Re: Israeli Music Today

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

Oh, dear--I hope the "freedom to be mediocre" is not one we value highly.  
As Pete Seeger and, maybe, many others often say, there are (perhaps, even 
for this list?) only two kinds of music:  good and bad!  Probably most music 
in _any_ genre, even those dear to me, is mediocre, but I try to keep my 
ears, heart, and mind (and neshama) open for the jewels.


>From: Ari Davidow <ari (at) ivritype(dot)com>
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: Re: Israeli Music Today
>Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 09:00:25 -0700
>
> >I obviously have a bias toward the music of the Chalutzim and their
> >successors (we play a number of Naomi Shemer tunes in my band), and I
> >obviously realize that I as a kid threw away the music of my parents and
> >embraced Rock and Roll (back when it was good in the early-mid 50's :-),
> >but I find it difficult to see this music as Jewish. There must be a
> >difference between Jewish music and music sung in Hebrew by pop singers
> >who are Israeli.
> >
> >Comments?
>
>Israel is much more complex than the idealized version you might
>have imagined from back then. Those =were= wonderful songs. But
>there is a lot wonderful still happening.
>
>What is worrisome is this idea of seeing the music as "Jewish,"
>or judging it on the basis of what you are used to thinking of
>as "Jewish." As David Julian Gray (long time ago of the Klezmorim,
>now of a klezmer trio in DC, and digital audio person for NPR) is
>fond of saying, there are more "Jewish's" than you can count.
>
>If we can accept Debbie Friedman as representing something--and
>accept that she has made music that has much meaning to millions
>of Jews in this country, despite melodies that some find trite,
>with what ears are we judging Israeli music in its diversity--including
>its freedom to be mediocre?
>
>Finally, and perhaps most important, music from specific Jewish
>contexts (nusach, for instance) is not a major influence on Israeli
>popular music, any more than here.
>
>ari
>
>
>Ari Davidow
>ari (at) ivritype(dot)com
>list owner, jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>the klezmer shack: http://www.klezmershack.com/
>
>


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