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"The taxi driver told me 'what a great song on the radio'. He did not know it was mine and did not know who I was at all" - Walla! culture

2021-09-14T21:13:52.404Z


After the corona took out the desire to compose and record for Shem Tov Levy, the legendary creator returns with a special performance at the Abu Ghosh Festival. In an interview with Walla! He talks about the anxieties that came with the age of 70, explains why one must have a reason to do a cover and reveals how Arik Einstein took a completely different side out of him


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"The taxi driver told me 'what a great song on the radio.' He did not know it was mine and did not know who I was at all."

After the corona took out the desire to compose and record for Shem Tov Levy, the legendary creator returns with a special performance at the Abu Ghosh Festival.

In an interview with Walla!

He talks about the anxieties that came with the age of 70, explains why one must have a reason to do a cover and reveals how Arik Einstein took a completely different side out of him

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  • Shem Tov Levy

  • Abu Ghosh Festival

  • Arik Einstein

Sagi Ben Nun

Wednesday, 15 September 2021, 00:00 Updated: 00:04

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Loves "Father Shem Tov".

Shem Tov Levy (Photo: Gerard Alon)

"Take a break and not think, sit in front of the sea and don't worry." These lines of the classic "Time Out", written and sung by Arik Einstein, do not at all reflect what the song's composer, the legendary musician Shem Tov Levy, went through in the days of the Corona. Like many in the world of culture - even if it was not easy due to the plague and the severe damage to the world of music. "Some people suddenly had a lot of time, especially musicians when there were fewer performances, and they were very prolific, creating and recording in their home studios. I was not very creative at that time, to say the least," the giant creator says in an interview with Walla! culture. "I did not feel like writing and recording during the corona. It pretty much scared me. I was also anxious, not pathologically, but quite stressed from all sorts of things, and suddenly this thing came so I was a little more stressed than usual. .



"But what saved me and contributed to my sanity was actually the small shows, like in the yards. I had dozens of shows like that. I have no promoter and I'm not a marketing person, and suddenly people from all over the place started asking me to come perform for family and friends, for twenty people, that's what That was allowed. I enjoyed a performance in the yards because it's a more humane encounter, even though it started even before the vaccinations so it was a bit daunting. I only performed outside. "And suddenly I hear from the audience someone singing a second and beautiful voice with me, as if we worked on it all night. You do not know what happiness it is, it encouraged me mentally that there are many talented, good and music-loving people."

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"What saved me and contributed to my sanity in Corona was actually the little shows."

Shem Tov Levy (Photo: Reuven Castro)

"I was not very creative during the Corona period, to say the least. I did not feel like writing and recording during the Corona time. It pretty much scared me. I was also anxious and stressed, and suddenly this thing came so I was a little more stressed than usual. Stuff"

Corona's severe damage to the cultural industry has of course affected not only Shem Tov Levy but hundreds of thousands of other artists, creators and industry figures, leading to the cancellations and postponements of many cultural events.

One of them is the Abu Ghosh Festival, the oldest music festival in Israel, which was postponed for the first time since it began decades ago.

Now the festival is back in full force, for the first time since the outbreak of the corona, and the honorable list of artists and musicians who will perform also includes Shem Tov Levy with a trio of stringed instruments.

The festival will take place on Sukkot, September 22-26, in the halls of the Rabin Center in Tel Aviv and in the adjacent garden.

It will include concerts and music performances in various styles - classical, ethnic music, chamber concerts, folk performances and Israeli classics.



This is the second time in its history that the festival has had to move from its permanent compound - the Catholic Church on the hill above the village of Abu Ghosh - due to necessary renovations in the church hall. However, the acoustics in the Leah Rabin Main Hall have been praised, and the atmosphere of the informal festival, where meetings are held between the audience and the musicians and artists performing in it, will probably be maintained. A special collaboration with the "Polyphony" Association and the Galilee Orchestra from Nazareth under the direction of the violinist Nabil Aboud Askar, which will provide a stage for musical collaboration between Jewish and Arab talents, and new Arabic music to be played for the first time on stage and classical Arab classical music.



