OFER GOLANY: VEGETARIAN WOLF

ofer golany

VEGETARIAN WOLF

© 2006 g2g (7920010781139) (format: CD-R)

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Frank Zappa meets Shlomo Carlebach and Meir Ariel co-writes with John Lennon. only Jerusaleman can pull this off with Isiah

notes

What did Isiah the prophet mean when he said: the wolf will live with the lamb? Why is Jerusalem so multi-kulti? Can music change physical reality? If you googled : pacifist Jerusalem and guitar you would come up with Ofer, a serial creator for whom this is the 7th CD connected to ז the seventh letter. Militant sheep? Artists who can’t keep their mouth shut. Wolves in sheep’s clothing? The unlikely combination of a religious Jew who is not nationalist.
In the opening song which features Arabic a bird mocks a tree for having no wings (the universalist take). The tree retorts : “you have no roots” : the typical Israeli nationalist. By the end of the song they realize they need each other.
Vegetarian Wolf is a mythical being, an ideal where such diversities as John Lennon (#5 and inspiration for #10) and Shlomo Carlebach (the singing Rabbi) can meet the non-commercial genius Frank Zappa (quoted and translated to Russian in #11) and Meir Ariel the songwriter’s poet. All dead and coming to life in a mix of Raggae, Ska, Yiddish, Zydeco, Rock and plenty of Cabaret.
Strange themes: A Yiddish speaking yeshiva student who avoids military service by telling jokes (#3), An immortal to whom Jacob left the house keys when he went to Egypt (#9). 4 angels who set the celestial computer to return all actions within 12 days (#10) . A rendition of the Shema in seven eighths time (#7). The Messiah appearing as a girl in a kindergarten (#12). Isiah 11 as a Rap (#2) a street musician in a moment of enlightenment (#6)and a rabid individualist who is neither right nor left and refuses to be pigeonholed (#8).
Vegetarian Wolf features Jerusalem’s finest: Yaron Mohar (Dag Nahash) on Saxophones, Ittai Binnun (Andralamoussa) on Nye and Idan Rave (March Dondurme) on trumpet. Abe Doron (Evergreen) and Oren Fried (Kol Oud Tof) and Mickey Bussidan on percussion. Eitan Ulman (McDonalds Metzada) adds Ukulele and a quote. Rahel Jaskow (Day of Rest) lends harmonies. The bass is shared by Ofer,
Aner Eaker, a rising star in the Jerusalem music scene and Netta Amir who also sings (and steals your ears on #1 #4 and the Hebrew translation of Lennon’s Strawberry Fields Forever. Aliza Chava and Michael Morris were drawn to Jerusalem from New York (the two cities most featured in songs) to contribute voices and the saxophones on #2 and #10 by Chris Corstens were sent from Amsterdam to Jerusalem. The CD is ready in time for Passover and makes the presumptuous claim that playing tracks
8, 9 and 10 (those with the circle of fifths) will cause guns to jam and misfire.
Lamb as militant artist? Wolf as a renewal Jew? Both channel to Jerusalem through Ofer and his musical crew. 12 eclectic songs and a prophecy.

reviews

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  • Jerusalem Post reviewer
    author: Ben Jaacobson

    Singer-songwriter Ofer Golany is a veteran of Jerusalem's spiritual ethnic rock-activism scene, a niche that he basically invented and monopolizes. A prolific artist, Golany has released some 26 full-length albums of original material over the years. Plus, through his guns2guitars.org Web site, he employs Kabbalistic and hippie philosophies and imagery to empower those who prefer music to military service. Loaded with contributions from guest musicians, including New York activist/songstress Aliza Hava, Golany's Vegetarian Wolf is a hodgepodge of the aforementioned realms. The disc opens with "Roots and Wings," a heady allegory whereby Bird and Tree reach an agreement to divide their territories. Like a laid-back Ben Harper version of the archetypal "Iko Iko" groove, "Rappin' Isiah 11" tells us of the end of days, when Lion mythically reclines alongside Lamb; "This is the moment / Behold, it's already here" goes the Hebrew refrain. Nothing but reverbed-out steel guitar and female lead vocals, Golany's cover of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever," recalls Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" more than the Lennon-McCartney original. "7x7x7," meanwhile, features layer upon layer of a repeated "Shma Yisrael" chant. Later, "Yankel" is a Yiddish-language list of excuses not to serve in the IDF, while Russian folk-song styles come to the fore in "Reb Zappa Sez." While a whole slew of inspirations and styles can be heard on Wolf, the most memorable is that of harmonica-heavy Israeli children's songs from the Seventies. But this disc is clearly not targeted towards kids. The closing "Davka Love" may directly address a kindergarten girl, explaining to her that "the messiah is already here," but it quickly dissolves into a whirlwind coda that sets up an untitled bonus track of priestly blessing recitations.

  • A Masterpiece
    author: Michael Peach

    This is a beautiful, witty and soulful collection of songs. I predict that one day YANKEL (#3) will be considered a classic. Congratulations!

  • fur deutche - ein auftritt in saarbrucken
    author: saarbrucken

    Saarbrücken. Sicherlich stand das Konzert mit der sinnigen Überschrift "What?!?" nicht unter dem besten Stern. Recht kurzfristig eingeschoben, fehlte es im regulären Programmheft des Theaters im Viertel (TiV) - was am Montag dann einige unbesetzte Stühle nach sich zog. Zweitens trafen Ofer Golany und Chris Corstens wegen einer Reiseunterbrechung erst kurz vor Beginn gestresst in Saarbrücken ein und fingen später als geplant an. Und drittens treten die beiden sonst mit Kontrabass-Verstärkung in Triobesetzung auf. Folge: Golanys zunächst auch noch arg höhenlastig ausgepegelte Akustik-Gitarre erwies sich im Lauf des Abends nicht immer als das sicherste Rhythmus-Fundament. Dass es dennoch zwei schöne Stunden wurden, war der Improvisier- und Spiellaune der Akteure zu verdanken. Man spürte einfach, dass ihnen der Auftritt riesigen Spaß machte - und Golany empfahl sich als charmant-liebenswürdiger Plauderer. Zahlreiche Sprachen spricht der wuschelhaarige Unterhalter aus Jerusalem. Er entschied sich fürs Deutsche und machte bei der witzigen Moderation keinen Hehl aus seiner radikal pazifistisch-antimilitaristischen Einstellung. Und als Sänger gefiel Golany mit einer facettenreichen, in den Höhen geschmeidigen, im unteren Register sonor-säuselnden Folkstimme. Neben internationalem Songmaterial gabs im breit gefächerten Repertoire zwischen zigeunerischem Swing, Balladen, Bluesigem und Klezmer auch zahlreiche Instrumentalnummern, teils aus der Feder der beiden. Eingehend durfte da Chris Corstens sein wirklich exquisites Können auf verschiedenen Saxofonen vorführen - vom höchst kultivierten, feinen Näseln bis zum herzhaften Röhren. Und bei der Zugabe "Caravan" pustete dieser virtuose Vollblutmusiker aus Amsterdam in zwei Saxofone gleichzeitig. Riesenapplaus.

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