By Eric Bazak, Staff Writer
Idan Raichel, the Israeli pop singer known for his culturally diverse music, is coming to town on Oct. 10 to play at UCLA as part of a world tour. Fusing electronic, Jewish, Arab, and African sounds, his music is popular all around the world and has had a huge impact on pop music in Israel.
Ticket prices start at $30 and they are still on sale, and the concert will take place in Royce Hall. Every Shalhevet student looking for uplifting and unique music should go. Concertgoers can even meet Mr. Raichel before the show on the West Lobby Terrace, sponsored by the Hillel at UCLA.
At age 36, Idan Raichel has received praises from America all the way to Hong Kong, and his band was named “Musical group of the decade” in Israel back in 2010.
“This one-man Middle East peace accord makes music that is an ambitious celebration of multicultural diversity,” The London Times said of Idan Raichel. “The ethnic elements are cleverly rewired with modern grooves to create an ambient journey that thrillingly bridges the traditional and modern.”
Idan Raichel was born in Kfar Saba, Israel. According to the website IdanRaichelProject.com, when he was growing up his family, which had migrated from Eastern Europe, wasn’t interested in music at all.
“I think the fact that I didn’t have strong family musical roots is what made me be very open to music from all over the world,” he says on the website.
He first became active in music in the Israel Defense Force. At age 18, he joined the Army rock band, visiting several bases in Israel and performing European and Israeli songs. He learned how to arrange and produce live shows, and eventually served as the band’s leader.
After the IDF, Mr. Raichel became a backup musician and recording artist for a few years. But he decided that he wanted to pursue his own ideas of music, and began working on his own album. That’s when he began to incorporate music of many different backgrounds in his songs, hoping to promote a message of unity and equality, according to his website.
He prizes diversity and uniqueness in his songs, which is why he gets Arab, African, and European singers to take part in his music. He has used the talents of nearly 100 singers, some as young as 16, and others as old as 91, on his albums. They have flown in from dozens of countries to take part.
The concert is scheduled to be at 8 p.m. on a Thursday night. That means it could create problems with homework. But still, you shouldn’t miss it. Instead, teachers should not assign homework due the next day.
Attending this concert will create a deeper connection between students and Israel. Learning about Israel’s popular culture and not just its current events and dangers is a great way to compare similarities between our country and theirs.
Furthermore, Idan Raichel’s ideas of world peace are something important for Shalhevet students to learn, and easier to absorb if presented in a fun way. Maybe it’s homework in itself – after all, it’s called The Idan Raichel ‘Project.’”
