Re: sasha argov

[Mark Kirschbaum <mkirschb...>]

>       The Yemen and Sefaradim music is blooming in Israel. The first singer
>       (who later hanged himself) was Sasha Argov.

> what a tragic loss!  when did that happen?  i have two lovely
> recordings of his songs: one with  argov accompanying on the
> piano the singer ora zitner singing a collection of his songs,
> another with arik einshtein singing another collection of
> argov's songs.  i suppose these are out on CD by now...anyone
> know?
   There is a tragic little error in these notes. The "Yemenite" singer is
Zohar Argov, who was a drug user and convicted rapist who made several
erratic records, some of which are unlistenable and some of which are
brilliant. What he did do was legitimize a new mixture of American pop and
primarily Turkish style popular music. Although he was Temani by birth, he
grew up in Shechunat Eliyahu in Rishon LeTzion, one of the poorest
neighborhoods in Israel, with a predominantly Morrocan/Eastern Arabic
Jewish community (the Yemenites are a few bus stations down in Shaarayim
and Marmorek).
   His suicide came after a dramatic fall in his popularity-after he paved
the way for Mizrahi singers to be played on the airwaves, a whole group of
them became prominent, especially Haim Moshe, who although he now alos
sings mostly Greek/Turkish/Kurdi style, he began with more traditional
Yemenite religious songs.
   Sasha Argov, a Russian immigrant who wrote some of the best loved songs
of the Nahal groups and then the Tarnigolim, is still alive. He was part
of the group of classically trained musicians trying to fuse a new
neo-folk style out of the disparate ethnic sounds of the new Israeli
people in the new state, and as attested by some of the members of this
net, succeeded brilliantly. Another excellent recording of his on CD is
that he did in collaboration with Matti Caspi- but the original two
classic albums of the Tarnigolim (with Yehoram Gaon and the members of the
GAshash Hahiver) is also on CD.
                                       mark kirschbaum, md