Ecco le date del tour italiano di Gilad Atzmon. Vi invitiamo a visitare regolarmente questa pagina per aggiornamenti. 06/05/13: Trieste - bookstore/cafe Knulp, via madonna del mare 7/a: presentazione del libro L'errante Chi? prima del concerto (duo con il pianista Angelo Comisso) - ENTRATA LIBERA
Ilan Pappe is an important voice. One of those courageous historians, brave enough to open the Pandora box of 1948. Back in the 1990s Pappe, amongst a few other Israeli post-Zionists, reminded Israelis of their original sin - the orchestrated, racially-driven ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people of Palestine - the Nakba.
But like many historians, Pappe, though familiar with the facts of history, seems either unable to grasp or reluctant to address the ideological and cultural meaning of those facts.
In his recent article, When Israeli Denial of Palestinian Existence Becomes Genocidal, Pappe attempts to explain the ongoing Israeli dismissal of the Palestinian plight. Like Shlomo Sand, Pappe points out that Israeli President Shimon Peres’ take on history is a “fabricated narrative.”
So far so good, but Pappe then misses the point. For some reason, he believes that Peres’ denial of the Palestinian’s suffering is a result of a ‘cognitive dissonance.’ i.e. a discomfort experienced when two or more conflicting ideas, values or beliefs are held at the same time.
But what are those conflicting ideas or values upheld by Israelis and their President which cause them so much ‘discomfort’? Pappe does not tell us. Nor does he explain how Peres has sustained such ‘discomfort’ for more than six decades. Now, I agree that Peres, Netanyahu and many Israelis often exhibit clear psychotic symptoms, but one thing I cannot detect in Peres’ utterances or behavior is any ‘discomfort’.
I obviously believe that Pappe is wrong here – expulsion, ethnic cleansing as well as the ongoing abuse of human right in Palestine, are actually consistent with Jewish nationalist supremacist culture and also with a strict interpretation of Jewish Biblical heritage.
Introduction by GA: In the following article, German author and commentator Evelyn Hecht-
Galinski exposes Jonathan Scheiner and the Jüdische Allgemeine as Hasbara operators.
Jüdische Allgemeine Exposed
By Evelyn Hecht-Galinski
(Translated by Elisabeth Lauck-Ndayi)
Yet again we have evidence of how the Jüdische Allgemeine (JA) deals with any criticism of Israel. In JA on April 4th, 2013 you can find a peculiar article titled “Self-hatred and Saxophone“(1), writhen by Jonathan Scheiner.
Scheiner’s article consists of false accusations that indicate that not only has he failed to consider Gilad Atzmon`s writings on music, politics and philosophy but that he also has probably not read Gilad Atzmon`s book. So straightaway, let me recommend each reader and interested person read Gilad Atzmon’s new book: “The Wandering Who”, published in 2012 by Zambon Verlag.
In the first paragraph Scheiner writes “Gilad Atzmon is yet to be denied an entry permit to Germany“ and only then does he mention Atzmon’s current European jazz tour. This alone reveals Scheiner’s true face. Is it not the Israeli regime that punishes critics of Israel with the denial of an entry permit? Think of Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein or even Gilad Atzmon - all denied entry to Israel. Is there any other lobby except the Jewish one which creates such ‘shit lists’ against its critics?
Jonathan Scheiner admits that Gilad Atzmon is an exceptional saxophonist, one of the greatest jazz artists of our time and that it is no surprise that Atzmon’s current world tour, as he travels from Argentina to Germany with his Orient House Ensemble, is indeed very successful, ..
But after the praise for the genius musician comes the usual poison - a totally misleading comparison between Atzmon and Richard Wagner - an attempt to equate Wagner’s loathing of Jews with Atzmon’s loathing of Zionism and Jewish politics. .
So, let us ask ourselves why Gilad Athmon lives in exile in London and why he criticizes Israel. Did he not experience events during the first Lebanon War that opened his eyes and made him a harsh critic of Israel? So would it not have been terrible if, after all he had witnessed, Gilad did not act as he does? Do not all us critics of Zionism and Israel reflect on our experience and draw a lesson from it? Scheiner writes, “His anti-zionism rather often turns to ordinary hatred of Jews.” Here, Scheiner clearly positions himself at the forefront of Hasbara as, in the usual way, he conflates and confuses terms like ‘anti-Zionism’, ‘antisemitism’ and now even the new notion of “hatred of Jews“. And this false portrayal is made deliberately in an effort to silence Israel’s critics. Once again, the JA is proved to be Israel’s “Stürmer”.
