Shira Z. Carmel
Shira Z. Carmel | |
|---|---|
 Shira Z. Carmel in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | November 19, 1981 Israel |
| Genres | Jazz, Rock, Poems, Alternative |
| Occupation(s) | Singer Songwriter |
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Labels | Independent |
| Associated acts | The Hazelnuts, Shira Z. Carmel Quartet, The Brasserie, The Technicalities |
| Website | shiracarmel.com |
Shira Zehava Diament Carmel (born in November 19th, 1981) is an Israeli singer and composer, participating in various musical acts, including The Hazelnuts, Shira Z. Carmel Quartet, The Brasserie, and The Technicalities.
Biography[edit]
Carmel grew up in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. From an early age she showed interest in dance, drama, and music. She graduated from Ironi Alef high school majoring in theatre, and later received a bachelor degree from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance majoring in multidisciplinary singing. Carmel currently lives in Givatayim with her husband Alon Diament Carmel and their son. Shira and Alon married in 2013 in a public alternative ceremony held at the InDNegev Festival.[1], and a Jewish-conservative ceremony followed by a civil union, as an act of protest against the Israeli orthodox rabbinate[2].
2002-2005[edit]
In the years 2002-2005 Carmel studied at the department of digital arts in the University for Applied Art in Vienna, focusing on (analog) photography. In 2004 she held a solo photography exhibition at the Art und Weise gallery in Vienna. While in Vienna, Carmel started performing as a singer, and in 2003 she recorded her debut album osF (“collection” in Hebrew) - a lo-fi album containing 14 songs in Hebrew and English written, composed, and performed by Carmel. Some of the songs were later published in the "Sonance" collective art magazine. After returning to Israel, Carmel quit professional photography and focused on music.
2006-2010[edit]
In 2006 Carmel returned to Israel and studied one year at the Rimon Music School. She also began studying Jewish liturgic music - Piyutim in Kehilot Sharot and continued for 5 years. In 2009 Carmel performed at the first Piyut festival in Beit Avi Chai, singing traditional chants in Jazz and Blues arrangements. Years later, in 2017, she curated and participated in another concert at the festival (see the 2014-2018 section).
In January 2008, Carmel started performing regularly as a band leader with her original works. After a few early lineups Carmel's first band, Shira and the Sea Stars (play on words that also means The Jerusalem Stars in Hebrew), included Ariel Givant, Tavor Ben-Dor, Liron Meyuhas, Yehiam Getz and Guy Bibi. They performed mostly in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as in the InDNgev festival that same year. In 2009 they began working on an album, produced by DJ and producer Marki Funk, the work on which was documented in a blog Carmel wrote. The production came to a halt in 2010 and the album was archived shortly before completion. The band was then disbanded and succeeded by the "Shira Z. Carmel Quartet" or SZCQ in short.
Shira Z. Carmel Quartet[edit]
The Shira Z. Carmel Quartet (SZCQ) included Ariel Givant on bass, Michael Glucksmann on guitar, and Marco Milevski on drums. The band was accepted into the Yellow Submarine Band Project - a band incubator, under the mentoring of Acha Bar. At the end of the one-year program the band recorded a demo in the Yellow Submarine studio, followed by frequent concerts in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv throughout 2011. That same year, SZCQ performed at the InDNegev festival, at the Manofim arts festival, and in the Jerusalem Film Festival. The band’s debut album Kohelet Tzadak (“Ecclesiastes was right”) was released in 2013[3] and featured backup vocals by singers soon-to-be known as "The Hazelnuts".
During the years 2009-2010 Carmel produced and curated a series of monthly concerts at the Katze club under the title "Shira Hosts". Each concert included 3-4 guest artists who performed their songs with minimal accompaniment (usually one single instrument). These guests included, among others, Yarona Caspi, Gon Ben Ari, Ronit Roland, Moti Bikovski, Michal Lotan, Yoni Livne and many more. Each concert’s poster was a unique vintage collage designed by Carmel, who also created the artwork for most of her albums[4].
2010-2014[edit]
In the years 2010-2012, Carmel was a radio broadcaster at the Israeli Galei Zahal station along with Yuval Ben-Ami. The two hosted a weekly show that included personal stories, guest interviews, and songs performed by Ben Ami and Carmel. The show was aired until its 100th broadcast.
