The Israeli jazz scene is abundant with many highly educated and renowned musicians, some of whom find more success abroad, than at home.
There is a strong multi-generational jazz community which revolves around the music schools and festivals spread out across the country. One example is Panonica, an NGO dedicated to promoting the jazz scene in Israel. Their club Beit Haamudim in TLV is considered as one of the best jazz clubs in the world.
Across the past 20 years, Israeli jazz musicians have taken part in most music productions, from pop to rock to hip-hop and electronics, which effects the sound of both mainstream music and jazz - making the spectrum flexible and diverse. In the last 10 years, in keeping with other parts of the world, young audiences have discovered the genre and redefined it as a cool and daring cultural scene.
One leading example is Teder, an urban cultural centre with a significant influence on the cultural life of Tel Aviv. It has been promoting events under the title “Jazz Is Cool”, and since 2022 have also been chosen to host and produce the municipal jazz festival of the city, both with great success. Other scenes with different dimensions and characteristics are found mainly around the other major cities - Jerusalem, BeerSheva & Haifa.
Guide compiled by EJN member Synthesizer
Israel
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