A Musical True Believer:

Yemen Blues’ World Music.

Every musician likes to think he’s doing something more than just making music, and perhaps they are all correct. But you’d have to look far to find someone who is more convinced or committed than Ravid Kahalani.

Kahalani writes, sings, plays percussion and is co-founder of Yemen Blues, a singular world music fusion band. The group combines the Yemenite vocal tradition in which the Israeli songwriter was raised with the post-bop jazz that co-founder Omer Avital mastered, before adding Afro-pop, Delta blues, a variety of Latin percussion styles and underpinning it with a healthy dose of ‘70s funk.

Asked about the band, Kahalani says, “We didn’t just say, let’s mix these musics. Every one of us brought atmosphere to the room and it was blending like magic. I knew I had to write something to God and to the people, lyrics that people can understand and take as a way of life. It doesn’t matter to which god you are praying, the melodies come from the heart. We came here to be together and enjoy and sing together, to feel something really basic that connects all of us. And I hope people will take it seriously as a way of life.”

For a start, he’d be satisfied to have a record contract and reach a larger audience. If he’s going to change the world, it takes more listeners. One thing is certain, though — once heard his music is hard to resist. If it’s a revolution he has in mind, it will definitely be one you can dance to.

Yemen Blues performs March 9, 8 p.m., at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker St.). For information, (212) 505-3474, http://lepoissonrouge.com. They’ll be back in town for a free gig at Summerstage in Central Park.