Tzfat Klezmer Festival 2009

The annual Tzfat Klezmer Festival will be held this year August 10th - August 12th 2009. Although I don't have a complete schedule yet, I just recieved the program for the Beirav Synaogue performances which will include, as usual Israel National Radio's own Binyamin Shmuel Nakonechny.

Songs andf stories of Shlomo Calebach - Beirav in Gan Ha'ir Park

Monday: Aaron Razel, Rabbi Eyal Ya'akobovitch, Binyamin Steinberg
Tuesday: Yehudah Katz of Reva L'Sheva, Shlomo Katz, Meir Glazer
Wednesday: Chaim Dovid, Ben-Zion Solomon, Binyamin Nakonechny

Also performing will be Udi Davidi, Adi Ran, and of course, countless klezmer musicians from around the world.

For more info visit www.beirav.org
http://www.safed.co.il/klezmer-festival-safed.html
And our photo essay from a previous year: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/107187

Yossi Piamenta Moving Back to Israel

"A Farewell Party For Yossi Piamenta" 

featuring Yossi Piamenta & friends 

July 5,2009 at the Highline Ballroom

Concert starts @ 8PM
Doors open @ 6 PM
Tickets $15.00 in advance
$20.00 day of show.

Buy Tickets Online http://highlineballroom.com/bio.php?id=1077

Full dinner menu available / General Admission Seated Show / All Ages / First come, first seated / $10 min per person at tables

From the press release:

"It all started when Yossi Piamenta got a $30 acoustic guitar as a Bar Mitzvah present form his uncle Albert, the biggest bandleader in Israel at that time. Yossi immediately fell in love with his guitar. He was so obsessed that his grades started dropping. At that point Yossi’s father smashed his guitar. Yossi was depressed and couldn’t eat for 2 months. After seeing Yossi’s heart broken, his parents bought him a real guitar, like no other kid had in Israel.

Yossi is a self-taught musician who would turn on the Jerusalem radio and play along. That’s how he learned how to play. He used money from gigs to buy the best audio equipment, international albums and music magazines. Yossi’s self-acquired education led him to become one of the most skillful and original guitarists on the Jewish and secular music scene. Yossi’s original style is best described as a hint of jazz, a drop of blues, and a whole lot of rock 'n' roll filtered through a purple haze of Oriental funk.

After finishing boarding school, Yossi joined a “Top 40” cover band as their lead guitarist. Then he joined the army, and played in the Army Band. After completing his army service, Yossi became a full time musician. During the Yom Kippur War Yossi, together with his 15-year old brother Avi, now an international acclaimed flutist, played for the soldiers. After that, Yossi and Avi immediately formed “the Piamenta Band.” The rest is history. The band went on to play with the most prestigious Israeli musicians. They were dubbed the “Mizrahi Rockers.”

In 1976 Stan Getz discovered the Piamenta Band. 3 weeks later Getz sent Yossi a ticket to America, where Yossi was introduced to the crème de la crème of American musicians. Getz was so impressed with Yossi’s music that he cancelled his schedule for 3 weeks to cut an album with Yossi. The album was so successful that Getz tried hard to sign a lifetime contract with the Piamenta’s but when Yossi saw what went on in the showbiz industry… he declined and ran towards his Jewish roots."

For more info visit - http://www.piamenta.com 

[weJew:NaN]

Michael Jackson in Israel

Michael Jackson performed in Israel in 1993 during his Dangerous tour to over 70,000 fans in Tel Aviv. He also visited holy sites including the Western Wall. The following is a newscast from CNN about Jackson's visit. It's funny to me that at the end, the newscaster mentions that Madonna may visit Israel in the future. Since that broadcast, Madonna has since visited Israel on numerous occations for both perfomances and private visits. If you search YouTube and other video sits you can find several other clips of Michael Jackson's Tel Aviv performance.

Chris Cornell, lead singer of the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave performed in Israel in June 2009. He performed his very different version of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.

In 1996 Michael Jackson release They Don't Care About Us from his HIStory album. It included the lyrics: "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me." Michael Jackson stated the lyrics were meant to rally against prejudice and anti-Semitism. They lyrics have been edited out of most official versions, but can still be found on YouTube and other video sites. For details of the song controversy see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/They_Don't_Care_About_Us

In 2005 Michael Jackson lived in the Middle Eastern Arab - Muslim country of Bahrain. He allegedly was interested in converting to Islam. http://nanima.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/michael-jackson-becomes-muslim-and-reverts-back-to-islam/

On a personal note, when I was in middle school our art teacher Mrs. Turman, "the Turmanator" showed us Michael Jackon's Moonwalker. She thought it was artistic. Many of the kids were Michael Jackson fans and excited to see it but I remember thinking it was a little too pop mainstream for my tastes. But I remember one scene being really really cool. I loved the mixing of animation and live actors, expecially when he dances off against the cartoon rabbit in the end.

I remember an arguement on the first day of school as to who was a better dancer, MC Hammer or Michael Jackson. I sometimes wonder what equivalent artists Israeli kids argue about. Sarit Hadad verses Eyal Golan? Shlomo Carlebach versues Neshama Carlebach?? I don't know if there is an equivalent, but every week on the Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast, I try and share the latest exciting Israeli musician I've discovered.