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The unique voice and style of Arik Lavi died at the age of 77 (1927 - 2004) By Gidi Avivi |
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| The unique voice and style of Israeli Singer and Actor Arik Lavi, who died on Tuesday 29 june at the age of 77, have been a staple for radio listeners and lovers of Israeli music for so many years that it's impossible to imagine Israeli music without him. Since he began his professional career with the Carmel troupe in 1949, and especially after he attained stardom as part of the Arava Trio in 1957, it seems Lavi has always been there - energetically performing songs with a rare combination of humor and pathos. Testimony to Lavi's standing in Israeli music was most clearly evident in the CD "Avoda Ivrit," released in 1998, Israel's jubilee year. Lavi was represented four times on the record, more than any other performer - once in a new recording of "Anana" by Kobi Oz and Teapacks, and three more times in new versions of three of his songs. Shmulik Kraus gave a nice performance of his own "Ze Koreh" (It Happens), which became popular in Lavi's equally enjoyable rendition; the Atraf band gave a slightly lame performance of one of Lavi's greatest hits, "The Locomotive Song"; and Maor Cohen and the Zvuvim sang "Lama Lo Amart Li?" (Why didn't you tell me?) in a touching attempt, doomed in advance to failure, to be even more roguish that Lavi's original. It is not difficult to pinpoint the quality in Lavi's performance that charmed so many different and sundry performers, but especially audiences. It was very cultured - a little bit of Leon Hoffstetter, the boy who learned Hebrew as a second language and was forced to give up his mother tongue to grow up in his new landscapes with a proud Hebrew name. The tautology of his name - both his first and last name mean lion in Hebrew - gave birth to a twofold career as an actor and singer, and was always evident in his musical life. On the one hand, Lavi always played a character; his diction was precise, carefully fashioned and stylized by the book. On the other, his unique presentation style reflected inner strength - occasionally seasoned with a large dose of romanticism, but often also anarchy. The bursting energy of the little engine that could - chugging along its unstoppable way on the tracks in The Locomotive Song - was an excellent example of Lavi's singing style. It appears that it is no coincidence that he tended to be in motion in many of his early songs, galloping like a cowboy together with Shimon Yisraeli and Zvi Borodo on their way to Petra in "The Red Rock." Lavi's musical career took him to many places. The short distance in time from the period of the Arava Trio in 1957 to the Theater Club in 1958 only intensifies the sense of stylistic remoteness. Lavi swung between his yearning for ancient landscapes and stylized urbanism like an actor changing his mask from one scene to the next. These transformations were evident later on too. In the mid-1960s, he sang Bertolt Brecht's "A Man's a Man," with wild abandon, and two years later, participated in a victory album released following the Six-Day War, saluting the armored corps and the battle of Rafah, or telling the matriarch Rachel that we will never leave and that we are here to stay. In the mid-1970s came more unexpected transformations. Israeli culture was already in a sentimental period then and for a few years Lavi supplied the nostalgic needs of various groups - lovers of youth movement songs in 1974 and lovers of the songs of the mythical Chizbatron entertainment troupe in 1978. Here too, his theatrical side bolstered the singer that Lavi knew how to be. Even as part of an ensemble or in relatively small roles, it was difficult not to notice his presence. But if the musical entertainment performances enabled Lavi to demonstrate his professionalism time after time, his solo records presented him with a new challenge: to formulate for himself and his listeners the changes that occurred over time in his complex musical identity. Almost every record included something retrospective, from new versions of songs he made famous - from "Shedemati" (My Field) to "Mack the Knife" - until his journey to the heart of Hebrew culture (with "Sahki, sahki" by Shaul Tchernichovski or "Haya O Lo Haya" (Did it Happen or Not) by Alexander Penn. Additionally, Lavi was attentive to new voices in words and music. "Shir Stav" (Autumn Song) is a good example - the innovation in the words by Amos Keinan. In it the Biblical flavor of "All the rivers flow to the sea" undergoes an accelerated process of up-to-date secularization with a visit to a Tel Aviv beach and a dressing room that includes "jeans and a hat." The spirit of the times is especially evident in Yitzhak Klepter's guitar solo in a virtuoso performance, whose presence in Lavi's record seems surprising, especially because it went down as one of Israeli rock's most outstanding moments. When Lavi set out on his professional path as a singer, the phrase "Israeli rock" did not yet exist - there was hardly any rock music anywhere in the world, but also the invention of Israeliness had just begun to get into high gear after the establishment of the state. But whether accompanied by an electric guitar or concertina, in new and renewed songs, it is always Arik Lavi's song. He knew how to bring the songs he sang with the right momentum to his very own special place. Lavi's success in offering diversity with a personal touch is evident in his best known songs. "Ani Ashir Lach Shir" (I will sing you a song) was the name he gave to one of his greatest hits and most personal records; he sang "Ata Yisraeli" (You are Israeli) in a retrospective album summing up the most important moments in his career. Despite the many stylistic transformations he underwent, or perhaps because of them, both declarations sound perfectly sincere. When Lavi sang, he always brought a hefty portion of himself to the encounter with diverse artists. "Noa" is Naomi Shemer's, but also Lavi's, and the same was true when he sang the words of Yaakov Shabtai or the melodies of Yohanan Zarai. Lavi's artistic identity was always heterogenic and multifaceted - philosophic and defiant, sorrowful and amused, au courant and anarchic, personal and professional, modest and flamboyant. With that in mind, his success in charming generation after generation for so many years and remaining relevant to their lives seems self-evident and immediate - even inevitable.
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