A native of Sacramento, John Erlich is a founder of the ensemble Za'atar. He is an amateur Near Eastern ethnomusicologist, and an avid traveler. John studied Jazz guitar and 'ud and composed and arranged Jazz for many years before turning his attention to Middle Eastern music. John derived a great deal of inspiration for the Za'atar concept during a year spent in Akko, Israel, where he worked as a City Planner and lived among Arabs, and Jews with roots in the Caucasus, Uzbekistan, and Morocco. John also performs with Estreya d'Oro.