Gilad Atzmon: “With true music I want to go back to those kinds of unique feelings of authenticity”
.23 April 2013
Silvia Cattori:Is your new album Song of Metropolis different from previous projects?
Gilad Atzmon: To start with, I have been touring with the Orient House Ensemble for more than 12 years. Until now our music was an attempt to integrate the oriental sound into Jazz and vice versa. Songs Of The Metropolis is a completely different project; it is an attempt to find the sound, the colors that remind us what home is all about.
In the last three decades we have been invaded by globalism, by big monopolies, those who tell us what car to drive, what music to listen to, what clothes to wear, and I am really tired of it all.
We have seen too many people who rather than exploring their authentic self, they for some reason prefer to identify with one sort of margin or another. They speak ‘as a Jew’, ‘as a black’, ‘as a gay’, ‘as a woman’, ‘as a musician’. Rather than thinking for themselves, they prefer to identify with something else. I really thought that music is the way to knock it down; to try to remind you of the colors that make you (as yourself) cry, make you feel, make you love, make you hate; every city in Europe has a bell, a unique bell. If you travel a thousand miles but suddenly you hear the bell of the church of your home town you feel like home, you are at home. That is what I try to do. I try to bring to light different bells. Look at us, I am here with you having breakfast in Thalwil [village in the German part of Switzerland], and everything we eat here is from here; and if I do a blind test when I am in America, you put Gruyere cheese on my plate it would feel for me like Switzerland.
I want to celebrate authenticity; not to be afraid of patriotism; not to be afraid of national feelings; to learn how to celebrate nationalism but not at the expense of anyone else. The problem that we have with nationalism is that many times in the past it has been celebrated on others’ expense. Zionism was celebrated at the expense of the Palestinians. Nazism was celebrated at the expense of the rest of Europe. But at the moment this is not unique to nationalism. Because when we look at liberal democracies such as America and Britain we see a clear repetition of the same pattern. They are clearly celebrating their symptoms at the expense of the entire Arab world.
With music and beauty I want to go back to that kind of unique feeling of authenticity. However, it is not very simple; I play a tune from Buenos Aires and I am not Argentinean. I play a tune from Berlin and I’m not German. I am under an imminent danger of becoming a Zelig. This in itself is a clear Jewish phobia that I have to deal with. I believe that my humor is there to rescue me when I surf too close to the wind. You witnessed it yesterday; people are really having a great time listening to this music. It is a lot of fun to watch.
In Germany a lot of people complained about my Berlin tune. They say: “How is it possible that you gave Argentina ten minutes and for us you give just two”. They say that it is kind of Germanism, they complain that I reduce Germany into a Weimar cabaret. And they are actually correct. For some reason this is how I connect with the ‘German sound’. Interestingly enough, the people who produced that type of Weimar Cabaret were largely Jewish. There must be a subconscious bond here that I myself fail to grasp yet. After all, I was a Jew for the first 30 years of my life.
For PDF of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung click here
19.04.2013
Who has stolen his saxophon? Gilad Atzmon finds his way with his sense of humour and Jazz collages
Just now Gilad Atzmon has returned with his alto saxophon from Buenos Aires. In the meantime his flat in London was burgled. His clarinet, the soprano saxophon and his accordion were all stolen. The same day he bought all these instruments anew because he was supposed to be in Frankfurt the following day together with his quartet – The Orient House Ensemble. That was the reason his instruments were shining so much.
With such a bitter litte anecdote the continental European tournee of the Israel born musician started, with stations in Freiburg, Heidelberg and Berlin. It had not totally spoiled his parade when troubling his audience with riddles and questions in the totally black coated hall of a former Frankfurt bread factory. “Why on earth don`t you laugh?” he askes his musicians. “Because they are Germans! You may laugh, you know. Laugh, ha, ha, ha”!