Shem Tov Levy's performance is called "From Bach to Shem Tov". Levy will direct and play the piano and flute, along with a classical ensemble that includes Yoni Etzion (cello), Yael Patish (viola) and Yael Brolsky (violin). Levy will perform his well-known songs (including "Autumn Nights", "The Little Prince", "The Golden Peacock", "If You Came" and "Maybe It's Over"), some newer songs from Levy's latest ensemble including "There Is" written by Yonah Wallach, alongside famous works penned by Bach ("Minuet" and "Bedinari" from the Second Orchestral Suite) and Astor Piazzolla ("Fuga Mysterio").



"I have performed at the Abu Ghosh Festival in the past, in a church, and there is a special atmosphere in the village, in performances and in the audience - lovers of baroque music and ancient music and such and such diversity," he says.

"I will perform with a trio of strings, with three musicians that I really enjoy playing with. They are completely classical, playing in fine chamber ensembles. These cuties sing voices here and there, which classics usually do not. I will of course play piano and flute and sing. In the evening there will be "A combination of songs I wrote, in arrangements I made especially for this evening for a trio of strings and piano or flute and vocals, with musical pieces in my special arrangement for works by Bach, Astor Piazzolla and more, and there are also elements of jazz and improvisation."

"Get me out of humor."

Arik Einstein with Shem Tov Levy (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Your work is very diverse and touches on different genres, and yet in the classical music community there are those who consider you a classical writer for everything. Do you agree with the definition?



"I have a connection to classical music, I was brought up on my knees. I studied classical music at the Tel Aviv University Academy of Music, while it did not yet have a jazz department. And I hear once a week a classical concert of the Philharmonic. I heard a lot of classical music so the classical world definitely has an influence on me in my writing as a composer, playing and producing the sound. Then it evolved into jazz and other things. I'm in favor of diversity in general. "Diverse, not locked into one thing. In music I like salad, it's also healthy to eat salad."



Bach will play at the Abu Ghosh Festival, and it is reminiscent of Bach's inspiration even when you composed one of the greatest works in Israeli music - the melody of the documentary series "Pillar of Fire" of Channel One, which marked its 40th anniversary this year. Legend has it that the creator of the series first asked Matti Caspi to compose the overture, he turned down the offer, then approached you, and you soon created this instrumental melody that went into the Pantheon.



"That's what they say, who first contacted Matti Caspi, but I do not know what happened there. The Broadcasting Authority did not have a lot of money. If I had thought about money I would not have done it either. I'm just a pretty modest guy. They said it was the most series. Channel 1 is important, and they really invested a lot in it, brought materials, traveled the world. They wanted it to be very dramatic. I told them, according to what you say, what is musically necessary is the Israel Philharmonic in the studio. They fell off the chairs for economic reasons. But that's what That was at the end - I brought between 30 and 50 musicians from the Philharmonic to the studio, and they played it. What interested me was that it would ring as I think it should be. The instruments and music for what it takes. Then it proved itself. I created the melody base myself in a short time, it was written pretty quickly. When I played it to them on piano they could not imagine the symphony orchestra in a particular arrangement.It was hard for them to imagine and they were a little scared at first by the idea of ​​bringing an entire orchestra, and it cost them a lot of money. If I hadn't been very young, I would have come with a lawyer and made a contract, and I would have had a better piano today. "

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"Everything happens to me late."

The album "Awakening" by Shem Tov Levy (Photo: PR)

"I do not see Eric, who passed away relatively young, like an old man sitting in a wheelchair and with foam from his mouth, and barely understanding who is around him. There is a certain stage where there is no point in living anymore."

And speaking of money, "I Have Love," one of Arik Einstein's most successful albums you've signed together, was recently re-released on vinyl. Presumably in another country you would have enjoyed much more the profits from the album's impressive sales.



