The Israeli Jazz project by French photographer Raphael Perez introduces the world to something it may not fully be aware of—Israeli jazz musicians who have made a name for themselves. And there are quite a few of them. Over the past 20 years, Israel has produced dozens of jazz musicians and singers who have performed at festivals and clubs worldwide.
Perez, a Jewish-French photographer, launched his multimedia project a few years ago during COVID. Simultaneously, he gathered photographs of Israeli jazz musicians, taken at concerts or in the studio, and curated a stunning coffee-table book featuring each musician’s story. The book also chronicles the genre’s history in Israel, dating back to the 1920s.
“The publisher stopped taking my calls after that day, and a famous jazz musician asked me to remove his page,” Perez said. “So we had to start over.”
The project caught the attention of the cultural team at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who decided to sponsor the book. It also drew support from Adam’Art, an arts and culture association that reinvests its profits into organizing events and promoting Israeli culture globally.
“I pushed this project because many in the world and even in Israel don’t know how important and appreciated Israeli Jazz musicians are. Israel has a very important place in the jazz arena.” – Raphael Perez
The hardcover book, written in English and French, includes 130 photographs and features 92 Israeli musicians, including several prominent women such as drummer-singer-songwriter Roni Kaspi, pianist and composer Anat Fort and singers Daphna Levy and Achinoam Nini (known professionally as Noa).
Perez said that Israeli jazz musicians, such as Omer Avital and Avishai Cohen, incorporate Jewish influences into their music — sometimes drawing from Israeli folk melodies or traditional Jewish music.
Perez described the process of selecting photographs for the book as daunting. “It was difficult for me to choose because each photo brought back memories, emotions and the atmosphere in the moment when I took it,” he said. “I asked someone with a professional eye to help with the selection, and we are still working together. She curates exhibitions for me in Holon and soon in Geneva and also prepares all my other exhibitions.”
Until 2020, Perez primarily worked as a photographer at live events, concerts and shows. “When COVID arrived, I had to change everything because all concerts and events were canceled and that’s how this project started. Now, I spend half my time on this project and the other half on shows, fashion, comedy nights and social media. My work has changed a lot.”
Although Perez wasn’t specifically focused on photographing Israeli jazz musicians, he quickly realized that many of the musicians performing in France were Israeli — and they were playing jazz. After consulting with music executives, he learned that no one had ever written a book about Israeli jazz and they emphasized how important it was for someone to finally do it. That was the green light he needed to begin his project.
“It’s a growing phenomenon. There are many of them and they are highly skilled and appreciated — not only among Israelis and Jewish Americans but in jazz clubs around the world,” said Perez. “We have three schools in Israel that teach postgrad students and they are linked with three East Coast music schools that have 250 professional Israeli jazz musicians living in New York and Boston.”
After launching his project and before the book was published this week, he was invited to present his photographs in an exhibition in Tel Aviv in October 2022. Other exhibitions followed in Israel and Europe.
Perez was born in Tunis and moved to France after the Six-Day War in 1967 when he was a young child. He initially took up photography as a hobby but decided to pursue it professionally 13 years ago. Many of his early clients happened to be in the music industry, which resonated deeply with him, as he had felt a strong connection to music since childhood.
Some of the jazz shows he photographed were held in small clubs, allowing him to get up close and personal with the musicians on stage. The result is a collection of captivating, intimate images — something rarely captured in large concert settings.
“I pushed this project because many in the world and even in Israel don’t know how important and appreciated Israeli Jazz musicians are. Israel has a very important place in the jazz arena.”
To learn more about the project and Israeli Jazz, please visit: israelijazz.com.
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