'Israel's Bob Dylan': Meir Ariel to be celebrated in silver gig

Singer-songwriter Meir Ariel has been gone for a quarter of a century. It is hard to believe the still celebrated poet-troubadour passed away so long ago, at the early age of 57. Still, his friends and family – particularly his widow, Tirza – have been ensuring Ariel remains in our national and individual consciousness by putting on annual shows with a galaxy of stars of the music industry ever since.

The silver anniversary concert takes place at Live Park in Rishon LeZion on September 30, organized by the toMix production company and the Ariel family, with singer-songwriter Shlomi Shaban and multi-instrumentalist and producer Asaf Talmudi acting as artistic and musical directors, respectively.

The intergenerational roster lined up for the event reflects Ariel’s still lofty standing among Israeli musicians and consumers alike. The 25th tribute show’s cast includes Aviv Gefen, Dori Ben Zeev, Yehuda Eder, Zehava Ben, Ninet Tayeb, Ester Rada, Alma Gov, and old sparring partner and fellow erstwhile Kibbutz Mishmarot member, iconic rocker Shalom Hanoch. Shaban will also salute the late legendary artist, as will Rona Kenan, Miri Mesika, Shuli Rand, Ehud Banai, rapper Jimbo J, and Ariel’s son Shachar.

Some of the performers either were not yet born when Ariel was around or are not old enough to remember him, which, in itself, is a mark of Ariel’s musical legacy. Besides putting out half a dozen studio albums and two live recordings, as well as a couple of mini-albums, Ariel wrote the lyrics to numerous songs performed and recorded by legions of musicians. The likes of Arik Einstein, Hanoch, Oshik Levy, Gidi Gov, and Danny Litani of the old guard all had Ariel to thank for providing them with quality texts. Izhar Ashdot, Rami Kleinstein, Rita, hip-hop-funk outfit Hadag Nachash, ethnically oriented rocker Dudu Tasa, and rapper Segol 59 have also put their readings of Ariel’s works out there to great effect.

Ariel was never boring, at times even upsetting folks around him with some of his unfiltered observations of life around him. A year before he died, he made ill-advised comments about the LGBTQ community, which sparked fearful backlash and led to Ariel relocating from Tel Aviv to Pardess Hannah, not far from the kibbutz where it all began for him.

Powerful lyricist

Ariel never filled stadiums during his career, and he generally shunned the bright lights. After serving as a paratrooper and taking part in the capture of the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six Day War, he released Jerusalem of Steel. The title number was based on Naomi Shemer’s anthemic Jerusalem of Gold, which came out in 1967, a few months before the Six Day War. However, rather than lauding the glory of victory on the battlefield. Ariel’s lyrics were written, in inimitable evocative style, from the perspective of a soldier who experienced the horrors and pain of actual battle.

During a two-year sojourn in the US in the late 1960s, Ariel took on all sorts of influences from American artists, particularly Bob Dylan. Ariel was known by some as “the Israeli Dylan,” and the power and artistry of his lyrical work certainly provide the requisite collateral for that.

The concert organizers say this will be the last tribute show in its current format. Regardless of any further salutes, the Israeli music scene would undoubtedly have been much poorer without Meir Ariel.

For tickets and more information: https://bit.ly/meirariel25