Yitzhak Attias is a percussionist and songwriter originally from Gibraltar, a British colony in the south of Spain.
Having grown up on the Mediterranean, Yitzhak brings African, Latin, and Flamenco influences into his music, which mingle with the Sephardic traditions on which he was raised.

Yitzhak was extremely moved on his first visit to Israel by the desert - the Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, and the Sinai. The profound change he felt from this trip drew him back to Israel, where he has lived since 1980.

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He has played professionally for over twenty years, and has performed and/or recorded with Shlomo Carlebach, Yehudah Glantz, Reva l'Sheva, Chaim David, Avraham Rosenblum, Moshe Yess, Mordechai Ben David, Moshav Band, Peter Himmelman and others.

Yitzhak and Toronto-based drummer Yoseph "Joe" Levy, together with New York-based guitarist Elie Massias, grew up playing music together. Joe first sparked Yitzhak's interest in drumming and song-writing.
In the late 70's they formed what must have been the first Latin/Afro/Jewish band, Toledot.

1980 found Yitzhak in Israel where he led his own bands "Ladino," "Yerushalmi" and "Azamra". It was around that time that he formed a duo with Argentinean multi-instrumentalist Yehudah Glantz.
He then recorded "Gather the Sparks" which reflects the influence of Rebbe Nachman's teachings on his music, and includes some of Israel's finest musicians.

In the mid 80's, Yitzhak met percussionist Nadav Serling who had spent time in Africa studying traditional drumming

Nadav had a powerful influence on Yitzhak's playing and they have maintained a close musical and personal friendship since.

He joined Reva l'Sheva in the mid-90's recording two Cds with them.

While no longer a formal member, he enjoys playing with the band and frequently joins them in performances and tours.

In 2003, Yitzhak and Elie Massias re-met in Gibraltar for an almost-un-rehearsed performance. The result was electrifying.

Their repertoire ranged from Jazz to Flamenco, Latin to traditional Jewish songs.

Yitzhak is currently working on new material drawing heavily from Gibraltarian liturgical melodies and from his own wanderings in the Jerusalem forest.
 
Yitzhak lives with his wife and children in Jerusalem where he works in music and provides graphics for the award-winning web site, aish.com.