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Magazine I Music

Many Israeli jazz musicians perform on stages across the world to crowds of admiring fans, but somehow their success remains little known. French photographer Raphaël Perez has set out to correct this state of affairs: the IsraeliJazz Project he launched shines a light on these exceptional jazz artists, notably via the new luxurious coffee table book, “IsraeliJazz, the blend of blends”, which tells the epic story of Israeli jazz Israel, land of jazz

Photos: Raphaël Perez

Amit Friedman

Deborah Benasouli

Daphna Levy

Launched by French photographer Raphaël Perez in 2018, the IsraeliJazz Project aims to tell the story of how jazz music arrived in Israel and its development until today. Perez has met with the musicians featured in the book countless times, as well as with educators, promoters, directors of festivals and jazz clubs, and ministerial representatives. After five exhibitions and innumerable conferences, he has now collected all his extensive accumulated work into a luxurious 288-page book with texts in English and French, entitled “IsraeliJazz, the blend of blends”, which tells this epic story. Through his photos,

Perez profiles 92 musicians, detailing each of their biographies as he goes along. Four chapters precede the presentation of the 92 musicians: the history of jazz in Israel, the educational system, the jazz venues and festivals, and the Big Bang since the 1990s. Lee Caplan, a professor of musicology from New Jersey, and Yair Dagan, an Israeli jazz specialist, participated in the research. A blend of pure American jazz with Middle Eastern sounds The book recounts how jazz arrived in Mandatory Palestine with the

British troops and the American olim who introduced young local musicians to it in the 1950s. Notably, Mel Keller and Zvi Keren who arrived from the USA in 1951 and were the pioneers of this movement. Keren laid the foundations of the educational system and Keller established the first live sessions in Tel Aviv, the Friday Afternoons at ZOA House. They were aided in their task when American jazz stars added Israel to their European tours. Then the first jazz clubs opened in the main cities, the most famous being the Barbarim in Tel Aviv, which delighted fans from 1966

24 ATMOSPHERE MARCH 2025