"In his hands, the sax and clarinet become Middle Eastern and Roma (Gypsy) instruments. Shachal then marries his reeds with Western instruments like the violin and accordion and Eastern ones including the oud and a plenitude of hand drums. The results range from soothing to snappy, but always sophisticated."
Paul Wieder - Music JUF News
“Tickling Eyes is a band tour de force, with Shachal blowing up a desert storm."
"Shachal’s G-clarinet adds a Turkish feel that melds quite nicely with Sharlin’s expressive piano and Vincent’s arco stylings. "
Elliott Simon - All About Jazz
"Alto saxist, clarinetist, and master of the Middle-Eastern maqams (similar to European, classical modes), Harel Shachal, interleaves an unending, continuous stream of mesmerizingly lyrical themes that take the listener on an epic voyage through exotic, foriegn lands far away and perhaps, from times long past."
"Shachal's serpentine alto sax and clarinet melodies possess a genuine, exotic quality that draws from a deep knowledge and firm grasp on the Middle-Eastern maqams (modes) and gifted interpretation of quarter tones that are used in the traditional Middle-Eastern music and reside between the semitones of the European chromatic scale. The lexicons that Shachal enunciates in his captivating themes is entirely disparate from European-derived music, though the manner the group craftily fuses these intriguing melodies with Western motifs and instrumentation enticingly bridges the chasm between East and West, thereby making the exotic tunes more easily accessible to a Western-cultivated ear. Additionally, the accentuated manners that Shachal fluently expresses these mysterious lexicons encompasses a number of flavorful, animated dialects from the Eastern Mediterranean regions."
"Shachal and Sharlan demonstrate an impressive, virtuosic command over and genuine, comprehensive insight into the elements of these exotic musical lexis that serve as excellent illustrations of the genre. The quartet has achieved a superb equilibrium in striking the balance between the exotic and the lyrical, Middle-Eastern traditional and Western jazz / contemporary music, as well as progressive concepts and listener accessibility."
Chris Ruel - Chris Ruel's Instrumental Music Reviews
"The concert was the proof in the pudding and a large crowd gathered to dance to Harel’s Turkish tune. No wonder that about 35 percent of the respondents to a survey conducted by a major Israeli newspaper noted that they would happily accept a package deal to Antalya, Turkey. Want to hear some good Turkish classical music? Go to Tel Aviv. The two projects of Harel Shachal, The Turkika Band and the Ottoman Band are playing at hip venues around Tel Aviv"
GÜVEN SAK - The Daily News Turkey