"This record where I helped Eric, for whom money was not the most important thing in his life, was sold more and more. 40,000 was considered platinum. Then it passed the 50,000. Eric would call me occasionally, and say with humor: 'Buena, listen. 88 thousand. What will we do with all the money? '. As if' big trouble 'had fallen on us. "Seven or eight albums, which is quite a lot, and it's really one of the best-selling albums he's made. I was also very happy that it worked. Although not always the best-selling is what's best in my eyes."



What record did you make with Eric that you like best?



"I really like the 'Time Out' record I made with Eric. I feel more connected to this album, it has more of my work in it."

Eric Einstein once told me in an interview that he does not like cover versions of his songs. What do you like and what is less than the covers made of your songs, for example the song "One Fate" performed by Nasreen Kadri?



"I actually liked Nasreen Kadri's cover of 'One Fate.' In it when Eric sang it or when I sang it, an addition related to the song and not just Switzerland, then I'm in favor.But if someone just does the tune and lyrics as they are, even if it's accurate, then why just do the same thing again? This is interesting. The most important thing is that there will be a real reason to do the cover and that there will be no more imitations. There are great singers in the country, my son sometimes hears 'The Next Star' and there are huge throats and high musicality. But not everyone is always interesting.



"It could be that Eric did not like it when his songs were sung. But it was actually me that Eric once said about our common songs, like 'Time Out' or 'We'll Meet Again' or 'After the War' - 'Sing it at gigs!'. He encouraged me to sing the songs. From the things we did that he thinks suits me, my voice, my personality and it flattered me a lot because I did not see myself as a huge singer, certainly not then and not today, I am not a huge singer, I sing the things I wrote, as someone who knows where the songs came from then "Maybe there's something to it. I used to ride with a taxi driver, suddenly there was a song of mine on the radio, and the driver said, 'Wow, what a beautiful song it is.' He did not know it was mine.



This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of your second solo album, "Awakening". On the cover you are photographed in Tamar Coffee, and recently bulldozers destroyed the building where the coffee was. How do you look at this album, which has more light elements than is identified with you,In a four-decade perspective?



"I've been in the market for 40 years. I'm also in the market since I was 71. I don't know, I need to find out, maybe I wrote down my date of birth incorrectly. What sets me apart is that I have a lot of philosophical songs like 'The Little Prince' or 'Autumn Nights.' This song, 'Awakening', has something everyday and happy in it. A song with joy, rhythm and alertness. There was something happy both in the making of the record and in the writing - 'Oh, here comes morning' and 'Samba Chick'. I must say about Eric He also has a lot of humor in music and creativity.My natural tendency is often not to go in the direction of humor, but with Eric I did songs like 'Three Four and to work', 'It's in your head', it came thanks to Eric and made me happy and full of humor. Another benefit of mine from meeting this special man. "

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"My flute teacher, Sergio Feidman who played in the Philharmonic, was like my second father, thanks to whom I am a flutist. It hurt me that I missed and could not say goodbye to him when he was sick. Too bad it happened.

You have signed many huge classics and you have a place of honor in the history and local culture.

However, your first notebook was published only last year, near the age of 70. The book itself has almost no pictures of you, unlike notebooks by other authors.

What does this teach you?

Maybe you are not marketing yourself enough?



"I can not analyze myself. True, there are only two or three pictures of me in the book. And yes, it took me about 50 years to publish a notebook. Most of the composers of my generation - Caspi, Gronich, Rechter and other wonderful people - published notebooks 30 years ago. A year, and more than one. And I, like many things in my life, everything happens at a very late stage. But to my delight it happens. It's not easy to make a book. It's a lot of work to be precise. It's a year of work. 70, when the corona started.There is no longer a great demand for notebooks today, so it was not done for money, but I wanted to have documentation.I enjoyed doing it, I was sure that only one hundred and two hundred young guys studying in the academy would be interested in it, and to my delight there is much more interest "The 500 books I published in the first edition sold out quickly as if they had been eaten by an elephant, I was surprised, I did not expect, and I am not just modest."



