Afro-beat redemption

June 30, 2008 - 7:21 AM by Harry

Aharit Hayamim Some Israeli bands can jam when they want to – especially those steeped in the growing “party music” scene – but most aren’t known for their meandering, free-form improvisations.

Aharit Hayamim, on the other hand, could very well be the closest thing Israel has to a proper hippie jam band . When Aharit Hayamim hits the stage, they throw everything at you: Afro rhythms, folk-rock motifs, reggae grooves, Rebbe Nachman teachings and swirling psychedelic textures. More of a redemption-themed collective than a rock act, Aharit Hayamim has been on the scene for about five years now, playing impromptu shows in open-air markets, wooded hilltops and traditional concert venues, while hosting its own eponymous festival in Gush Etzion every fall.

The band’s name comes from the Biblical term for the dawn of the messianic age, which, according to traditional Jewish teachings, comes only after some serious birth pains. Of course, the music has the power to heal – and not only for Jews in the homeland. Aharit Hayamim has recently partnered up with the Dar Fur Stars, a vocals and percussion ensemble consisting of 12 Sudanese who arrived in Israel in recent months, following arduous journeys across Egypt, smuggled to the Philadelphi Route by Egyptian Bedouin.

While the current genocide in Darfur threatens to wipe out an entire population, Aharit Hayamim is doing its part to preserve the Fur culture’s language and chants. The two acts joined forces earlier this year for a series of open jam sessions, rehearsals and fundraiser concerts in Tel Aviv.

While response from the general public has been modest, some donations from American Jewish communities have been made to the cause, resulting in the purchase of some djembe hand drums for the Dar Fur Stars. Now leaders from the bands are getting organized for an international concert tour and a recording session, hopefully to take place in the coming weeks.

“It’s not just music that sounds good to the ears,” says Aharit Hayamim manager Moshe Cornfeld. “It helps do something.”

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