Tis is Gilad Atzmon, almost 50 years old, a corpulent and spiritually minded man sometimes glancing up to the ceiling in a painstrikken way. During his performance it is strange how his notoriously shrill sense of humour on stage, quite similar to that of Sacha Baron Cohen, is always brushed aside with the first sound of music. His program “Songs of the Metropolis” is not part of the genre of humorous music. They are songs about the great cities of the wolrd, great compositions supported by a glasslike sparkling piano (Frank Harrison), an acoustic bass reverberating deep into the indestines (Yaron Stavi) and a drum set played with extreme discipline with almost all registers between fire brigade band and funkrock. Atzmon needs this great sound in order to deliver a brilliant performance as multi-instrumentalist. It is very moving how he works on his accordeon for a casual and silent fanfare, only a few beats (tacts) plaited in the elegy of his saxophone – as if seeing a shy dog straying past.
Introduction by GA: In the following short comment, Dr. Gabi Weber, one of the most important pro Palestinian activists in Europe, explains why she decided to appeal to the German Administrative court against Freiburg University. This is a very important court case and Dr. Weber deserves our attention and support.
Motto of the University of Freiburg, "Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen" (The Truth Will Set You Free - John 8,32) University Building, West Side THE TRUTH WILL SET US FREE?
By Dr. Gabi Weber
I was brought up in a country that believed itself to be open and tolerant. Indeed after the Second World War Germany undertook to transform guilt into responsibility.
For me, it was always clear that our commitment to those "inviolable and inalienable human rights(1)" as well as freedom of speech (2), were the most precious values and lessons to be drawn from our problematic past.
This is why, three months ago, I was dismayed to discover that Freiburg University, one of our oldest German universities, banned an event hosting renowned Paris University Professor Christophe Oberlin who was scheduled to talk about plastic surgery in Gaza.
Freiburg University hosts all kinds of political events, especially and regularly events organized by notorious Israeli Hasbara outlets such as the German Israeli Society and the Zionist Anti-Deutsche. And, if this is not enough, invitations to German Israeli Society events are often publicised by the university, its official bodies and its departments.
But for some reason, for Freiburg University, freedom of speech and tolerance seems to end when it comes to the plight of the Palestinian people. The same university, which provides a platform for the German Israeli Society and the Zionist Anti-Deutsche will not provide a platform for Freiburg Cafe Palestine - a humanitarian non-political organization dedicated to the suffering of the Palestinian. In fact, the same university banned Cafe Palestine’s event hosting a prestigious French academic.
We went on "Israeli Independence Day" Rabin Square Tel -Aviv to celebrate the "ethnic cleansing" along with the people of Israel. We Distributed maps prepared by "Zochrot" documenting the dispossession and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the beginning of Zionism to 67. Reactions? :'Best' you can find on the Zionist streets. Those who agreed with us, and answered our wish "Happy dispossessing" with "thanks", some agreed there was deportation and dispossession but didn't agree with the term "ethnic cleansing" because 'we won they lost". Those who were angry and called us racists. If you like the video please like our F.B page: on.fb.me/11m72hz we want to thank "Zochrot" for their wonderful work and that they dont let us forget the crime Israel was built on. http://zochrot.org/en
GA: Ynet reported yesterday on this interesting incident of a Haredi Jewish passenger photographed wrapped in large plastic bag during flight. The boy doesn't like to be in proximity to women or Goyim, let alone Goyim women i.e.Shiktzes. He is religiously thrilled by this unique and original form of self imposed isolation. Ynetsuggests that the man in the bag was an Israeli combat pilot at an earlier stage of his life. I assume that dropping bombs on innocent people leaves a deep scar in the chosen's soul.
Haredi passenger photographed wrapped in large plastic bag during flight tells Ynet about his long Air Force service before becoming religious. His rabbi criticizes public reaction to photo, says people should 'treat Judaism with a minimum of respect' ItzchakTessler
The ultra-Orthodox man who was Israel Defense Forces, where he held sensitive posts. In 1983, as a show of appreciation, the Air Force commander gave him the "opportunity to study in a yeshiva at the expense of the Air Force, which paid my salary for the two and a half years I studied in the yeshiva."
After his studies, he returned to the army for 10 more years – "an unprecedented move in the Air Force," he says.
