EL AL | Atmosphere

Magazine I Culture

Avishai Cohen Created by French photographer Raphaël Perez, the IsraeliJazz Project started out as a collection of photographs taken by Perez of Israeli musicians, and morphed into a full-blown exhibition currently showing in France, a beautiful book, and a dedicated website. The project follows the development of Israeli jazz from the 1930s to its position of prominence in the world of contemporary jazz / By Ariel Kars Through the lens: the story of Israeli jazz Eli Degibri Photos by Raphaël Perez

Israel is known for being a “start-up nation”, constantly coming up with revolutionary technological innovations. But in the last two decades it has also solidified its position as an epicenter of the global jazz scene. Since the year 2000, Israeli jazz has been flourishing, with many musicians reaching great heights, performing in the most prestigious jazz clubs and festivals around the world. Impressed by the Israeli jazz scene, Franco-Jewish photographer Raphaël

Perez, 64, started his Israeli Jazz multimedia project a few years ago, during the pandemic. The project was officially launched in October 2022 with an exhibition in Tel Aviv. The project’s fourth exhibition is currently taking place in Paris, at the Centre Européen du Judaïsme, until April 18 th . An important phenomenon in the music world The IsraeliJazz Project presents the world of contemporary Israeli

jazz and covers the history of jazz in Israel, from its beginnings in the 1930s. Aside from the photography exhibitions, the project also includes a photography book, a website (israelijazz.com) and a series of cultural events. “I come from the world of Hi-Tech, but I’ve always loved taking pictures. To me, photography felt like the only way to keep the memories of my childhood in Tunis alive. My parents left Tunisia for France in the wake

32 ATMOSPHERE APRIL 2024