Experiments of acoustic whimsy
Filed under: Art, General, Israeliness, Music, Pop Culture
Possibly the closest thing Israel has to a bona fide guitar rock god, Berry Sakharof is also a man of many collaborations. His chameleon-like changeovers have included forays into alt-industrial Euro new wave, folk-ethnic Eastern spiritual poetry songs and club rhythm-infused pop-metal. It’s all kind, and it’s all worth catching.
A few years ago, Sakharof explored his intimate side with a special mini-tour of acoustic gigs – many cuts from which made up the meat of the bonus acoustic disc from 2003′s In Concert boxed set. On this tour, he was accompanied almost exclusively by Zohar Fresco (check out his official site as well as his Myspace profile for great samples of his work that showcase his amazing talents), an extraordinary hand-percussionist. As Sakharof has been known to do every now and then, he has recently rekindled this collaboration, appearing on stage this past weekend at Jerusalem’s Ma’abada Theater.
The planners at the Ma’abada clearly were once again caught off-guard by the logistics of this event. Although the sound was well-mixed and clear, the venue unfortunately over-sold beyond capacity. Most rock shows held here involve a large open floor for bouncing revelers, but the laid-back nature of the acoustic format justified setting up rows of chairs across the entire floor, and when the crowds piled in close to the gig’s opening number, passageway aisles disappeared as more chairs were thrown down haphazardly, and some people were suddenly told that certain seats needed to remain empty in order to facilitate the movements of the performers.
But once the vibes settled down, the beauty of the music took over. Sakharof’s songs are simply great, and their flavors were accentuated by the bandless format. Less coordinated accompaniment means more room for drama and improvisation, and Sakharof and Fresco were clearly relishing in this dynamic, approaching the sings with whimsy and not hiding their smiles to each other.
Highlights from the set included classic Sakharof love songs like “Chaval She’at Lo” and “Basof Shel Yom,” experimental numbers like “Ra’ash Lavan” and covers of folk song standards.
Berry stuck to his guitar mostly, but he played with chords emanating from a pedal-triggered synthesizer as well, and the show opened with just him at the piano doing crowd favorites “Kama Yossi” and “Haolam Ha’amiti.” For the duration of the concert, the band grew in tiers – first with Fresco joining in, then a pianist/wind player, and finally with surprise guest Daniel Zamir, the Tzadik Records-affiliated post-klez alt-jazz sax player.
Berry needs to come to town more often.
Here’s Johnny
The cover of The Johnny Show
Johnny has that musical gift, and unlike many of us who never develop their seed of talent over the course of a lifetime, he lives and breathes music. This kid has a home studio, he’s produced albums for hip hop artists like Sagol 59, and he’s got his own dazzling versatile album out now called The Johnny Show, which features guests like Hadag Nahash, Shlomi Shaban and Useless ID. And he’s still going to high school, for pete’s sake.
And to top all that, he’s the sweetest kid you’d ever want to meet – soft-spoken, shy and earnest, but with a constant smile on his face. I guess this could be a story about a teen anywhere, but what struck me as being a uniquely Israeli version of the gifted kid makes good, is the fact that next year Johnny’s going to put aside his fast-track career and devote three years to serving his country in the army.
He told me that he hopes to serve in the entertainment troupes and continue playing music, but if it turns out that he ends up in a combat unit, he’s ready and willing. I guess there’s nothing special there either, as most of the 18-year-olds here don’t have much of a choice in what branch of the service they end up in.
But I’m hoping that Johnny is given the chance to play his keyboards or drums, or produce IDF band albums, or in some way, be allowed to continue exploring his muse. And that his smile continues to stay on his face and brighten everyone else’s.
Unplugged on the Golan Heights
This past weekend the family and I took a jaunt to the north to stay with our friends on Moshav Yonaton, a small national religious village of approximately eighty families on the Golan Heights. Yonatan was founded by Didi Yadin, brother of Yonatan Rosenman who was killed in the Yom Kippur war. The founders of the moshav, a collective agricultural community, included members of Yonatan’s army unit and today is a bustling community whose industry includes a large dairy farm, massive chicken coops, a vineyard which is one of the numerous places that supplies grapes to the Golan Heights winery and a healthy mango and apple industry. You can actually find a variety of apples in all Israeli supermarkets called the “Yonatan.” My friends moved there a couple of years ago to truly live Zionism. The anglo bubble of Jerusalem just wasn’t doing it for them. I can see the appeal. The air is clean, their tap water comes directly from the same spring as Mei Eden bottled water, their kids run freely and in our short time there I couldn’t help but feel the overwhelming feeling of vibrant community (something that is lacking in every place I’ve ever lived). I’m not the shomer shabbat type, but felt pretty refreshed after an unplugged weekend.
The Golan will always have a special place in my personal history. I spent months upon months there during my military service and had the opportunity to explore many of the nooks that are off limits to normal residents (i.e. closed military zones for tank training and the like). It’s always nostalgic for me to visit, much to my wife’s chagrin. God bless her but the poor woman is endlessly subjected to my silly army stories.
Part of me yearns for a more rural existence. I can really use the quiet. And the people who live on the Golan are certainly a different breed. They are just so chill. So relaxed. We’ve spoken about it a lot and in our ten year plan we have plans to move north but I’m not sure I’m quite ready for such a gargantuan life change…yet.
Nostalgia Sunday – Children’s Song Festival
Channuka… let’s make that Hannuka… is upon us. Tonight the first candle on the menorah is lit and the country enters into a week-long frenzy of “Omigod, what are we going do with the kids?” That is because Hannuka in Israel means seven days of vacation for the kiddies and their teachers, (and yes, the parents still have to work).
For this reason, Hannuka in Israel also means Festigal, a high-priced, must-see music contest and show for the little ones, their siblings and long-suffering, short-fused parents. A one-time upstart competitor from Haifa to the Israel Children’s Song Festival, a song contest that had its heyday in the 1970s, Festigal got started in the early 1980s and became the juggernaut of Hannuka kiddie shows by 1987, the year the Children’s Song Festival up and died.
Festigal is the yardstick by which all other Hannuka children’s shows are judged – they pay to get the biggest and most beloved stars – meaning that talent ranges from the hottest Children’s Channel babes and boytoys, to others currently residing in the ‘where are they now?’ bin, and those in between. In short, no other show is louder, more garish, more obnoxious or more in demand. You can’t get tickets for love or money by now. Honest.
In contrast, a medley of festival songs from more innocent days.
Okay, I really have to link to the full clip of Zvika Pick, Israel’s then-answer to David Bowie, Alice Cooper or Peter Frampton, depending on who he was channeling that year. (Today with a reality show, he’s currently Ozzy Osbourne). In this song, “The Soap Cried A Lot,” he tells a tale of woe about some bathroom accessories and a little boy who won’t wash. Enjoy at your peril – and Happy Hannuka!
Hannuka and the taco-flavored donuts
Filed under: Blogging, Food, Holidays, Life, Pop Culture, Religion
It’s Hannuka in Israel, and comedian Benji Lovitt and videographer Molly Livingstone went out onto the streets of Jerusalem to see how people celebrate.
As Benji admits in his blog, What War Zone, “we laughed….we cried…..we made people uncomfortable (hellooooo, cutting room floor!) But we definitely had fun and we think you will too.”
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