The photo was the subject of public criticism and was shared and condemned on social networks.
Jewish power is the unique capacity to stop us from discussing or even contemplating Jewish power. It is the capacity to determine the boundaries of the political discourse and criticism in particular.
In his new book, “The Invention Of The Land of Israel”, Israeli academic Shlomo Sand, manages to present conclusive evidence of the far fetched nature of the Zionist historical narrative - that the Jewish Exile is a myth as is the Jewish people and even the Land of Israel.
Yet, Sand and many others fail to address the most important question: If Zionism is based on myth, how do the Zionists manage to get a way with their lies, and for so long?
If the Jewish ‘homecoming’ and the demand for a Jewish national homeland cannot be historically substantiated, why has it been supported by both Jews and the West for so long? How does the Jewish state manage for so long to celebrate its racist expansionist ideology and at the expense of the Palestinian and Arab peoples?
Jewish power is obviously one answer, but, what is Jewish power? Can we ask this question without being accused of being Anti Semitic? Can we ever discuss its meaning and scrutinize its politics? Is Jewish Power a dark force, managed and maneuvered by some conspiratorial power? Is it something of which Jews themselves are shy? Quite the opposite - Jewish power, in most cases, is celebrated right in front of our eyes. As we know, AIPAC is far from being quiet about its agenda, its practices or its achievements. AIPAC, CFI in the UK and CRIF in France are operating in the most open manner and often openly brag about their success.
Furthermore, we are by now accustomed to watch our democratically elected leaders shamelessly queuing to kneel before their pay-masters. Neocons certainly didn’t seem to feel the need to hide their close Zionist affiliations. Abe Foxman’s Anti Defamation League (ADL) works openly towards the Judification of the Western discourse, chasing and harassing anyone who dares voice any kind of criticism of Israel or even of Jewish choseness. And of course, the same applies to the media, banking and Hollywood. We know about the many powerful Jews who are not in the slightest bit shy about their bond with Israel and their commitment to Israeli security, the Zionist ideology, the primacy of Jewish suffering, Israeli expansionism and even outright Jewish exceptionalism.
But, as ubiquitous as they are, AIPAC, CFI, ADL, BernieMadoff, ‘liberator’ Bernard Henri Levy, war-advocate David Aaronovitch, free market prophet Milton Friedman, Steven Spielberg, Haim Saban, Lord Levy and many other Zionist enthusiasts and Hasbara advocates are not necessarily the core or the driving force behind Jewish Power, but are merely symptoms. Jewish power is actually far more sophisticated than simply a list of Jewish lobbies or individuals performing highly developed manipulative skills. Jewish power is the unique capacity to stop us from discussing or even contemplating Jewish power. It is the capacity to determine the boundaries of the political discourse and criticism in particular.
A few words by GA: This is one of the most interesting articless on my work as a musician/writer and a public person. I spent two fascinating days with Ariadna in Buenos Aires. Reading this article helped me to understand my own work and the way it is perceived by others.
One of the best international jazz musicians of today, philosopher, humanist thinker and author, GiladAtzmon has been challenging all of us (and primarily Jews) for several years now to examine what defines Jewish Identity Politics (JIP), its core supremacist beliefs, and the many issues that arise from it: its strategies, the various disguises of racism, concealment and suppression of free speech.
The response has never been lukewarm: he has been hailed by some of the most distinguished intellectuals and academicians as “brilliant,” “original” and “profound” or he has been denounced with uniformly unsubstantiated accusations as being a “racist” and/or a “self-hating Jew.”
Since none of those charges carried any credibility, new ones will probably be manufactured in the attempt to silence him.
What is certain is that nobody has yet found him boring or inconsequential.
I have recently returned from a trip to Argentina where I had traveled to meet GA, who had been invited there upon the publication of The Wandering Who in Spanish (La IdentidadErrante) by Editorial Canaán in Buenos Aires.
Copies of his book were available in bookstores already.
Buenos Aires is a reading town: it is hard to walk more than four blocks in any direction without finding a bookstore. Gilad marveled at seeing philosophy books displayed in the window of one. (I do not know about the UK but in the US only a bookstore manager bent on bankruptcy would display philosophy books instead of the usual shop window fare, something like “Quick Guide to Having Great Sex While Eating, Shopping and Investing Smartly.”)