We are on the eve of Yom Kippur, which raises the question: What do you regret?



"I do not think back so much. I am not very nostalgic. Obviously there are things I would have done differently, and there are things I would happily go back to. Whoever says he has no regrets, will you believe him? I try to be harmless and not hurt. I am from a party The harmless.But probably here and there unintentionally you hurt, sometimes you utter a word or something.If someone is hurt by me in some way - I of course regret it.I never thought to intentionally hurt someone or someone.



"There is a case that he does not regret and is willing to share. My flute teacher, Sergio Feidman who played in the Philharmonic, was like my second father, I started with him and thanks to him I am a flutist. I studied with him in my youth. Then I was not in touch with him. I continued with my affairs, academy Eric Einstein, all kinds of bands, here and there. After a few years I heard he was sick. I said to myself, I have to call him to ask how he was. I called his wife and she told me he was gone, that he was gone. "It's a shame it happened. I was busy with myself, a young and developing guy, and I missed the moment of parting from a man dear to my heart. But then I met his wife and daughter, and I brought them my notebook."

Loved Nasreen Kadri's cover for "One Fate."

Shem Tov Levy (Photo: Dror Einav)

And speaking of death, within a month and a half, four media and cultural figures who were close to Arik Einstein - Roni Daniel, Zvi Shissel, Brazilian Slava and Shmulik "Shmilech" Bornstein - passed away. So first of all we wish you longevity in health and happiness. How scared are you of the end of the road?



"Well, I told you I'm a little anxious, but we do not think about it all day. There is finality here, and each with his own destiny. We try to take care of ourselves. We all know what to do, but do not always do - eat healthy, make movement And exercise, let the brain also rest and not be stressed all day.These are basic things, do not have to be a great sage.But there are also fates and matters.Nowadays to die at 90 and 100 is not considered something special, many reach these ages thanks to modern medicine. Second, I do not see Eric, who passed away relatively young, like an old man sitting in a wheelchair with foam in his mouth, and barely understanding who is around him.There is a certain stage where there is no point in living anymore.



"Of course, I know the names you mentioned. Slava and his friends played the percussion on my album 'Awakening', in the song 'Come to Me Butterfly'. And there is also a clip of them playing with Eric in the song 'It's in Your Head'"

Lots of people I know have gone, which is very unfortunate.

Even those I did not know personally like Chick Korea who died this year, and also one who was a dear friend - the fantastic guitarist who played with me for 15 years, Gadi Ben Elisha.

He was a cool and unique person. "

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Says there is a chance for another unification of "a little different", there is no chance for a unification of "tuned sound".

Shem Tov Levy (Photo: Reuven Castro)

"I may show up again with 'a little different,' but it's not something we're talking about right now. With 'tuned sound' it seems to me it will not happen again. Klepter is more or less fine, but he does not show up and is not really active. We also do not have anyone who organized The things"

Is there a chance for more combinations of "tuned sound" and "a little different"?



"With 'A Little Different' we performed quite a bit before the Corona, some year or two, at least 2-3 performances a month. We may perform again, but that's not something we're talking about right now. With 'Tuned Sound' we performed a long time before. It seems to me That it will not happen again. Klepter is more or less fine, but he is not performing and not really active. We also do not have anyone to organize things. I mostly perform with myself and my guys who have been playing with me for 15 years in an ensemble, after being mostly in bands. In recent years, I have been with a group I created for myself. "



Did you watch a movie about the hip hop world, "The Rise and Fall of Shem Tov HaAvi" here 11 starring Tamir Bar, whose name includes a pun on your name?



"I heard about 'Shem Tov HaAvi', and my son even showed me a piece. I saw a bit. It's funny and nice and I actually liked it. From what little I saw, it's full of humor, well played and very well made. A creative guy. Someone called me from Gali Tzah." And asked if I could play some of the film's music but I did not have the strength for it. "

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Source: walla

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