Ben Shalev
By Ben Shalev
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The Schmooze Yehuda Poliker’s Promising Mix of Beat and Sadness
Crossposted from Haaretz Yehuda Poliker sang his new song, “Fuma, fuma,” not once, but twice at his concert in Caesarea last Thursday. The first time, toward the middle of the concert, the attention focused on the image of the small Romanian (“half a raisin”) that Poliker meets in south Tel Aviv, the person who offers…
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The Schmooze Tel Aviv Brings Out the DJ in Moby
Crossposted from Haaretz Moby began his career as a DJ in the United States 20 years ago. At the end of the ’90s he turned, surprisingly, into a pop star who liked to wield a guitar — even though he doesn’t really know how to play. He was, and remains, a record spinner — although…
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The Schmooze Tunisian Musician Dhafer Youssef Plays to Grateful Fans in Haifa
Crossposted from Haaretz When Dhafer Youssef and the three musicians accompanying him finished playing and were getting ready to leave the stage, the hundreds of people at Haifa’s Rappaport Auditorium Sunday burst out in a standing ovation. It was a collective thank you for the music of the preceding 90 minutes, but more was afoot….
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The Schmooze Music in the Key of Twombly
Crossposted from Haaretz Several years ago, on one of his trips to Europe, saxophonist Ariel Shibolet went to a museum and discovered the American artist Cy Twombly. “Abstract art often feels heavy,” says Shibolet, who creates abstract music, “but his drawings have a totally different feeling. They have something crispy, alive and close. I have…
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The Schmooze Singer Yael Levy’s ‘Green Island in the Sea’
Crossposted from Haaretz Yael Levy launched her new album, “A Green Island in the Sea,” at the OzenBar in Tel Aviv about 10 days ago. The first half of the show was heart-rending for all the wrong reasons: Levy didn’t sing the way she should have. Her voice wasn’t calibrated, she seemed distracted, and in…
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The Schmooze Punk Icon Jello Biafra Defies Fans to Come to Israel
Crossposted from Haaretz Devout listeners to Michal Niv’s program on Army Radio, Hafsakat Esser (10 a..m. Break), will never forget the voice that shouted “California Uber Alles” on her show. The queen of 1980s alternative radio, Niv often devoted airtime to punks and hardcore musicians, but even among her extreme group of fans, a place…
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The Schmooze Matisyahu’s Show at Tel Aviv’s Zappa Club Was Nothing to Write Your Rabbi About
Crossposted from Haaretz Matisyahu’s Tuesday night show should have been a great joy, first of all because of the location. Ordinarily, the conditions at Zappa are nothing to get excited about, but just one day after Bob Dylan’s performance in the cursed expanses of the Ramat Gan Stadium, a show in a small, crowded club…
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The Schmooze Bob Dylan Proves He’s Still Got It in Tel Aviv
Crossposted from Haaretz Those who cast doubt on Bob Dylan’s ability to perform were forced to eat their words after his excellent performance Monday night. What hasn’t been said about the old-timer’s performance skills? They said that he was tired, they warned that his voice has gone, they predicted a catastrophe similar to his 1987…
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