Sunday, January 5, 2014
Haproyect Shel Ravivo and Daklon - An Evening of Mizrahi Music
I wrote about some Mizrahi artists and music on November 17, 2013 (See "Israel's Mizrahi Music..."). The blog post was not comprehensive but was a look at few influential singers who have enjoyed significant popularity in Israel in the past few years. I had not actually been to a concert to see any of them perform live, though I had certainly been to some weddings where a good part of the music was Mizrahi.
So last night, we decided to go and see the "Haproyect Shel Ravivo" (Ravivo's Project) at Hangar 11 at the Tel-Aviv Port. The concert was scheduled for 9:30 p.m., well after Shabbat ended to ensure that people could make it from a variet of locations. Hangar 11 is a club-style venue, with seating in the round, a rotating stage and a capacity of well over 1,500. The food served is certified Kosher under the auspices of the Tel-Aviv Rabbinate (though we actually didn't eat any of it - the menu was fairly limited and the prices were not particularly appetizing...).
The concert was billed as a special event with Haproyect Shel Ravivo welcoming a guest performance by Daklon. Daklon is considered one of the fathers of Israeli Mizrahi music. Now almost 70 years old, Daklon was popular in Israel in the 1960s in some segments. He would string together chains of Hebrew lyrics, sometimes biblical, to Mediterranean (Greek, Arabic and even Spanish/Italian) melodies. To get a flavour for Daklon, here is a clip of him singing "Shabechi Yerushalayim":
Haproyect Shel Ravivo put together a collaborative song with Daklon in 2013 which has been well received in Israel. At this concert last night, they introduced him enthusiastically as one of Israel's greatest musical pioneers. Given his age, Daklon has slowed down quite a bit. But the members of Proyect Shel Ravivo accompanied him to the stage. They took turns helping him around the stage, staying near him while he was singing and generally showing a mixture of admiration, respect and comradery. The only word that would really fit would be the Hebrew word "kavod" - which means respect and honour. Daklon sang about three or four medleys with Haproyect and then they helped back down off the stage. The audience enjoyed it and it was very moving.
Haproyect itself is a 10 piece band, which performs a variety of Mizrahi influenced music. Much of the music is revival music - Israeli hits from the 60s and 70s that have been reworked into modern adaptations. Some of the music is based on traditional Yemenite or other Mizrahi melodies. Most of it is infectiously upbeat and, as they describe it in Hebrew - מוזיקה שעושה שמח- music that "makes you happy...".
The group is a cross generational band with some of the musicians in their late 20s or early 30s (like the drummer) and others, probably close to Daklon's age. The three front men, the lead singers, are probably in their 40s, if I had to guess. The electric bass player looked much older. Haproyect was formed in 2012 and has enjoyed some great success in Israel.
The concert began at about (9:45 p.m.) with an instrumental meddley. The three lead singers then joined, dressed in black shirts, jackets and dress pants. While the lighting was varied and, at times, intense, the musicians themselves were relatively understated. They welcomed the audience and just jumped right into a series of medleys that appear on their CDs.
As the stage at Hangar 11 rotated around the room, the three singers took turns singing to different parts of the fully packed house. The audience was appreciative but not raucous. There were many people who had come in large groups. Some were extended families with grandparents and children all together. There were groups of 8 or 10 guys in their early 20s - and all sorts of other combinations. There was a large group of women in their 30s sitting right near us. While most of the audience were probably in their 40s and 50s, it was quite a wide ranging audience.
After about 45 minutes, Haproyect brought Daklon to the stage. Once Daklon's performance concluded, the lead singers of Haproyect took off their jackets, changed into white shirts, and upped the tempo further. They invited everyone to get up and dance ("you have our permission," lead singer Raviv told the audience).
They played a mixture of some new medleys as well as some of their most popular hits. One of the new medleys featured a whole series of popular Israeli hits from the 1970s (including Eurovision song "Abonabee Abonabay"). People were singing along, dancing and generally having a fun time. The band members were smiling throughout, joking with each other and with the audience and prancing around the stage. They certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Just before midnight., they played their second and final encore - "Ten La Z'man Lalechet" - their biggest hit medley, which I highlighted in my blog post on Mizrahi music. It was charged with energy, fast moving and lots of fun. Quite a fitting way to conclude an evening of finger snapping, toe-tapping, hand-clapping music.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Memorable Events in Israel 2013
New Year's Day is not a national holiday in Israel. Although there are certainly many Israelis who celebrate New Year's Eve (known in Israel as the "Sylvester" holiday - after Pope Sylvester - the origin of New Year's commemorations), it is a normal work day for most Israelis.
