The Israeli music scene and cross-over artists

[Eva Broman <eva.bromanassouchidis...>]

Hi Judith,

Sounds like a very interesting lecture! I'm a newcomer to Israeli music, but to 
me it seems as if there is an amazing variety in the Israeli music scene-if you 
explore a music site like Israeli music, you'll find anything from Western rock 
and pop, to "Oriental" pop to cantorial works, klezmer and "ethnic" musics from 
all over the world. It's amazing how many different musical traditions exist 
side by side-which is, I guess, just a reflection of the demographic variety of 
the Israeli people.

>Apparently many Palestinian kids are watching the same music videos as the
>Jewish kids, and many of the songs are just as popular with them.

I'm not familiar with the mainstream Israeli pop-rock scene, but from what I've 
gathered some of the Mizrahi/Oriental artists have a great cross-over appeal. 
Haim Moshe and Zehava Ben are popular among Palestinians and sell cassettes by 
the thousands in the neighbouring Arab countries, and Palestinians like Samir 
Shukry, or "the Druze boy" Sharif (who sing both in Hebrew and Arabic) are 
popular among Israeli Jews. And-to my ears, there isn't much that separates 
these artists musically-their music has its roots in the musical traditions of 
the Arab world and the Eastern Mediterranean, with more than a sprinkling of 
Western pop influences.

Another interesting phenomenon is the penetration of Greek music into the 
musical landscape of Israel, which according to journalist Shimon Parnas is 
something unique in the world. He points to the great popularity of artists 
such as Glykeria and Giorgos Dalaras, and claims that if the late "laika" 
singer Stelios Kazantzidis ever had come to Israel to sing, he would have 
filled stadiums-which is quite remarkable since Kazantzidis was at his peak in 
the fifties and sixties, and unlike Glykeria never got into the "world music" 
market.

>He talked about how popular the sing-along tv shows are in Israel right
>now....Everyone is singing.  

Maybe this is a kind of continuation of the Zionist "sing-along" tradition? Or 
maybe it's because "Levantine" (in want of a better word!) audiences in general 
participate more actively? I can't say anything about Israel, but, again, at 
every Greek and Turkish concert I've been to *everyone* sang along with *every 
song*-it seems as though folks learn the lyrics and melodies of popular songs 
through a kind of "osmosis" (probably because they're belted out from cafes and 
taverns all day long!;-)), and take great joy in singing along with the artists 
on stage. Maybe something similar is happening in Israel?

Thanks for the info, and I'm looking forward to reading the playlist!

Eva