What did Isiah the prophet mean when he said: the wolf will live with the lamb? Why is Jerusalem so multi-kulti? Can music change physical reality? If you typed : pacifist Jerusalem and guitar into google you would come up with Ofer, a serial creator for whom this is the 7th CD connected to ז the seventh letter. Militant sheep? Artists who can’t keep their mouth shut. Wolves in sheep’s clothing? The unlikely combination of a religious Jew who is not nationalist.
In the opening song which features Arabic a bird mocks a tree for having no wings (the universalist take). The tree retorts : “you have no roots” : the typical Israeli nationalist. By the end of the song they realize they need each other. Vegetarian Wolf is a mythical being, an ideal where such diversities as John Lennon (#5 and inspiration for #10) and Shlomo Carlebach (the singing Rabbi) can meet the non-commercial genius Frank Zappa (quoted and translated to Russian in #11) and Meir Ariel the songwriter’s poet. All dead and coming to life in a mix of Raggae, Ska, Yiddish, Zydeco, Rock and plenty of Cabaret.
Strange themes: A Yiddish speaking yeshiva student who avoids military service by telling jokes (#3), An immortal to whom Jacob left the house keys when he went to Egypt (#9). 4 angels who set the celestial computer to return all actions within 12 days (#10) . A rendition of the Shema in seven eighths time (#7). The Messiah appearing as a girl in a kindergarten (#12). Isiah 11 as a Rap (#2) a street musician in a moment of enlightenment (#6)and a rabid individualist who is neither right nor left and refuses to be pigeonholed (#8).
Vegetarian Wolf features Jerusalem’s finest: Yaron Mohar (Dag Nahash) on Saxophones, Ittai Binnun (Andralamoussa) on Nye and Idan Rave (March Dondurme) on trumpet. Abe Doron (Evergreen) and Oren Fried (Kol Oud Tof) and Mickey Bussidan on percussion. Eitan Ulman (McDonalds Metzada) adds Ukulele and a quote. Rachel Jaskow (Day of Rest) lends harmonies. The bass is shared by Ofer,
Aner Eaker, a rising star in the Jerusalem music scene and Netta Amir who also sings (and steals your ears on #1 #4 and the Hebrew translation of Lennon’s Strawberry Fields Forever. Aliza Chava and Michael Morris were drawn to Jerusalem from New York (the two cities most featured in songs) to contribute voices and the saxophones on #2 and #10 by Chris Corstens were sent from Amsterdam to Jerusalem. The CD is ready in time for Passover and makes the presumptuous claim that playing tracks
8, 9 and 10 (those with the circle of fifths) will cause guns to jam and misfire.
Lamb as militant artist? Wolf as a renewal Jew? Both channel to Jerusalem through Ofer and his musical crew. 12 eclectic songs and a prophecy.