Nevertheless, with the calendar changeover from 2013 to 2014, I thought I would review some of the major Israeli events of 2013. I wound up writing about most of these events in one way or another during the year, but not everyone has the chance to read all of my blog posts. (Some intentionally disregard them...). So I thought you might enjoy this collection of key events, in no particular order.
1. Israeli National Elections:
This has to be considered the biggest event of 2013. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected, though he formed a very different coalition. A new government was created without the ultra-Orthodox parties, and with a huge number of voters turning to the centrist party, Yesh Atid. For a detailed discussion of the Israeli elections, you can have a look at my election summary post here or some of my other blogs about the Israeli elections which are listed in the contents by topic page. The coalition is still a work in progress with some very different views being represented within the same government. Nevertheless, the election was a sea change in some ways for Israeli politics.
2. Visitors to Israel:
President Obama visited Israel for the first time as President in March 2013. It was a short visit and nothing particularly substantial was accomplished. Nevertheless, any time the President of the United States visits Israel, it is a newsworthy event. There was a great TV ad put together by McDonald's in honour of the occasion. Other visitors to Israel in 2013 included performing artists Rihanna, Jose Feliciano, the Pet Shop Boys and Alicia Keys. Pink Floyd member Roger Waters certainly did not visit. Instead, he spent his time trying to vilify Israel and dissuade other artists from visiting or performing here. Fortunately, many artists of goodwill and other celebrities ignored his wrong headed and quite possibly anti-Semitic attacks.
3. Mishpacha: Celebrations and Losses:
Israeli President Shimon Peres celebrated his 90th birthday in style. Celebrants in attendance included former President Bill Clinton, Barbara Streisand, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and many others.
Israel lost one of its great musicians, Arik Einstein. Two well known Rabbis passed away: former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef died as did Rabbi David Hartman, founder of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. The American founder of the modern day Kabbalah movement (followed by Madonna and many other celebrities) Philip (Shraga) Berg passed away and was buried in Israel. In December 2013, noted philanthropist Edgar Bronfman died. He was a great friend of Israel and a noted advocate of Jewish causes worldwide.
4. Charged, Released and Convicted:
There were many stories relating to criminal activity or accusations of criminal activity that made the news in 2013. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was acquitted of all charges after facing a state led investigation and prosecution that spanned many years. Israeli singer Eyal Golan was released without any charges after stories circulated about a sex scandal involving minors. Former Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger was arrested on a slew of charges relating to fraud and bribery. That process could take years until the outcome is determined. Danny Dankner, the former CEO of one of Israel's largest banks, Bank HaPoalim was convicted on fraud and breach of trust allegations as part of a plea bargain.
5. Another Large Scale Hi-Tech Sale:
Israeli security company Trusteer was sold to IBM for almost a billion dollars. Trusteer manufactures software that is used for, among other things, securing bank account information. This was yet another in a series of transactions where international business interests have been willing to pay top dollar for leading Israeli technology companies.
6. Israeli Municipal Elections:
Israeli municipal elections were held on October 22, 2013. While it is true that it was mostly a story of incumbents returning to office, there were some other stories of interest. The election results in Bet Shemesh have been mired in scandal, with an Israeli Court recently ordering a new election due to evidence of widespread voter fraud. In Ra'anana, a former Mayor returned to power with a landslide victory over the incumbent. For a more detailed look at Israel's municipal elections, you can have a look at my article of October 24, 2013.
7. The Kotel and Egalitarianism:
A Jerusalem District Court released a landmark decision in April 2013 (State of Israel v. Lesley Sachs). According to this decision, there is no prohibition on women being able to pray in the women's section of the Kotel, wearing Tallitoth and Tefillin if they wish to do so. This marked a huge change over the way in which Israeli laws were being enforced up until that point. Within months, Israeli Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett expanded and opened up the Davidson Center (the Southern Wall) in an effort to diffuse the effect of this ruling. Women are still prohibited from bringing a Torah Scroll to the women's side of the Kotel. However, this Court decision was a huge victory for Israeli organization Women of the Wall. For a discussion of the issue as it was in 2012, see this blog. For a discussion of the changes in 2013, see this entry.