In 2010 Carmel participated in a tribute concert to Tom Waits produced by the music blog Oneg Shabat, which eventually led to the release of a tribute album in 2013[5]. Following the album release, Carmel artistically directed and produced a Waits tribute combined with a bar crawl and performances across Tel Aviv with artists such as Zeev Tene, Costa Caplan, and many others.
During these years Carmel produced and curated other tribute performances like the 2013 Beyoncé tribute at the Shaon Horef Festival in Jerusalem, and one dedicated to Israeli actor and singerYossi Banai.
In 2010-2014 Carmel completed her B.A. in the multidisciplinary singing department of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, studying under Vered Dekel. While at the academy, she founded "The Hazelnuts" (see below) along with her fellow students Yifeat Ziv and Talya Amzaleg.
The Technicalities[edit]
In 2012 Carmel participated in the video installation ״Faktariz On Felder״ by Michael Bloom at the Le’an? (“whereto?”) exhibition in the Israeli Center for Digital Art. For the exhibition opening, Carmel performed along with Alon Diament (her soon-to-be husband) a musical program titled "Biro and Bidzhan", created by the couple under the name "The Technicalities" . It was recorded later that year and released as an online EP. The program of the first show and EP consisted of original compositions by Carmel to Yiddish poems that were written in or about Birobidzhan[6]. The couple participated in the 2012 International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam, and recorded the EP Amur in 2013, which included compositions by both members. The duo continued touring in 2013 with the Yiddish program, and participated in the 12th He’arat Shulaim Festival. Meanwhile, they expanded their repertoire to other territories, such as Carmel’s Take Cover project. The latter included translations and reinterpretations of English pop songs into Hebrew and vice versa. In 2015, The Technicalities participated in Yuval Ben-Ami’s Lorde project and recorded a Yiddish cover to the song Team.
Take Cover[edit]
In 2011 Carmel participated in a tribute to Amy Winehouse after the latter’s death. Carmel translated the song You Know I’m No Good and recorded it with guitarist Hayla Weiss. This was the beginning of a new project - Take Cover - “a pop-culture experiment shifting songs in time and space through musical form and language[7]” as Carmel defined it. The project was also performed live in the PERFORMANCE:02 festival at the School of Visual Theatre (SVT) in Jerusalem.
2014-2018[edit]
Though the majority of this time period was dedicated to performing and recording with her band The Hazelnuts (see below), Carmel founded another band with experimental composer Orr Sinai, named "Shira Z. Carmel and her Brasserie" (see below). The 7-piece brass and woodwind ensemble performed songs by Carmel with Sinai's arrangements. In 2015, she performed and wrote Hebrew lyrics for the song "It’s Magic" which was featured in the original soundtrack of the first season of the Anime TV series Kekkai Sensen, composed by Taisei Iwasaki. In 2017 she produced and curated the show "Indie Piyut" as part of the Zman Piyut festival in the Brodt Center in Tel Aviv, and the Piyut Festival in Beit Avi Chai in Jerusalem[8]. The participants were indie artists who covered or composed original versions to famous Piyut songs, and included Yehu Yaron, Shalom Gad, Neomi Hashmonay, Talya Eliav, Shani Peleg, and Carmel herself.
The Hazelnuts[edit]
The band was established while singers Shira Z. Carmel, Yifeat Ziv and Talya Amzaleg were students at the music academy in Jerusalem, together with bass player Ariel Givant. The band played close harmony singing and swing standards, most notably by The Boswell Sisters and The Andrews Sisters, along with a number of original songs by Carmel. The band expanded and diversified in members and included, at some point, the following musicians: Sapir Rosenblatt / Anat Moshkovski (vocals), Dotan Cohen / Yuval Vilner (guitar), Yoav Elkayam (washboard and percussion), Haim Peskof / Yonatan Rosen (drums), Eli Preminger (trumpet), and Eilam Friedlander / Meni Welt (bass).
