Heiman through the years

Heiman is a product of the first Nachal Song Troupe and was founder of the Gevatron Choir.

By VIVA SARAH PRESS
heiman 88 (photo credit: )
heiman 88
(photo credit: )
NACHUM HEIMAN The Best of Nachum Heiman (NMC) NMC's "The Best Of" series continues with composer Nachum Heiman. This collection includes 42 of his works including "Shir Ahava Katan," "Nahal Hataninim," "Anshei Hageshem," and "Shuvi Bat Yerushalayim." The anthology offers a look at the world of Israeli song from the perspective of one of the country's most loved and productive composers. A former member of Kibbutz Beit Alpha and a graduate of the Rubin Conservatory in Jerusalem, Heiman has worked with many of Israel's leading singers including Meir Banai, Chava Alberstein, Nurit Galron, Haparvarim, Korin Allal, Zemed Darom, and Arik Einstein. Heiman is a product of the first Nachal Song Troupe and was founder of the Gevatron Choir. In addition to composing popular music, Heiman is renowned for his film scores (The Milky Way, Athalia, Company Jasmine), for which he received several nomination nods from the Israel Film Academy. About 15 years ago, Heiman published a book, Fifty Years of Song and Stories, in which he tells the story of his career and work with domestic and international artists. Heiman is quoted as saying, "The biggest gift God gave me is not my talent, but the fact that I was born without either ego or envy." This NMC collection provides a taste of Heiman's bountiful output. DANNY SANDERSON Congo Blue (Hed Arzi) Danny Sanderson's important position in the local rock scene is hard to dispute. From Kaveret to Gazoz and Doda, the input of the multi-talented Sanderson has been great. Since going solo some 20 years ago, local music fans have been treated to a slew of hits such as "Halo Noda," and "Etzel Hadoda Vehadod." The first class guitarist, who was born in Kfar Blum and spent his childhood in the US before returning home to Israel, recently released another solo offering, Congo Blue. The album includes 13 new tracks. For the album, Sanderson, 55, hooked up with Izabo's guitarist/lead singer Ran Shem-Tov and, together, they produced a satisfying release. The much younger Shem-Tov's participation propped Sanderson's sound with an up-to-date ring. However, critics from Ynet and Mekor Rishon, note that Sanderson's material is usually better when he's not the front man. While Congo Blue has its hits - "Shoshana," "Mishkefet," and "Ata Shazuf" - they say none of these tracks are likely to become super hits like those Sanderson created for others over the years such as "Afifon" for Yehudit Ravitz. In fact, the last album Sanderson released, back in 2001, titled "Toldot Hamayim," validates this notion. A collection of works composed/written by Sanderson and sung by others, the album went on to sell tens of thousands of copies. Taking the reins on Congo Blue, Sanderson's performance is good-plus but not wow.