It should come as no surprise to find saxophonist Shlomi Goldenberg having a stab at some jazzy interpretations of the hits of Ofra Haza.
By BARRY DAVIS
Those not fully familiar with the jazz genre may not be aware of the breadth of the eclectic territory it incorporates. Take, for example, the infectious and eminently danceable swing rhythms of the likes of clarinetist Benny Goodman, from the thirties and forties of the last century.
Then, put that alongside the avant garde explorations of saxophonist John Coltrane of the early and mid-sixties, and the later rock-inflected jazz fusion efforts of the likes of Miles Davis and Weather Report, and you get some idea of just how far the jazz terrain stretches.
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise to find local saxophonist Shlomi Goldenberg having a stab at some jazzy interpretations of the hits of Ofra Haza. This Wednesday, the HaSimta Theater in Yaffo will host Goldenberg and his band in a program based on some of Haza's best known pop numbers, as well as her versions of such standard fare as "Dror Yikra" and "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav".
Ofra Hazza, who died seven years ago at the age of 42, came from a Yemenite family and was arguably the country's most successful pop singer of the 1980s and early 1990s, winning worldwide acclaim and playing to huge audiences all over the globe.
After initially following a Yemenite-tinged pop route, Haza found her big success in the international world music field.
Considering the definitively wide area the world music genre covers it seems only natural that Goldenberg, together with his band and vocalists Hagar ben Yehudah and Yaala Kappakh, should try to push the envelope even further.
The Ofra Haza song jazz concert will take place Wednesay at 9:30 p.m. at Jaffa's Hasimta Theate
r, Rehov Mazal Dagim 8, Old Jaffa, (03) 681-2126.