In 2014, the Hazelnuts recorded a debut EP, and in 2016 they recorded a live album at the Zappa club. The band toured extensively in Israel, the USA - in which they opened for the Manhattan Transfer[9], Canada, France, Kenya[10], Greece and other countries, and performed in local festivals such as the Red Sea Jazz Festival (2017), Tel Aviv Jazz Festival (2015), InDNegev (2014) and more. They collaborated as a vocal trio with musicians such as Yoni Rechter, Shlomo Gronich, Shlomi Shaban, and Eliyot, as well as with ensembles such as Marsh Dondurma, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Revolution Orchestra. In 2016, they composed and performed a live soundtrack for the podcast Israel Story[11]. In 2017-8 they took part in the Habima Theatre production of the play the Torch Song Trilogy. In 2018 they recorded their first full studio album "The Birth of Hope" which was produced by the Hazelnuts and Shuzin and featured 7 original songs written and composed by Carmel[12].
Shira Z. Carmel and her Brasserie[edit]
The Brasserie ensemble featured Carmel's vocals along 6 brass and woodwind players and a drummer, and performed songs by Carmel that were arranged by Orr Sinai. The band played in Israel at various festivals such as Shaon Horef, Batim MeBifnim, and Hebrew Jazz in Beit Avi Chai (including a guest performance by Rona Kenan). The band was invited for a concert at the Jewish Museum, Berlin[13], which was followed by a tour in Germany. The Brasserie played its final concert in 2016 at the InDNegev Festival. The band's debut album - "One Source of Bad Information"[14] was released in 2016 and included among others a song to a text by American poet Robert Bly and a Tom Waits cover[15]. The album won the “Album of the Week” at the 99FM radio station, and the “Album of the (Hebrew) Year” at the iconic Tel Avivian music store and label The Third Ear.
Sung Poetry[edit]
Carmel frequently composes music to poetry, as reflected in her work with the Technicalities and with the Brasserie. She composed music to poems by Hebrew poets such as Zelda, Leah Goldberg, Hanoch Levin, Tahel Frosh, Amir Menashhof, Almog Behar, Adi Keisar, as well as Yiddish poets such as Malka Heifetz Tussman and Anna Margolin. The 2018 Hazelnuts album "The Birth of Hope" featured a song based on a poem by Egyptian-American poet Yahia Lababidi[16]. Carmel often performs her songs in poetry book launches and poetry festivals[17], in 2018 she expanded her repertoire to translated poetry, such as Margaret Atwood poems (translated into Hebrew by Hila Aharon Brick) and classical Chinese poetry (translated by Yuval Iddo Tal and Yoav Rappaport).
2018-present[edit]
After the release of the Hazelnuts' album "The Birth of Hope", Carmel's long time partner and bandmate Yifeat Ziv moved to London and the band went on a break. Carmel focused on social and political musical projects, and later relaunched the Hazelnuts with various other singers, for various projects such as the EP "Tempted" released by music-for-film company Artlist. In 2019 she artistically directed and performed in a live soundtrack tribute to animation revolutionary Suzan Pitt[18].
Social Activism[edit]
In 1995 Carmel participated in the Seeds of Peace delegation and summer camp. As a pacifist, she later chose to not serve in the Israel Defence Forces and volunteered instead, as an art instructor for children in a Da'am Workers Party community center in Jaffa. As a Hebrew teacher by profession, Carmel volunteered in various centers for refugees, immigrants and Palestinians. As a musician, she often participates in political events and fundraisers, such as for the 2011 Israeli social justice protests, Maan workers union, girls' shelter Beit Ruth, and more. Some of Carmel’s songs deal with topics such as pacifism, feminism and humanism, especially her 2016 album "One source of bad Information" which she sees as anti-militant.[19].
