About Us
Introduction
Desert Wind Music reaches across all borders and barriers through the Universal Language of Music. With hundreds of original songs by Rabbi Alan Scott Bachman (Reb Alan), Desert Wind music is highly acclaimed throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. The music of Desert Wind is used extensively in YouTube recordings, professional dance videos, and in ongoing live dance performances world-wide. The Desert Wind musicians have shared their music in live performances throughout the United States including Scottsdale, AZ, Boulder, CO, Huntington Beach, CA, Somerset, NJ, Portland, OR, Boston, MA, and many more great places.
Desert Wind serves as the house band for local multifaith services in Salt Lake City, UT at House of Prayer for All Peoples, and continues to perform beautiful original music plus classic rock, blues, and jazz covers for weddings, private parties, B’nai Mitzvahs, and celebrations of all kinds.
Band Members
Meet Our team
ALAN SCOTT BACHMAN
Alan Scott Bachman (now known as Reb Alan) is acclaimed internationally as one of the original innovators of what has come to be described as “world fusion” music, the cross-cultural blending of American and Middle Eastern dance music. This was previously called “tribal fusion” but has caused some confusion in recent years as a more “pure” Egyptian style of belly dance has adopted that term. Reb Alan started the band known as Desert Wind over thirty years ago in Portland, Oregon. His dazzling keyboard work, songs, and arrangements include influences from the blues, jazz, classical, and pop/rock/funk/disco music ~ with a unique dash of Mediterranean spice, and a “hint” of formal training as may be expected from his musical studies at the Eastman School of Music. His live performance with Desert Wind opened the first ever “International Academy Awards of Middle Eastern Dance” in Los Angeles, CA, and the rave reviews come in on a regular basis from the worldwide use of his recordings. Alan led Desert Wind to Somerset, New Jersey to open the first ever “Rakkasah-East” dance festival. Originally from Rochester, New York, Alan made his home in the Rocky Mountains of Salt Lake City where he served with honor for many years as a Utah Assistant Attorney General and then partner at Fetzer Booth ~ Mountain West Law. All this in support of his musical passion and calling to renewal Judaism where he has served on multiple interfaith boards.
ANDALIN SHEKHINAH
Andalin Shekhinah is the recipient of the prestigious national “Selmer Award for Excellence in Jazz Performance” and has enjoyed scholarships from the Intermountain Collegiate Jazz Festival, the Salt Lake Tribune, the National Stage Band Camps, and Westminster University. Her energetic and electrifying flute work is the synthesis of jazz, rock, classical, blues, new age, and exotic world music influences. Following a Telluride Jazz Festival performance, the Denver Post called her performance “fiery, seductive, and strong!”
In the past three years Andalin has emerged as a lead singer for Desert Wind, with zest for the power and beauty of Reb Alan’s melodies and lyrics. She adds additional dimensions by playing her saxophone fingered wind synthesizer, bass flute, alto flute, and numerous indigenous American flutes as called for by the musical scripts. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Westminster University, Andalin used her degree in business and worked until last summer as a paralegal in support of her music. She now joins her soulmate Reb Alan in devoting most of their time to the calling of Desert Wind.
RAGAB JUMA
Ragab Juma has been with Desert Wind since Reb Alan set foot in Salt Lake City. His doumbek and ric work is both driving and subtle on demand. Raj has brought Desert Wind exciting rhythms from his homeland of Libya. When Raj begins the rhythmical intro to “Sahara”, the room moves! Raj has American citizenship and has made Utah his home, He does sound and orchestrates livestream YouTube presentations regularly for the Salt Lake Center for Spiritual Living, House of Prayer for All Peoples and many other organizations. He works as an audio technician and has many professional recordings to his credit. Ragab has audio engineered major venue performances including Rakkasah near San Francisco and the annual International Dance Gala in Salt Lake City, Utah. No event is too big or too small to appreciate his passionate drumming and technical expertise.
BRYAN BALE
Bryan Bale began studying Middle Eastern percussion in 1997 under the tutelage of Graeleaf, who taught for Kismet at the time. Bryan played Greek and Arabic music on weekends at the Grecian Garden restaurant in Salt Lake City for many years. Since 2004, he has been a percussionist and guitarist for Bazeen, a Utah-based band specializing in Middle-Eastern music, and has often been honored with invitations to perform with Kairo by Night. In the past few years he has appeared often with Desert Wind, especially when world beat music has been the flavor of the moment. In 2006, Bryan established Tabla Arabía, a school specializing in intermediate-level instruction on the Egyptian-style darbuka. At times, Bryan has doubled on traps as called for and adds a special finesse to the live performances of Desert Wind.
ADNAN JASIM
Adnan Jasim a founder of the well-known band Bazeen, has stepped in as a Desert Wind regular as Raj’s duties have spiraled him into more of the audio tech aspect of our live performances. From Basra, Iraq, Adnan reinforces the power of Middle Eastern percussion, adding another dimension to the rhythmical base underlying this music. On occasion, he adds the delightful sounds of the Oud and has been featured in House of Prayer for All Peoples performances.
Our Memories
Band Photo Gallery
THE DESERT WIND LABEL
Desert Wind is an independent, self-produced recording / performing band / label created by Alan Scott Bachman, originally from Rochester New York. Desert Wind has produced eleven CDs which are now sold throughout the world by a number of distributors within three niche markets: new age music, Goddess, and world/bellydance. A big surprise was the wonderful response from Germany! In 1996 Alan met Andalin, a world-class jazz flutist, or flautist if you wish, with the Selmer Award of Jazz Performance and numerous other credits in her history. The two shared a second wind with this union, and in three short years produced World Dance, a full length two CD-set, She is a Tree of Life, another full length two CD-set, and “Christmas”: Rhythms of the Holy Land.
On October 9, 2003 Desert Wind produced “Flute Fest” with 100% original music, and within three weeks the title was picked up by several of Desert Wind’s existing distributors including Music Design, Inc. and New Leaf Distribution. Reviews have been outstanding, and this CD has slowly but surely found its way into the flutist and jazz markets due to Andalin’s flute work. While previous titles (“Gaia, Earth Goddess,” “Return to the Goddess,” “Kali Ma,” and “Shekhina, Hebrew Goddess”) are still helping to fund their continued work, Alan & Andalin are now reaching out to a broader, more commercial audience, with an exciting blend of classical, jazz, pop, blues and world beat musical influences. Presently Desert Wind is working on yet another 2 CD set called I Will Remember.
Desert Wind is based in Salt Lake City, Utah ~ a beautiful place in the Rocky Mountains from which to make their frequent trips to the Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, Denver, the San Francisco Bay and other areas of the West. Alan’s day job is assistant attorney general for the State of Utah, and Andalin is employed as a paralegal. Virtually every dime and free hour of their time is devoted to the production and love of this music. Desert Wind is proud to be part of CD Baby’s Indie portfolio, now finding an incredibly huge new audience through digital distribution! For Desert Wind, the future has only just begun…