EP 1 - Nadav Peled
In the first episode of The Bass Shed Podcast, Ryan Roberts sits down with guitarist, composer, and bandleader Nadav Peled of The Ambessa Orchestra for a wide-ranging conversation about musical identity, global influences, and building a creative voice through tradition and exploration.
Nadav shares the story of growing up in Israel and discovering music at an early age. Influenced by players like Brian May and Jimi Hendrix, he began playing guitar at age eleven and quickly immersed himself in band culture while living on a socialist kibbutz. Those early experiences shaped both his musical curiosity and his understanding of how music can bring people together.
The conversation traces Nadav’s path to New York City, where he studied jazz at The New School and began developing a deeper connection to global musical traditions. That journey eventually led to the formation of The Ambessa Orchestra, a group dedicated to exploring the sounds of Ethiopian music—particularly the rich Ethio-jazz scene of the 1960s and 70s—blended with elements of funk, jazz, and modern improvisation.
Nadav explains how studying traditional Ethiopian instruments like the krar helped influence his approach to the guitar and composition. Rather than simply imitating the style, he sought to understand the musical language and adapt its phrasing, rhythms, and melodic concepts into the band’s arrangements.
Ryan and Nadav also discuss the Ambessa Orchestra’s collaboration with United Airlines, where the group was selected to reimagine George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, blending the iconic piece with the band’s Ethiopian groove-based approach.
Throughout the conversation, Nadav reflects on the balance between honoring musical traditions and creating something new, as well as his work as an educator at institutions such as the Silver Lake Conservatory.
It’s a conversation about curiosity, cultural exchange, and the creative possibilities that emerge when musicians explore beyond the boundaries of a single tradition.