8. The Weather:
Israel faced a huge rain storm in January 2013 that flooded many areas. In December 2013, Israel encountered one of its largest snow storms in many years. More than 30 centimetres of snow fell on Jerusalem by some estimates. The city was paralyzed for days, with the loss of electricity and roads that became completely blocked. Just my luck that after being in Israel for this storm, I happened to be in Toronto during a snowstorm that caused 300,000 families to lose power, in some cases for more than four days during the bitterly cold winter. So everything must be considered in proportion. But this was a huge storm by Israeli standards.
9. Ice Hockey:
How could a Canadian summarize Israeli events of 2013 without mentioning Ice Hockey? The Israeli national ice hockey team won a gold medal in its division - Division II, Group B at the World Ice Hockey Championships in April 2013 in Izmit, Turkey. The team will now move up to Division II, Group A for the 2014 tournament. Israel will play teams ranked 29-34 in the world, with a chance to move up to Division I if the Israeli team can finish first in this difficult group. The tournament will take place in Belgrade, Serbia from April 9 to 15, 2014. Israel will face Australia, Belgium, Estonia, Iceland and Serbia, with Estonia and Serbia listed as the favourites to win the division. It is also worth mentioning that Twin Peaks Ice Rink in Holon, Israel became fully operational in 2013, providing Israelis who live in central Israel with a much more convenient place to get some ice time. Until recently, the only place to play was Metullah, which is more than 180 kilometres north of Ra'anana.
10. Wine News:
In November 2013, Israeli archaeologists found a 3,700 year old wine cellar near Nahariyah, Israel, containing 40 ceramic jars, each large enough to hold 60 litres of wine. It is believed that this cellar was part of a Canaanite palace. Many historians have noted Israel's ancient history of high quality wine production, which was dormant for many years during periods of Muslim rule. While Israeli wine making was reintroduced in the late 1800s, as early immigrants arrived as part of the first two waves of immigration, the industry only truly took off in the early 1980s. Israel is now blessed with more than 280 wineries, including Kosher and non-Kosher, large and small, producers.
The 2nd Annual Kosher Wine Festival was held in Jerusalem in January 2013 (I managed to attend the 2012 event with a visiting friend) and the Golan Heights Winery celebrated its 30th Anniversary in June 2013 with a big festival at the Tel-Aviv Port.
Conclusion:
This summary is by no means comprehensive, though, hopefully, it is reasonably accurate. As usual, I welcome any comments, suggestions or additions. I apologize in advance if I have overlooked some key events. This is, after all, just a hobby for now. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful 2014.
Nevertheless, with the calendar changeover from 2013 to 2014, I thought I would review some of the major Israeli events of 2013. I wound up writing about most of these events in one way or another during the year, but not everyone has the chance to read all of my blog posts. (Some intentionally disregard them...). So I thought you might enjoy this collection of key events, in no particular order.
1. Israeli National Elections:
This has to be considered the biggest event of 2013. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected, though he formed a very different coalition. A new government was created without the ultra-Orthodox parties, and with a huge number of voters turning to the centrist party, Yesh Atid. For a detailed discussion of the Israeli elections, you can have a look at my election summary post here or some of my other blogs about the Israeli elections which are listed in the contents by topic page. The coalition is still a work in progress with some very different views being represented within the same government. Nevertheless, the election was a sea change in some ways for Israeli politics.
2. Visitors to Israel:
President Obama visited Israel for the first time as President in March 2013. It was a short visit and nothing particularly substantial was accomplished. Nevertheless, any time the President of the United States visits Israel, it is a newsworthy event. There was a great TV ad put together by McDonald's in honour of the occasion. Other visitors to Israel in 2013 included performing artists Rihanna, Jose Feliciano, the Pet Shop Boys and Alicia Keys. Pink Floyd member Roger Waters certainly did not visit. Instead, he spent his time trying to vilify Israel and dissuade other artists from visiting or performing here. Fortunately, many artists of goodwill and other celebrities ignored his wrong headed and quite possibly anti-Semitic attacks.
3. Mishpacha: Celebrations and Losses:
Israeli President Shimon Peres celebrated his 90th birthday in style. Celebrants in attendance included former President Bill Clinton, Barbara Streisand, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and many others.
Israel lost one of its great musicians, Arik Einstein. Two well known Rabbis passed away: former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef died as did Rabbi David Hartman, founder of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. The American founder of the modern day Kabbalah movement (followed by Madonna and many other celebrities) Philip (Shraga) Berg passed away and was buried in Israel. In December 2013, noted philanthropist Edgar Bronfman died. He was a great friend of Israel and a noted advocate of Jewish causes worldwide.
