(Hat Tip: Harry Rubenstein)
While there have been several video's displayed here at IsraGood portraying the Jewish state, this by far seems to have been the best one made.
While there have been several Israeli musicians profiled on IsraGood who help the world connect to Israel (or at least present a new image of the Jewish state), it looks as if one Israeli is using her music to help Jewish Americans reconnect with their homeland within the city that never sleeps.
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) Though it is her New York debut concert, Israeli singer-songwriter Din Din Aviv is no stranger here. The performance hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage is packed with Israeli fans of Aviv who live in New York and American Jews clutching her CD. [...]
It's the kind of scene that brings a smile to the face of David Borowich, the founder of the American-Israeli group that organized the concert, Dor Chadash. [...]
"Music is a natural bridge," Borowich says. "People are looking for ways to connect to Israel. If you can't bring them to Israel, then bring pieces of Israel to them."
Music makes the world go round--or so they say as one can testify to the success of Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and even Madonna.
But what some people may not realize is that one guy who has helped arrange some of the verses for these artists is releasing an album aimed at celebrating the Jewish state on its 60th birthday.
(Jerusalem Post) It's a familiar position for the 46-year-old, Florida-based Dermer, one of America's most successful songwriters and producers. But instead of working on one of his Latin-pop mélanges for Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez or Madonna that have won him Grammy nominations and Gold records, Dermer is arranging the verses for a song that's part of his new CD, Israel@60 - We Are Strong. [...]
Due to be released in time for the state's 60th birthday celebrations next month, Israel@60 consists of songs Dermer co-wrote with his BMI award-winning songwriter wife, Robin, and features a collaboration with Gronich, as well as the voices of various groups of Israeli youth whom the Dermers recorded at sites throughout the country on a recent 10-day visit. The finished CD, supported by the Jewish Agency, Israir Airlines and the Daniel Hotels, will be available on iTunes and Amazon, with proceeds earmarked for several Israeli charities.
While usually known for enlisting youth from various backgrounds, it looks as if the IDF will be adding a pop singer to its ranks.
(Forward.com) Maya Buskila, an Israeli pop star more than a decade past the average age of enlistment, will join the Israeli army April 13, just as the marketing campaign for her latest album kicks into gear. The singer’s enlistment, announced by her record company, will make Buskila one of the most famous — and one of the oldest — new recruits to the military, where soldiers are typically taken shortly after they turn 18. [...]
Buskila, who will release the first single off her next album after Passover, will undergo two weeks of basic training and is expected to serve as an entertainer during her two years of service.
(Hat Tip: Isrealli.org)
While Apple has yet to make an impact on the Israeli market, their latest commercial has propelled an unknown Jewish into "super stardom."
(Jerusalem Post) Naim's English-language single, "New Soul," has been the surprise hit of early 2008, the biggest in a decade for an local artist overseas. (You'd have to go back to 1998, and Dana International's "Diva," to find a comparable Israeli hit in Europe; the song is simply the biggest ever by an Israeli solo artist in the US.) A piano-driven number that's equal parts bounce and introspection, "New Soul" has compiled a list of "firsts" that continues to grow. The first song by an Israeli to hit No. 1 on the iTunes singles chart, "New Soul" was also the first to crack the Billboard Top 10, where it remained for two weeks after earning the magazine's "Hotshot" designation at its debut. [...]
And the single's success goes beyond pop charts and the Internet. Thanks to its use in a ubiquitous ad campaign for Apple's newest laptop, "New Soul" has become the rare song recognized even if listeners aren't sure where they've heard it, even if they don't know a thing about the person providing the voice.
(Hat Tip: Life in Israel)
Answer: Nothing really, but it looks as if they have inspired another interesting video by SmoothE.tv.
Here was a video that was featured on YouTube's homepage recently, which was created by SmoothE.tv. The name of the song is called Crank That Kosha Boy (which could not have come out at a better time during the Hanukkah season).
It looks like one of the world's holiest cities is about to receive some musical entertainment-rock n' roll style!
(Forward.com) Several high-profile musical acts are set to rock the holiest city in the Holy Land. The concert, "Jerusalem Rocks!" will take place September 9 at Teddy Kollek Stadium. Billboard Top 40 powerhouse the Black Eyed Peas (who have won three Grammys in the past three years) will headline the bill, which also features progressive hip-hop collective Arrested Development (the group, which won two Grammys in 1993, will release a long-awaited reunion album October 30). The event’s organizers hope to re-establish Jerusalem as an international center of culture.
I've been following this story on (and off) online, and after much speculation it seems that an Israeli bands controversial song will be allowed to be played at the Eurovision competition after all.
(Jewtastic) The Israeli entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be allowed despite fears the track would insult Iran with its references to nuclear war.
Finnish Eurovision official Kjell Ekholm voiced concerns about Teapacks' Push The Button entry last week, because he thought it could be deemed offensive to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
I am not sure how many times the West Side Story has been retold, but this by far seems to be the most creative version ever played out (if not the most delicious). Here is a quick preview of the movie entitled the West Bank Story (with more details about the film below).
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) The title is a riff on Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story." In this case, though, the confrontation is between competing West Bank falafel stands, the Israeli Kosher King and the Palestinian Hummus Hut.
Their weapons are falafel and hummus folded into a pita, the soul food loved by all Middle East factions. [...]
Amid catchy tunes, dancing and a mugging camel, David and Fatima fall in love. After both eating establishments are set on fire, the lovers persuade the rival owners to join hands and hummus to feed their hungry customers.
