rare talents that defy description and reference. He's a sage with soul, a funkster with heart, a loose thought on a keyboard, with a hat tipped to the greats of soul, blues, jazz, and funk.”
— Justin Goldberg, CEO Indie911
HYIM – “Bay Area Treasure”
— Sunset Promotions
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Hyim (Hebrew for life) named his newest self-produced album after his band: Hyim and The Fat Foakland Orchestra (aka HATFFO). On the album, released in April 2005, hip-hop beats meet live string arrangements, and orchestrated horn sections compliment pulsating reggaeton piano montunos. The critics rave, the fans move, and Hyim’s label, Family Productions, has been pushing Hyim and the album through every speaker and into every ear drum it can get its musical wings into. Of significance, the band was nominated for a California Music Award in 2004 based solely on their jaw-dropping live show. The amount of buzz in the Bay Area and throughout California around this new sound suggested that HATFFO was the “take off” album for Hyim’s lifelong career. Dubbed “the ever-evolving eclectic maestro” (The Forward, New York), Hyim, a Yamaha sponsored artist, calls his music Urban World Beat. Born and raised on a commune in San Francisco in the late '70s, Hyim still holds the flower child's lantern for peace and unabashed positive vibrations. His b-boy dancing skills combined w/his Sting-esque voice are sweetly bound by his uncanny charm, obvious sex appeal and poetic lyricism. Hyim has been compared to everyone from Wyclef Jean to Dave Matthews, Jamiroquai to Manu Chao, Eddie Palmieri to Peter Gabriel. Refusing to be boxed in, Hyim continues to be an independent artist, producing, DJing, performing, teaching, living, loving and evolving.
Hyim and his band, the Fat Foakland Orchestra, bring to life Urban World Beat. Infectious grooves draw upon an international palette: Brazilian, hip hop, reggae, rock, folk, Latin, and middle eastern/Mediterranean. Hyim has traveled the world and has blended these rhythms of the globe to form a vehicle for his poetic song writing abilities. The Hyim Trio recently toured Europe with shows in Poland, The Czech Republic and The Netherlands, and HATFFO played the 60th annual Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco to a crowd of over 6,000. The band’s percussion, heavy energy and Hyim’s ability to bring out the best in any audience has created a marriage of Urban World Beat and the dance floor (High Sierra Music Festival, Slim’s, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Sleeptrain Pavilion..). The Fat Foakland Orchestra, features percussionists Ajayi Jackson and Pablo Soto (Omar Sosa, John Santos), guitarist Adam (Santanaito) Lasher (Carlos Santana's nephew), drummer Derek Taylor, bassist Josh Lippi and keyboardist Ben Schwier (The Park and Bucho). The band’s performance brings the audience on a soaring sonic journey that is exuberant, joyous, and addictively danceable. Eyes light up and smiles grace faces as Hyim dances out into the audience to sing face to face with the inspired fans. www.myspace.com/hyim
“Hyim—Hebrew for “life”— [creates] a pendulum of styles and feelings, swinging between sunny mento rhythms, spiraling Cuban son, urgent hip-hop manifestos, and pensive balladry—quite a sweeping achievement! Though the album sports several ecstatic party-starters, its most striking aspect is its profound emotional depth. Hyim's music holds a rare gravity...and it is clear that he possesses a grand vision.”
— Relix Magazine
Hyim is a formidable talent...a hippie
child who grew up hip-hop, his music smoothly
assimilates such disparate sources as Jamaican
reggae, Cuban son, Brazilian rhythms, Mediterranean
beats and urban DJ techniques. Spellbinding.
— Joel Selvin, SF Chronicle
"San Francisco singer/keyboardist/guitarist Hyim and band (percussion and horn section) generate good-vibe energy to suggest that they are an act to be experienced in a live setting, where they truly connect with an audience."
— Music Connection
“His ability to speak to the human experience is powerful. His music is full of passion and depth and makes us all feel our own joy, humor, love, and sadness. In the process, Hyim refreshingly reminds us what music is about – he moves us and connects us with each other! He is a luminous talent who I want to grow with in this album and whatever is next.”
— Elan Masliyah, Rainmaker Media
“Hyim & his band, The Fat Foakland Orchestra, will be getting crunk...”
— UC Davis' California Aggie
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