Naor Nave

Three songs before bedtime

Some of Naor's earliest memories of music begin with his father playing guitar at night.

Growing up on Kibbutz Ein Harod Ehud in northern Israel, Naor remembers his father, Israel, playing three songs for him almost every evening before bedtime.

One was a Spanish song. Another was a Hebrew song called Shar Hameshech. And the third was House of the Rising Sun, made famous by The Animals.

Those melodies became part of the soundtrack of his childhood.

Years later, House of the Rising Sun would become the first song Naor learned to play on guitar.

But long before he picked up an instrument himself, music had already found a place in his life.

A childhood on the kibbutz

Born in Israel, Naor grew up in a close-knit agricultural community alongside his parents, Israel and Pnina, and his two older siblings.

Life on the kibbutz was communal. Families gathered in a large dining hall for meals, celebrated holidays together and shared responsibility for the place they called home.

The surrounding farmland was as much a part of Naor's childhood as the music.

Over the years, he worked milking cows, tending fish farms, helping with agriculture and spending time in the kibbutz's factory and local store.

It was a childhood filled with different kinds of learning—some in classrooms, others in fields, workshops and the everyday activities of a working community.

And somewhere in that world of shared meals, fields, instruments and people, Naor began developing his own creative identity.

The music room

By twelve, Naor had picked up the guitar and written his first original song.

It was a love song.

Proud of what he had created, he shared it with his mother, Pnina, who, along with his father, encouraged his growing musical curiosity.

Music quickly became much more than a pastime.

Naor explored classical guitar and studied opera to develop his voice, discovering new ways to approach melody, harmony and musical expression.

The kibbutz had a music room where he could experiment with instruments and sounds. He spent countless hours there, practicing, writing and discovering what he could create.

Long before he would become known for creating layered arrangements with guitars, ukulele, voice and looping, Naor was already drawn to the possibilities of combining sounds and building something from an idea.

Music and community

Growing up in Israel also shaped Naor's understanding of community, cultural identity and the complicated world beyond the kibbutz.

As a young man, he spent a year volunteering with the youth movement Kvutzot Habhirah, now known as Machanot Haolim.

He later worked with at-risk young people, using group activities and shared experiences to help create a sense of belonging.

Music became another way of building those connections.

He eventually traveled to the United States as a Shaliach, a cultural and educational representative through the Jewish Agency, spending two summers working as a song leader and educator at a Jewish summer camp in Ohio.

It was an opportunity to share music and culture, and experience how songs could bring people together even when they came from different backgrounds.

Over time, music became a way for Naor to express emotions, process experiences and find a sense of balance.

It could be joyful and playful, or reflective and deeply personal.

And sometimes, it could communicate something that words alone could not.

A guitarist finds his way to Colorado

Naor's musical journey eventually brought him to Colorado, where a new chapter of his life was waiting.

In 2007, he walked into a little Denver venue called Cricket on the Hill.

That evening, a singer named Tempa was hosting one of her regular jam sessions with her band, Tempa & The Tantrums.

The jam had become a gathering place for musicians from different backgrounds, bringing together experienced performers, newcomers and people who simply loved sharing music.

For someone who had grown up with the communal spirit of kibbutz life, there was something familiar about musicians coming together around a shared love of playing.

And somewhere in that room, Naor and Tempa found a connection.

What began through music became a friendship, then a love story and eventually a creative partnership that would reshape both their lives.

Between 2009 and 2011, Naor played rhythm guitar with Tempa & The Tantrums, becoming part of the band's blues, soul and roots-driven musical world.

Working with Tempa introduced him more deeply to American blues traditions and the energy of the Denver live-music scene.

Their musical backgrounds were different. Tempa had spent years singing the blues and building her life as a performer. Naor had grown up in Israel, shaped by folk melodies, classical guitar, Hebrew songs and curiosity about music from many cultures.

Rather than keeping those influences separate, they began discovering what could happen when they came together.

Writing songs, finding harmonies and exploring arrangements became part of building their musical life together.

A new musical home on Maui

In 2012, Tempa and Naor made Maui their home.

That same year, they founded Soul Kitchen Maui, bringing their love of blues, soul, roots music and New Orleans musical traditions into a new project.

Soul Kitchen began as a trio.

Over time, it evolved through several configurations as musicians joined, instruments were added and new possibilities emerged.

