Jerusalem Post article on Mediterranean music

[Eva Broman <evbr4965...>]

Hi again,

I'm forwarding an interesting article from the Jerusalem Post.

Eva


Barry Davis Jan. 11, 2004


Only a few years ago, Mediterranean or Mizrahi music being featured on a
prime-time TV show was virtually unheard of, but now it appears to be all the
rage.

Dozens of young singers are churning out debut albums, the artists are appearing
on popular TV shows, and there are entire radio programs dedicated only to new
releases. After 40-odd years, Mizrahi music has finally hit the mainstream.

With singers such as Sarit Hadad stealing the spotlight from more Westernized
stars, the local media has had no choice but to sit up and take notice.

"Yes, we have come a long way since the days of the 'cassette singers,' like
Haim Moshe and Zohar Argov," says Yaron Ilan, presenter of Scent of Mint, a
Channel 1 variety show that showcases Mizrahi performers.

"They were called 'cassette singers' because you could only find their songs on
cassettes, and didn't hear them on the radio or see them on TV."

However, while this surge in popularity might be considered by some to be a good
thing, others in the industry argue that it has caused Mizrahi artists to
compromise on their standards, putting out music that caters to the masses.

"The field is far more commercial today," says iconic songwriter Ehud Manor.
"Mediterranean music has become like everything else. I think this is the main
disappointment. I would expect better material from Mediterranean artists
because of their classical eastern roots. They should try harder to find better
material, and not resort to using gimmicks. They would be just as successful if
they were to bring the audience up with them, to a higher level, rather than
going down."

Back in the early years of the state, however, when Mizrahi music was 'purer,'
it was pretty much ignored. The media was almost exclusively Ashkenazi-oriented,
and by and large, Eastern music was considered second-rate compared to Western
pop and rock, folk-based "eretz Yisrael" songs and classical music.

"I don't think they knew what to do with eastern music," says Ilan. "The
country's cultural foundations were laid by the people who came here first.
Other than some Yemenites who came at the beginning of the 20th century, we're
talking about European Jews, who became the driving force of the local cultural
scene. So eastern music didn't really come to the fore."

Today, Ilan says he sees that the policy has shifted. The groundswell of
popularity is reflected, he says, by the songs played on regional commercial
radio stations such as Radio Jerusalem, Radio Darom and Radio Emtza Haderekh,
all of which syndicate his radio show Scent of Mint. With those local stations
attracting listeners, the mainstream army radio station Galgalatz, generally
considered a good indicator of market trends, can no longer ignore these
singers.

On TV too, the interest in Mizrahi music has grown. Israel's own music
television, Musica 24, recently launched a weekly slot dedicated solely to the
genre and Ilan adds that the fact his show, Scent of Mint was moved from Channel
33 to center stage on Channel 1 is also the result of the enormous upsurge in
the popularity of eastern music.

"Last summer, we put the show on the road and people came out in their
thousands," he says. "We were in Shlomi one week after a katyusha attack there,
and in Sderot just after a kassam missile attack. But they came out to see and
hear us in droves. That means a lot."

Lior Farhi, Kobi Peretz, Keren Levy, Tzvika Avraham and Rinat Bar are just a few
of the new crop of eastern singers currently enjoying success in the record
stores and on the radio.

Malakhim, the debut album of 20-year-old Bar was fairly well received and her
new rap-tinged single "Ehad Me'Ellef" has had much more than its fair share of
airtime, even on Galgalatz. So, does one have to follow the cultural crossover
route in order to make it?

"Mediterranean music has moved more towards the west," says Bar. "When I started
out, my manager was into Turkish music. I was more of a hard core Mediterranean
music singer then. But, today, anything goes. My next album will cover a wide
range of material."

Another top-selling Mediterranean artists in 2003, who finally managed to break
into mainstream circles, was Shimon Buskilla. On his new disc Mehapess Haver
Karov, Buskilla partners with some of the country's most popular rock stars -
Shlomo Artzi, Hemi Rudner, and Kobi Oz to name a few - suggesting a coming of
age for the eastern music community.

However, Buskilla adds that most of the current Mediterranean output is far
inferior to the music of the 1970s.

"The quality of Mediterranean music has dropped. Everyone's looking to use
gimmicks to sell their stuff. I love Mediterranean music, and it's shame it is
not being done better. When Haim Moshe and Zohar Argov started out, you could
hear the soul in their music. It was genuine and honest. Today, you hear the
same sort of musical arrangements over and over again.

"Artists just aren't putting their soul into their work. It's become an industry
rather than an art form. There is obviously a price to success."