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of the Six-Day War”, says Perez. “I started out by taking a few pictures, honing the craft with the years. About 13 years ago I decided to go a step further and go professional, and it turned out many of my clients were from the music world, a world I’ve always loved, ever since I was a boy in Tunis, when my father used to invite his musician friends to our house”. After seven years as a professional photographer specializing in portraits, Perez realized he had photographed more than thirty Israeli jazz musicians. “Jazz clubs are intimate places where you can get close to the stage and obtain high quality shots”, Perez explains. “When I saw how much material I had, I consulted some music experts and music company managers in Europe about what to do with it, and they all agreed that what I had in my hands was precious, and that I was documenting a fascinating phenomenon in the music world. They suggested I do something with it all, promising to support the project – and that’s how the IsraeliJazz Project came to be”. Innovators and Trailblazers Perez started working on his photography book. He selected shots and collected biographical material about each musician with the help of musicologists, teachers, and pedagogues. “The research

Itamar Borochov

IsraeliJazz book - the photographs and life stories of 80 Israeli musicians

phase revealed how interconnected these musicians are. They all play and perform together in venues around the world, and many of them are wildly creative, trailblazing artists”. What makes Israeli jazz so unique? “Many Israeli jazz musicians, bassists Omer Avital and Avishai Cohen for instance, blend into their jazz music many other musical influences, such as Israeli folk music, traditional Jewish music, ethnic music, and musical influences from their family’s cultural roots. Nowadays people call it “world music and ethno-jazz”, and it reveals an aspect of globalization. These musicians understand that

attention, and is now run by Adam’Art, an art and culture

association that uses the project’s profits to organize more events and promote Israeli culture around the world. SafeHeart, a mental health initiative, is also involved with the project, and is currently providing support to survivors of the Nova festival terrorist attack of October 7 th . Perez’s book tells the story of Israeli jazz through the photographs and life stories of 80 Israeli musicians. It will be available for pre-order at the exhibition. Printed in two languages, the book will be available internationally from May 20 th . ˆ

For information write to: contact@israelijazz.com

Israelis have a story to tell”. The project received a lot of

Raphaël Perez, founder of IsraeliJazz

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ATMOSPHERE APRIL 2024