Re: Esti Kenan Ofri in the US

[robert wiener <wiener...>]

Francesco,

Please tell us if she'll be performing elsewhere in the U.S. as well.

Bob
-----Original Message-----
From: Francesco Spagnolo <yuval (at) powerlink(dot)it>
To: World music from a Jewish slant. <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Date: Tuesday, February 16, 1999 3:50 PM
Subject: Esti Kenan Ofri in the US


>Dear everyone,
>
>what follows is meant to let you know that the Israeli artist Esti
Kenan
>Ofri will be giving a concert in the US this may. A concert of hers,
in duo
>with percussionist Oren Freed (the duo's name is "Duo Kol-tof"), is
>scheduled in Los Angeles, at UCLA, on Sunday, May 9. I do not know
the
>details yet.
>
>I had the chance to meet Esti Kenan Ofri in Italy two years ago. In
my
>(professional) opinion, she is one of the most talented artists in
the
>field of Jewish music toady. A dancer and a choreographer, she
started
>singing several years ago without receiving any formal vocal
training.
>
>Her voice has inspired Italian composer Luciano Berio's work
"Ofanim", a
>"cantata" for solo voice, children's choir and orchestra written on a
>Hebrew (biblical) text. The libretto was written by Berio's wife,
Israeli
>musicologist Talia Pecker. The work was last performed by Esti and
>conducted by the author on April 11, 1997 in Turin, Italy, to
commemorate
>the decennial of Primo Levi's death.
>
>Of course, Berio's works (there is a new "Hebrew" composition of his
that
>has been announced) should be the topic of a different posting.
>
>Esti Kenan Ofri has been working for many years now on the Sephardic
>reperoire, singing in Ladino, Hebrew and Arabic, bringing this music
to a
>new degree of consciousness. She has had the chance to work with
Ladino
>traditional performers such as Dora Gerassi and Bienvenida Aguado
(see the
>INEDIT cd on Ladino songs edited by Israeli musicologist Edwin
Seroussi),
>and to learn Arabic music from Iraqi-Israeli musician Selim In Nur
(the
>oldest and most renown 'ud player and composer from Iraq to settle in
>Israel in the 50's). At the same time, she has been collaborating
with such
>Israeli composers as Andre' Hajdu and Betty Olivero. She has also
been
>exploring the field of improvisation together with the Russian
Israeli
>jazzman Slava Ganelin.
>
>As I write these notes, I realize that I learned all this directly
from
>Esti, since she never put together any kind of materials like
musicians
>usually do to inform organizers and record labels about their work.
She did
>put out a CD (El juego de siempre, by Bet Hatefutsot in Tel Aviv)
some
>years ago, but I am not sure that many people really heard it.
>
>Her music (and dance, since she sometimes dances during concerts) is
a
>quite delicate mixture of tradition brought back to its roots and
more
>"contemporary" ideas. It has nothing to do with "Ladino songs" as we
are
>used to listen to them: neither on the "philological" side of the
beautiful
>(and, for me at least, very instructive) music of the Canadian based
group
>Gerineldo, nor on the more common side of the hispanic-flavoured
>arrangements that dominate this repertoire. Instead, it is made of
>traditional songs and poetry and vocal improvisation on Arabic and
Turkish
>makamat. But the sensibility it implies is based upon the instinct of
>creating new (jewish?) music (in a quite similar way to that enacted
in the
>klezmer field by Brave Old World's last two cd's).
>
>What I mean to say -- and I apoligize for the long posting -- is that
this
>music naturally stresses its own *musical* power much more that its
>"jewishness" (which is somehow already implied in it). As you may
assume, I
>am fascinated by it, and at the same time I would be interested in
knowing
>what others (Joel? Judith?) think about this.
>
>During the last few years, Esti has been only on rare (although
sometimes
>very important) occasions (she is the mother of three very young
children,
>and lives in Jerusalem), both in Israel and abroad. I believe that
>Kol-tof's unique concert date in Los Angeles is a great opportunity
for
>people interested in Jewish music to know more about it, and to
listen to a
>wonderful concert.
>At the same time, I am wondering about how to promote their music
some more
>(this is not really my job -- I'm asking for suggestions, or help,
here!),
>and maybe find a way to book some other dates for them.
>If anybody is interested, I believe that Esti Kenan Ofri and Oren
Freed can
>be contacted direcly in Jerusalem (I have their addresses and phone
nos).
>
>kol tuv,
>Francesco
>
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>                Centro di Studi sulla Musica Ebraica
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>
>                    dr. Francesco Spagnolo, Director
>
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