The intimate trio eventually grew into a vibrant big-band experience, with horns, accordion, a strong rhythm section and an ever-changing circle of collaborators.

The band explored zydeco, blues, soul, Cajun music, funk and jazz, creating performances filled with energy, improvisation and the spirit of bringing people together.

Soul Kitchen found a home in Maui's live-music community, performing at venues such as Mulligans on the Blue, Charley's, Casanova and Fleetwood's on Front Street.

In 2017, Soul Kitchen was voted Best Band on Maui in MauiTime's readers' poll.

The band also recorded Live At Charley's, released in 2019, capturing part of its musical journey.

For Naor, Soul Kitchen became another opportunity to experience music as something created collectively—different musicians contributing their voices, personalities and ideas to a shared experience.

It was a new version of something he'd known since childhood: the possibilities that emerge when people work together.

Building musical landscapes

While Soul Kitchen offered the energy of a large ensemble, Naor and Tempa continued developing another part of their creative lives.

Their work as a duo.

Naor's interest in arranging, experimentation and technology gradually became an important part of their sound.

Through guitars, ukulele, bass, percussion, voice and creative live looping, he developed ways to build layered arrangements in real time.

A guitar rhythm might become the foundation of a song. A bass line or rhythmic pattern could follow. Harmonies and instrumental textures would gradually fill the space.

The result allowed two musicians to explore the richness of a larger ensemble while preserving the intimacy of performing together.

But technology has never been the point of the music.

For Naor, looping and production are simply tools—ways of giving a song the sound, movement and emotional space it needs.

Sometimes an arrangement calls for several layers of instruments and voices.

Sometimes all it needs is one guitar, one voice and a little room to breathe.

That balance between musical curiosity and simplicity has become part of Naor's identity as a musician and producer.

The songwriter and composer

Naor wrote his first love song when he was twelve.

Years later, songwriting remains at the heart of his creative life.

His musical influences cross cultures and traditions, from the songs he heard in Israel to classical guitar, folk, blues, soul, Americana and contemporary music.

His creative partnership with Tempa brings together two distinct musical instincts.

Tempa brings her poetry, lyrics, voice and stories. Naor explores the musical landscapes surrounding those words, shaping guitar parts, harmonies, rhythms and arrangements.

The process is collaborative, with each influencing the other's ideas.

Some songs begin with a lyric or poem. Others grow from a melody, musical phrase or unexpected moment in the studio.

Together, they have developed a distinctive blend of SoulFolk, Americana and Blues, with room for the different musical traditions that have shaped their lives.

Their 2018 album Ember's Fire brought together original songs exploring love, transformation, relationships and the complicated experiences of being human.

The album received attention from The Maui News and Chris K's Colorado Playlist.

Their 2024 album MoonFall continued their journey as recording artists, exploring different arrangements, textures and approaches to storytelling.

Naor's contributions as guitarist, composer, arranger and producer are woven throughout their music.

The duo's original work also includes songs such as Sour Mash, Burn the Page and Faith, reflecting different sides of their songwriting and musical partnership.

Hamsah — returning to the roots

One of Naor's most personal musical projects is Hamsah.

Although much of his performing life has developed through American roots, blues, soul and Americana, the songs of his childhood in Israel have remained an important part of his musical identity.

Hamsah opens a door into that world.

Through songs sung in Hebrew and stories shared in English, Naor explores the melodies, language, memories and cultural influences that helped shape him.

Using voice, guitar, looping and percussion, including darbuka, he creates an intimate musical experience reflecting another side of his creative life.

For Naor, Hamsah is more than performing songs in another language. It's a way of sharing where he came from, honoring musical memories and creating connections through stories and sounds.

The project has also found a place within Music Medicine's Private Studio Concerts as The Roots of Hamsah, where guests experience the songs and their stories in a close, personal setting.

It is one more connection to the boy who grew up hearing his father play guitar at night.

Strings & Soul — another musical dimension

Naor's interest in arrangement and texture has also found expression in Strings & Soul, featuring Tempa & Naor with a live string trio.

Where looping allows Naor to create musical layers through technology, Strings & Soul brings another kind of depth through acoustic instruments and musicians performing together.

Violin, viola and cello bring new colors to familiar songs, allowing original material to unfold in an intimate, cinematic setting.

The project reflects Naor's curiosity about how a song can change when heard through a different musical language.