He was generous with his time: I ended up spending a couple of full days with him, talking for many hours on end, accompanying him to radio interviews, to a talk he gave to history professors, an engagement in a jazz club, browsing through musical instruments stores and simply walking and enjoying together the unique and stunning beauty of Buenos Aires.
Israel defines itself as the Jewish State, its tanks are decorated with Jewish symbols, it commits crimes against humanity in the name of the Jewish people, and yet, Israeli TV can't understand why people out there express some anger towards Israel. Zionism or Jews. I can't make up my mind whether this is tragic or just sad -time is overdue for Israel and Jews to self-reflect.
The TV program fails to define what 'anti Semitism' is. It also fails to suggest since when Jews are Semites. In spite of being an Israeli (Hebrew) TV program, many of the segments are in English.
Interestingly enough, just a year ago, Ethnic Cleanser enthusiast Alan Dershowitz crowned me as the 'biggest danger to the Jewish people.' This time I am not mentioned at all. I guess that our Zionist, AZZ and their Palestinian Sabbath Goyim grasped by now that the Anti Semite/Racist label is not going to work with me. I easily survived the smear. They will soon try something new. I can see them working hard.
We will be touring Europe from next week. Following the success of Songs of the Metropolis in the UK we will be playing the music in the continent for two weeks. Please spread the message around..
Tuesday , 16 April - Brotfabrik, Frankfurt,, Grmany
‘A formidable improvisational array...a jazz giant steadily drawing himself up to his full height...’ The Guardian.
‘The best musician living in the world today’ Robert Wyatt
"The Band has created perhaps their most enduring ensemble work yet" Andy Robson Jazzwise****
"Whether he’s blowing up a storm of notes or gently caressing a ballad, there’s a luminous vitality at the heart of Atzmon’s playing that’s irresistible to the ear" Record Collector ****
A hard-hitting but wide-ranging set from an admirably tight and robust band led by one of the most charismatic and focused reedsmen on the planet. Chris Parker LondonJazz
'Atzmon has produced his most mature, and in many ways his most diverse, work to date' Ian Mann Jazzmann*****
'Tensions, surprises, shocks and ambiguities' John Fordham, The Guardian
Atzmon and the excellent pianist Frank Harrison do to the old parsley-sage tune what John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner did to My Favourite Things Irish Time ****
Conjuring an atmosphere of evocative cinematic suggestion BBC Music Review
Peon to a recent past, when urban spaces belonged to the people who lived in them, and cities had distinct emotional characters Financial Times ****
'Fearless bebop player steeped in the work of Coltrane and Parker' Tony Benjamin This Is Bristol
"Brilliant cosmopolitan tunesmithing from Gilad Atzmon" Lucid Culture
'Conceptualist, composer and soloist' Jazz Journal
"If you love jazz you will love this release of a superlative quality. If you love the music of the world in its individual uniqueness and diversity, and not the pasteurized kitsch of “multiculturalism,” you will love this even more and you will resonate to Atzmon’s worldview as a philosopher of culture" Ariadna Theokopoulos http://www.boldfacenews.com
"rhythmically-sophisticated 'Tel Aviv' demonstrates that Anmon's soprano sound is also one of the most satisfying since Bechet."`BBC Music Magazine April 2013 ****
"Atzmon opts for an altogether more impressionistic approach" R2 Magazine ****
Gilad Atzmon - clarinet, sax, Tim Thornton - bass, Eddie Hick - drums, Frank Harrison - piano.
Last events in Argentina this week:
Today, a talk about Being & Time and Being in Time - Faculty of Philosophy. Book presentation and dialogue with teachers and students. Present: Cathedra for Palestine Studies. Edward W. Said.
Thursday 11With Luis D'Agostino Trio Thelonious, Buenos Aires
Friday 12 Gilad and All That Jazz (screening) EN EL CENTRO CULTURAL LA DIGNIDAD, CALLE AGUIRRE 29, Buenos Aires
The metropolis is central to the life of a jazz musician. It's where the work is, where the conservatories are, where the music emerged and developed. Gilad Atzmon, the saxophonist and composer who's been described as the hardest working man in UK jazz, writes that Songs Of The Metropolis is "A pursuit of the sound of the city." It's a pursuit that takes him to seven of the world's most famous cities, to a small English seaside town and to "Somewhere In Italy." It proves that there is no single sound of the city, but the plethora of sounds Atzmon discovers are vibrant and beautiful.