(Hat Tip: Isrealli)
I would pay anything to have this lady's talent, but then again if I did I wouldn't be blogging here if I did (as I would be doing this all day).
It's one thing for an Israeli band to be huge inside the holy land. It's quite another to crossover "the Atlantic pond" and attempt to make it big in the states. One organization trying to bridge the gap (and provide direction) for Jewish rockers touring in America is Oleh! Records.
(Israel 21st Century) [...] Hulsh's Oleh! Records is reaching out to a very specific segment of the music industry in Israel: bands who perform in English. At the same time as striving to help the musicians he signs to book tours and land record deals in the US, as well as the UK, Canada, and Australia. Hulsh's parallel goal is to facilitate face-to-face 'encounters' and dialogue [sic] between Israelis and Americans.
Oleh! will take on traditional recording label responsibilities such as promoting and marketing its acts. But musicians will not be required to sign exclusive contracts. "If your band receives an offer from a major label, you're free to take it at any time," Hulsh told the appreciative crowd in Tel Aviv at the official launch of the label.
If you are Jewish and have a sense of humor (or simply a gentile who loves to laugh like me) then you will sure enjoy this video.
(Aish.com) The unusual story of Shmuel Skaist begins when he was a rabbi in a yeshiva high school for boys in New York area. Trying to come up with a way to get his unruly teenage students to stay seated and actually listen, he attempted something unconventional -- he brought in his guitar and started playing. "It was then that I realized the power that music had as a way to communicate with people," says Skaist who goes by the name "Rav Shmuel" when performing because that's what his students call him. [...]
"I started getting a little bit of a following," admits Skaist humbly. "Not thousands of people mind you, but after a while fifty to a hundred people would start coming to a show if they heard that I was playing."
The Jewish Music Group, a not-for-profit Jewish recording label, noticed the success and helped produce Rav Shmuel's first album: Protocols.
Great! Here is one party I would love to go to, but I am almost a thousand miles away from the event!
And in one of my favorite cities too! (after Tel Aviv that is)
(Israel Today) The Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Manhattan in partnership with Israel’s Foreign Ministry have found a way to bring Israeli culture to the world, spicing up New York City with some Israeli flavor during the 6th annual Israeli Non-Stop Festival.
The festival is a non-stop marathon celebrating today's Israeli artists by showcasing them in the Big Apple.
The six-day event, scheduled for the end of February, will feature Israeli singer Mosh Ben-Ari. Ben-Ari was born in Israel, but with his Yemenite and Iraqi background, he mixes guttural Middle Eastern sounds into his blend of rock, reggae and world music.
His name is Ovadia Hamama, and although I have heard similar things done by American artists, (with Christian songs) it's not everyday that you hear someone taking Jewish prayers and putting them to a modern beat.
(Ynet News) It is Israeli rock in the deep meaning of dealing with spiritual issues relevant to Israeli reality. It is Jewish rock because of the ancient prayers sung in a modern way that only accentuates their beauty, and because of the creation of new prayers, including some that would be gladly embraced by the godless, and because of the encouragement to fulfill the Jewish calling to "get up and change the world." [...]
Hamama sings about the connection between heaven and earth, thought and feeling, melody and lyrics in the fascinating song "Isaac Wasn't Blind". Another song is titled "The World Is Beautiful". This is not a new-age type of admiration. Hamama is not blind to the hardships, but he insists on the beauty.
(Hat Tip: Isrealli)
He still has not decided whether or not he will play in Israel (everyone is hoping that he does, including me) although he will be making a short trip to the holy land this summer to visit some friends.
(Ynet News) Singer Lenny Kravitz, one of America's most popular rock stars, has announced he will make his first visit to Israel in the summer, Israel's leading newspaper reported Thursday.
The 42-year-old singer will visit as a tourist, and has not decided if he will perform here during the visit.
During the Jewish-African American reception earlier this week, Kravitz told Israel's consul general in New York, Aryeh Mekel, that he will be arriving in Israel in the next two-to-three months to visit friends in Tel Aviv.
This video pretty much sums up the feeling of Aliyah. God bless.
If Madonna can bring the people together in the west, Cheb i Sabbah is definitely doing this in the east.
And the best part about this is he does it with style.
(Foward) For many people, the idea of a Jewish DJ being named a featured artist at venues like the Arab Film Festival or the Arab American National Museum would be a head-scratcher. For global electronica DJ Cheb i Sabbah, however, it's standard fare.
In the four decades of his accomplished career, Sabbah - born Haim Serge El Baaz - has specialized in crossing barriers between nationalities and working with artists of all religions and ethnicities. [...]
"It wasn't something we were conscious of - bringing a Jewish artist into the museum - but we wouldn't not bring a Jewish artist into the museum," she said. "We invite all people to be together, as performing arts, music and dance are ways for all of us to heal and learn about each other.
"Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive, stayin alive. Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive."
Sorry for that, I just had to get that out of my system.
(Israel Today) Singer and songwriter, Robin Gibb of the "Bee Gees" arrived in Israel as a guest of psychic Uri Geller and the Ministry of Tourism.
Gibb was a member of the band that was a singing trio of brothers who became one of the most successful musical acts of all time, attaining exceptional success in the late 1960s through the end of the 1970s. The Bee Gees are categorized as among the six most successful artists in the world together with Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney. The group won seven Grammies during its forty years of recording music.
Posts