An arrangement can reveal something hidden in a lyric or bring a new emotional quality to a melody.

For Naor, there is always another way to hear a song.

Behind the music — the producer and teacher

Over the years, Naor's curiosity about sound has extended beyond the stage and into the recording studio.

As a recording and production artist, he works with songwriting, arrangement, tracking, mixing, editing and developing musical ideas from their earliest stages.

His technical interests and musical experience come together through Music Medicine Studio, the creative space he and Tempa have developed on Maui.

The Studio provides a welcoming environment for musicians to rehearse, record, learn, collaborate and explore ideas.

Naor's work includes guitar instruction, songwriting guidance, performance development, Logic Pro coaching, recording and production.

He particularly enjoys helping an artist discover what a song wants to become.

Sometimes that means finding the right chord progression or arrangement. Sometimes it's helping someone become more comfortable with their instrument or performance.

And sometimes it's simply giving a musician the space to explore an idea without pressure.

His approach to teaching and production carries forward something familiar from his earlier community work: the belief that people grow through encouragement, curiosity and opportunities to create.

Naor has also contributed to recordings and collaborations with other Maui musicians, both as a performer and behind the scenes.

For him, producing music combines technical problem-solving with listening, imagination and an understanding of the human experience behind a song.

Music Medicine Sessions and the joy of performing

Alongside recording and production, Naor remains an active live performer.

With Tempa, he has developed Music Medicine Sessions, bringing original songs, distinctive interpretations of familiar music, storytelling and guest musicians into intimate live settings.

Their performances have included sold-out concerts at ProArts Playhouse, recurring sessions at Mulligans on the Blue and appearances at other venues across Maui.

In 2025, Tempa & Naor participated in the Maui Songwriters Festival and performed as special guests ahead of Ella Langley's Fourth of July concert at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua.

They have also shared the stage with many Maui musicians through songwriter rounds, guest collaborations and original-music events.

As a performer and organizer, Naor enjoys creating opportunities for musicians to share their work with audiences.

Some performances are carefully arranged productions. Others leave room for improvisation and spontaneous moments that can only happen when musicians are together in a room.

That spirit also inspired Music Medicine Private Studio Concerts, offering small groups the opportunity to experience music, conversation and hospitality in Tempa and Naor's own creative space.

Creativity beyond music

Naor's interests have never been limited to the stage or recording studio.

Growing up in an agricultural kibbutz gave him an early appreciation for hands-on work, practical problem-solving and making things.

Before moving to Maui, Naor and Tempa created Love & Light Chocolate, a handcrafted chocolate delivery business.

Later, their shared interest in food and hospitality took other forms, including Mediterranean food pop-ups and creative culinary projects.

Their wider creative world also includes the developing vision for Soul Kitchen Farm Stand, connecting handmade food, hospitality and community.

These projects may seem different from writing songs or producing recordings, but they share a familiar creative spirit.

They involve experimenting, building something from an idea and bringing people together.

Whether creating a musical arrangement, preparing a recording session or shaping a new experience, Naor is drawn to the process of making things work.

The details matter—but so does how people feel when they experience the result.

A universe of Music Medicine

In 2026, Naor, alongside Tempa, created Music Medicine Productions as a creative home for the many musical experiences they have built together.

Their growing Music Medicine universe connects their work as artists, their individual bands and projects, Music Medicine Studio, Private Studio Concerts and other creative experiences.

For Naor, the goal isn't to make every project feel the same.

Each has its own personality, musical language and reason for existing.

Soul Kitchen brings the energy of a band and the spirit of New Orleans.

Hamsah explores music, language and memory.

Strings & Soul brings new depth to original songs through live strings.

Music Medicine Studio gives musicians room to learn, create and develop their work.

And at the center of much of it is the musical partnership between Naor and Tempa.

Different projects, different sounds, different experiences—all connected through their shared love of music and people.

What they call Music Medicine.

Still curious, still creating

There is something about Naor's musical journey that has remained remarkably consistent.

As a boy, he was fascinated by the sound of his father's guitar.

As a teenager, he spent hours in the kibbutz music room discovering what he could create.

As a young man, he found meaningful ways to connect with people through music and shared experiences.

Today, that same curiosity continues through songwriting, performance, production, technology, teaching and the creative world he shares with Tempa.

The instruments have changed. The musical possibilities have expanded. The places he's called home have taken him across oceans.