4. Charged, Released and Convicted:
There were many stories relating to criminal activity or accusations of criminal activity that made the news in 2013. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was acquitted of all charges after facing a state led investigation and prosecution that spanned many years. Israeli singer Eyal Golan was released without any charges after stories circulated about a sex scandal involving minors. Former Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger was arrested on a slew of charges relating to fraud and bribery. That process could take years until the outcome is determined. Danny Dankner, the former CEO of one of Israel's largest banks, Bank HaPoalim was convicted on fraud and breach of trust allegations as part of a plea bargain.
5. Another Large Scale Hi-Tech Sale:
Israeli security company Trusteer was sold to IBM for almost a billion dollars. Trusteer manufactures software that is used for, among other things, securing bank account information. This was yet another in a series of transactions where international business interests have been willing to pay top dollar for leading Israeli technology companies.
6. Israeli Municipal Elections:
Israeli municipal elections were held on October 22, 2013. While it is true that it was mostly a story of incumbents returning to office, there were some other stories of interest. The election results in Bet Shemesh have been mired in scandal, with an Israeli Court recently ordering a new election due to evidence of widespread voter fraud. In Ra'anana, a former Mayor returned to power with a landslide victory over the incumbent. For a more detailed look at Israel's municipal elections, you can have a look at my article of October 24, 2013.
7. The Kotel and Egalitarianism:
A Jerusalem District Court released a landmark decision in April 2013 (State of Israel v. Lesley Sachs). According to this decision, there is no prohibition on women being able to pray in the women's section of the Kotel, wearing Tallitoth and Tefillin if they wish to do so. This marked a huge change over the way in which Israeli laws were being enforced up until that point. Within months, Israeli Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett expanded and opened up the Davidson Center (the Southern Wall) in an effort to diffuse the effect of this ruling. Women are still prohibited from bringing a Torah Scroll to the women's side of the Kotel. However, this Court decision was a huge victory for Israeli organization Women of the Wall. For a discussion of the issue as it was in 2012, see this blog. For a discussion of the changes in 2013, see this entry.
8. The Weather:
Israel faced a huge rain storm in January 2013 that flooded many areas. In December 2013, Israel encountered one of its largest snow storms in many years. More than 30 centimetres of snow fell on Jerusalem by some estimates. The city was paralyzed for days, with the loss of electricity and roads that became completely blocked. Just my luck that after being in Israel for this storm, I happened to be in Toronto during a snowstorm that caused 300,000 families to lose power, in some cases for more than four days during the bitterly cold winter. So everything must be considered in proportion. But this was a huge storm by Israeli standards.
9. Ice Hockey:
How could a Canadian summarize Israeli events of 2013 without mentioning Ice Hockey? The Israeli national ice hockey team won a gold medal in its division - Division II, Group B at the World Ice Hockey Championships in April 2013 in Izmit, Turkey. The team will now move up to Division II, Group A for the 2014 tournament. Israel will play teams ranked 29-34 in the world, with a chance to move up to Division I if the Israeli team can finish first in this difficult group. The tournament will take place in Belgrade, Serbia from April 9 to 15, 2014. Israel will face Australia, Belgium, Estonia, Iceland and Serbia, with Estonia and Serbia listed as the favourites to win the division. It is also worth mentioning that Twin Peaks Ice Rink in Holon, Israel became fully operational in 2013, providing Israelis who live in central Israel with a much more convenient place to get some ice time. Until recently, the only place to play was Metullah, which is more than 180 kilometres north of Ra'anana.
10. Wine News:
In November 2013, Israeli archaeologists found a 3,700 year old wine cellar near Nahariyah, Israel, containing 40 ceramic jars, each large enough to hold 60 litres of wine. It is believed that this cellar was part of a Canaanite palace. Many historians have noted Israel's ancient history of high quality wine production, which was dormant for many years during periods of Muslim rule. While Israeli wine making was reintroduced in the late 1800s, as early immigrants arrived as part of the first two waves of immigration, the industry only truly took off in the early 1980s. Israel is now blessed with more than 280 wineries, including Kosher and non-Kosher, large and small, producers.
The 2nd Annual Kosher Wine Festival was held in Jerusalem in January 2013 (I managed to attend the 2012 event with a visiting friend) and the Golan Heights Winery celebrated its 30th Anniversary in June 2013 with a big festival at the Tel-Aviv Port.
Conclusion:
This summary is by no means comprehensive, though, hopefully, it is reasonably accurate. As usual, I welcome any comments, suggestions or additions. I apologize in advance if I have overlooked some key events. This is, after all, just a hobby for now. Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful 2014.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)