The Orient House Ensemble formed in 2000: this lineup has been in existence since 2009, when drummer Eddie Hick replaced Asaf Sirkis. Atzmon has previously looked to the cities of the world for inspiration—Baghdad, London and New York have all found their way into his song titles—but never before have they been so central to one of his albums. Each tune reflects a particular quality of the place, as envisaged by the composer and described briefly in his sleeve notes.
RESUMEN LATINOAMERICANO, la EDITORIAL CANAÁN, el MOVIMIENTO POPULAR LA DIGNIDAD y la TABERNA INTERNACIONALISTA VASCA
INVITAN A UNA ACTIVIDAD IMPERDIBLE:
VIERNES 12 DE ABRIL, 19 HORAS
EN EL CENTRO CULTURAL LA DIGNIDAD, CALLE AGUIRRE 29( a pocos metros de Avenida Corrientes y Angel Gallardo,
subte linea A, estación "Angel Gallardo")
Uno de los más activos denunciadores del Sionismo, el escritor GILAD ATZMON presenta su libro "LA IDENTIDAD ERRANTE", publicado en Argentina por Editorial Canaán.
PROYECTAREMOS, GRACIAS A LA GENTILEZA DE CINE FÉRTIL, LA PELÍCULA:
GILAD: AND ALL THAT JAZZ
dirigida por Golriz Kolahi
Al finalizar la película, el Director de Editorial Canaán, Saad Chedid presentará a GILAD ATZMON, quien dialogará con el público
Y finalmente, en el habitual espacio de la Cena Popular de la Taberna Internacionalista Vasca, tendremos la oportunidad de escuchar a GILAD ATZMON como saxofonista, otra de las facetas en las que brilla con luz propia.
BREVE BIOGRAFÍA DE GILAD ATZMON:
UN VALIENTE LUCHADOR ANTI SIONISTA
Gilad Atzmon es escritor, filósofo, saxofonista de jazz, y activista político, nacido en Israel, nacionalidad a la que ha renunciado en protesta contra el sionismo.
En 1994 emigró al Reino Unido, para estudiar una maestria en Filosofia, y allí adquirió la nacionalidad britanica en 2002.
Es un gran crítico del gobierno de Israel, lo cual manifiesta en sus escritos contra el sionismo, el judaísmo, la ocupación del territorio palestino.
Se marchó a Londres mediada la década de los 90, cansado de la radicalidad sionista y después de haber cumplido el servicio militar en la guerra que Israel declaró al Líbano a comienzos de los 80. Su participación en aquel conflicto acabó por despejar todas sus dudas sobre la 'identidad judía'. "Veía a palestinos por todas partes, hasta que me dije, 'diablos, si es que estoy viviendo en territorio palestino!'. Fue entonces cuando decidí marcharme, eso sí, con cierto sentimiento de culpa".
Hoy, Gilad Atzmon ya no se siente judío: "He dejado atrás la idea de pueblo elegido" y plantea preguntas a sus paisanos:
“¿Cómo es que un pueblo que ha sufrido tanto y durante tanto tiempo puede infligirle tanto dolor al otro?
¿Cómo pueden los sionistas, que están motivados por un genuino deseo de regreso, estar tan ciegos cuando se enfrentan a un deseo similar por parte del pueblo palestino?”
Empecé a comprender que en Israel nunca ha dejado de haber limpieza étnica, sino que, simplemente, ésta ha adoptado otras formas, y empecé a admitir el hecho de que el sistema legal israelí no era imparcial, sino racista."
"En el verano de 1984, justo tres semanas antes de librarme del uniforme militar, nos enviaron al Líbano para una gira de conciertos. Al final de un sucio y polvoriento camino en un día de calor espantoso, a primeros de julio, llegamos al infierno en la tierra. El inmenso centro de detención estaba rodeado por una alambrada. El lugar era un campo de concentración. Los presos eran los judíos, y yo, un nazi".
Gilad's music facebook page
