Idan Raichel is an integral part of history in the making. He seems quite unassuming and nonchalant about his work, loves talking about his country Israel and speaks passionately about his music, views on life and patriotism.
Ever since he burst into the scene in 2003, he redefined the music scene with the Idan Raichel Project that brought about a wave of change among the youth in Israel.
Born and raised in Israel, Idan’s early musical influences were jazz and gypsy music. He grew to like music from an early age, ever since he learnt to play the accordion.
But what changed his outlook was after he served the Israel defence army. “Sounds from all over the world inspire me. After many years of playing the accordion and piano, I realised that I was extremely moved by it…especially jazz, where you learn to play in the moment. After that I joined the army when I was 18. It is a mandatory service for every Israeli citizen. Women also have to serve for two to three years. What I am performing today and the project was a result of my service in the army,” reminisces Idan about his early days in music.
After working at the army, Idan went on to work at a boarding school,where he met immigrants from all over the world.
“For me, it was a melting pot since immigrants came from all over the world. It connected me to my roots by living and understanding them. I met a lot of people…from Sudan to East Africa. This was also the first time I realised that there was an identity crisis among those people.
I was 22 at the time and was still finding my feet. For a kid from Ethiopia, our culture was closer to the West, but people from Moscow felt that they were in a third world country. Amidst this interesting mixture of people, I started collaborating with different drummers.”
In 2003, he decided to start a collaborative musical venture called the Idan Raichel Project.
The project is distinctive for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, Middle Eastern and Ethiopian music.
“It’s not a band…I call it the project because it is very diverse.
There are over 95 musicians, who are part of it. From people as young as 16 to someone as old as 91, the project extends beyond fixed age groups and nationalities. The project comprises people from Sudan, Ethiopia, countries in Eastern Europe, Spain and even India,” he says.
Idan says that all he had to do was to bring a common element in the music he recorded with several artistes. “You can compare it to food.
If chefs from different parts of the world come together, they would find some basic common ground like water, salt and sugar, which are basic ingredients,” says Idan.
But how have the experiences shaped Idan’s music and perspective?
“Playing in the army makes you connect with your country. It defines who you are on a spiritual level,” says Idan and pauses for a moment.
He closes his eyes and comes back, “But on a practical level, it teaches you a lot about performance. I believe after kids, soldiers are the most honest audience. If you don’t play well, you don’t get a good response. I learnt a lot from there. The need to constantly work on yourself and outdo your previous work plays on. Working at the boarding school also changed a lot of things,” he elaborates.
Idan speaks passionately about his country. “Israeli music defines me and who I am. It has this culture of immigrants. Every 10 to 15 years,there is a wave of immigrants. We have people who come from South America, Spain etc,” says Idan, adding, “Music is another language for me to experience my thoughts. The most important thing is that my music becomes the sound track of other people’s lives. From weddings to funerals, when my music is being played, it means a lot to me. I believe the connect is alive.”
In his hippie-like avatar is Idan a wanderer at heart? “I don’t think so. I think I’m tied to one place. Israel is my home. For us Israelis it is clear that we will go back to our homeland. I want to be buried in Israel. I observe that people in Los Angeles or New York don’t really care so much about where they want to be buried. Comparatively,the sense of patriotism is strong. Having said that I am very open to the world and bringing the world to my country and taking Israel to the world. You should remember where you came from and where you are headed to,” reflects Idan, adding, “I feel I’m headed towards some change. It is a junction where I want some change. This is the 10th year of the project. On one hand I will never say no to a project. On another level, I want to do something. With a lot of decisions you don’t take, you actually take one.”
Idan says that the strong foundation of family and love has given him that constant support. “My family is very supportive. I grew up in a village-like place. It’s 30 minutes from Tel Aviv. My parents have been together since they were four. We are a close-knit family,” says Idan.
He is looking forward to his performance at the NCPA on Tuesday.
“We have an interesting mixture of people from Brazil, Yemen and refugee camps of Sudan,from Ethiopia, a guitarist from Morocco.
And it is going to be challenging enough for us to know what they will bring,” he says.
Idan Raichel will perform at the NCPA on December 11. To know more about his music write to irpgift@gmail.com [1] and gain access to some free downloads.
Links:
[1] mailto:irpgift@gmail.com