But he is still drawn to the same simple things.

A melody that stays with him.

A musical idea that unexpectedly comes together.

The moment when two voices find the right harmony.

Or the feeling that something created with care has brought people a little closer.

And somewhere in all of it, there's still that boy listening to three songs before bedtime.

Still curious.

Still listening.

Still making music.

Career Achievements & Highlights

Musical beginnings and education

• Grew up on Kibbutz Ein Harod Ehud, northern Israel, surrounded by music, agriculture and communal life.
• Began playing guitar and writing original songs at approximately twelve years old.
• Explored classical guitar and studied opera and vocal technique.
• Developed musical skills through independent practice and experimentation in the kibbutz music room.
• Worked with young people through community and educational programs in Israel.
• Served two summers as a Jewish Agency Shaliach, song leader and educator at a Jewish summer camp in Ohio.

Bands and artistic projects

• Rhythm guitarist — Tempa & The Tantrums, Colorado, approximately 2009–2011.
• Founder with Tempa — Soul Kitchen Maui, established in 2012 as a trio and developed into a big-band project.
• Guitarist, songwriter, composer, arranger and performer — Tempa & Naor.
• Creator and performing artist — Hamsah / The Roots of Hamsah, featuring Hebrew songs and English storytelling.
• Musician and creative collaborator — Strings & Soul, featuring Tempa & Naor with a live string trio.
• Co-creator and performer — Music Medicine Sessions.
• Co-creator and host — Music Medicine Private Studio Concerts.

Awards and recognition

• 2017: Soul Kitchen Maui — voted Best Band on Maui in MauiTime's readers' poll.
• 2026: Tempa & Naor — MauiTime readers' Best Band on Maui nomination.
• Participated as a guitarist in Tempa & The Tantrums' Colorado performance career; the band's historical awards are credited to the band rather than claimed as individual Naor awards.

Notable performances

• Performances throughout Hawaiʻi, the mainland United States and Israel.
• Maui venues including ProArts Playhouse, Mulligans on the Blue, Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Fleetwood's on Front Street, Charley's and Casanova, across the musical projects he shares with Tempa.
• Performances at Maui community events and songwriter showcases.
• Sold-out Music Medicine concerts at ProArts Playhouse.
• 2025: Participation in the Maui Songwriters Festival.
• 2025: Special guest performance with Tempa ahead of Ella Langley at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua.
• 2026: Strings & Soul concert at ProArts Playhouse.
• Ongoing Music Medicine Sessions featuring guest musicians and original compositions.

Recordings, songwriting and production

• Soul Kitchen Maui — Live At Charley's (2019): Band performance recording.
• Tempa & Naor — Ember's Fire (2018): Original songwriting and recording collaboration.
• Tempa & Naor — MoonFall (2024): Original songwriting and recording collaboration.
• Faith (2025): Music, lyrics and vocals with Tempa; production collaboration with Tempa and Michael Ferenci; mixing collaboration with Dayan Kai and Michael Ferenci.
• Guitarist, arranger and collaborator on original recordings and other musical projects.
• Experience with acoustic and electric guitars, ukulele, bass, live looping, multitrack recording, mixing and production.
• Developer of live arrangements incorporating harmonies, looping and storytelling.
• Ongoing work with Logic Pro, recording, editing, mixing and producing music.

Music education and community

• Volunteer youth-group experience in Israel.
• Work with at-risk young people through group activities and community programs.
• Two summers as a song leader and educator through the Jewish Agency in the United States.
• Guitar instruction, songwriting guidance, creative coaching and production education through Music Medicine Studio.
• Participation in and coordination of Maui songwriter gatherings and musical collaborations.

Business and creative ventures

• Co-creator with Tempa — Music Medicine Productions, established in Hawaiʻi in 2026.
• Co-creator with Tempa — Music Medicine Studio, a Maui creative space for recording, rehearsal, lessons, coaching and production.
• Co-creator — Music Medicine Private Studio Concerts.
• Co-founder — Love & Light Chocolate, a handcrafted chocolate delivery venture before moving to Maui.
• Collaborator in Mediterranean culinary pop-ups and other hospitality experiences.
• Creative contributor to the developing Soul Kitchen Farm Stand.
• Ongoing development of the broader Music Medicine ecosystem connecting artists, performances, creative services, hospitality and storytelling.