In 2018, Carmel established The Israeli Female Musicians' Index as an act of protest against the limited representations Israeli female artists have on the radio and mainstream festival lineups[20]. Later in 2018 she participated in the political oratorio "Custodian" by composer and activist Uri Agnon[21]. In 2019 Carmel was a fellow of the seeds of peace accelerator program for social and political change - GATHER. The program inspired her to curate and produce a compilation of political songs by various Israeli artists called "Everything is Political"[22], which she released a week before Israel's second election round in September 2019[23] hoping to encourage Israelis to vote, and Israeli artists to speak their mind[24]. In 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic Carmel, along with 7 other musicians, founded Tzlilim - Israel's new musicians' union[25]
Discography[edit]
Shira Z. Carmel[edit]
- 2003 - Shira Z. Carmel - “osF” (LP)
- 2010 - Shira Z. Carmel Quartet (Demo)
- 2013 - Shira Z. Carmel Quartet - Kohelet Tzadak (Ecclesiastes Was Right) (LP)
- 2016 - Shira Z. Carmel and Her Brasserie - One Source of Bad Information (LP)
With The Technicalities[edit]
- 2012 - Biro & Bidzhan (EP)
- 2012 - Amur (EP)
With The Hazelnuts[edit]
- 2014 - The Hazelnuts (EP)
- 2015 - Ten Li (Single)
- 2016 - The Hazelnuts Live (Live album)
- 2017 - Ballad of Three Sisters (Single)
- 2018 - The Birth of Hope (LP)
- 2020 - Tempted (EP)
Collaborations[edit]
- 2015 - The Hazelnuts with Marsh Dondurma - Walk in Jerusalem
- 2016 - The Hazelnuts with OSOG - Who Who, and Swing & a Miss
- 2017 - Shira Z. Carmel with Yoni Livne - Hizdamnuiot
- 2018 - The Hazelnuts with Noam Elron - Gveret, Rakevet VeKlavlav
- 2020 - The Hazelnuts / Dori Parnas - Hashra'ah Ne'ima
Songs featured in soundtracks[edit]
- 2015 - Shira Z. Carmel - Kekkai Sensen OST - It’s Magic
- 2017 - Shira Z. Carmel Quartet - The Cakemaker OST - Kohelet Tzadak
- 2018 - The Hazelnuts - Virgins OST - Ten Li
External Links[edit]
- The official Shira Z. Carmel website
- Shira Z. Carmel full discography on Bandcamp
- The official Hazelnuts website
- The Israeli Female Musicians' Index
- Yuval Ben Ami, Shira Z. Carmel & Jerusalem’s musical dilemma +972 Mag.
- Ben Shalev, One Source of Bad Information album review, Haaretz (Hebrew).
- Guy Tene, One Source of Bad Information album review, Lahiton (Hebrew).
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- ↑ "the "WeddiNegev" and other shows at the 2013 IndNegev festival (Hebrew)". Mako.
- ↑ "an interview with Shira Z. Carmel (Hebrew)". Nrg Newspaper.
- ↑ "Kohelet Tzadak". Bandcamp.
- ↑ "Off center: Shira Z. Carmel & Jerusalem's musical dilemma". 972 magazine.
- ↑ "Used Songs - Tom Waits in Hebrew". Bandcamp.
- ↑ "Dreams and technicalities - Birobidzhan reimagined". ingeveb.org.
- ↑ "Take Cover". Youtube.
- ↑ "2017 Piyut Festival". Beit Avi Chai.
- ↑ ""Broadway world" announces the show with the Manhattan Transfer". Broadway World.
- ↑ "The Hazelnuts to perform on Safaricom Jazz festival". Safaricom Jazz Festival 2017.
- ↑ "The Hazelnuts on the "Israel Story" podcast". Israel Story website.
- ↑ "The Hazelnuts' new album, interview with Shira Z. Carmel". The Jerusalem Post.
- ↑ "Shira Z. Carmel and her Brasserie in concert at the Jewish Museum Berlin".
- ↑ "Once Source of Bad Information". Bandcamp.
- ↑ "Album review (Hebrew)". Haaretz Newspaper.
- ↑ "The Hazelnuts perform the song "you again" on national radio station Glglz". Youtube.
- ↑ "Carmel performs in poetry festival". The national Library of Isrsel.
- ↑ "Suzan Pitt live soundtrack tribute". Yellow Submarine site.
- ↑ "about subversion, poetry and the Brasserie's debut album, a talk with with Shira Z. Carmel". Columbus music magazine.
- ↑ "The female musicians' index". She Knows - Israel's Gender Knowledge Center.
- ↑ "Custodian oratorio". Uri Agnon website.
- ↑ "HAKOL POLITI (Everything is Political) compilation".
- ↑ "About "Everything is Political" an interview with Shira Z. Carmel". Follow the GATHER fellows website.
- ↑ "This is not some delusional left. There are a variety of opinions here. Interview with Shira Z. Carmel". Haaretz Newspaper.
- ↑ "Tzlilim - The New Israeli Musicians' union (Hebrew)".
