One of the most famous riffs in modern Jewish music was originally a Girl Guides anthem before being popularized by an Australian rock band. Later, Yosi Piamenta, the famed Jewish guitarist who passed away Aug. 23 at the age of 63, adapted the tune on what is likely his most famous recording, Asher Bara.
You’ve probably heard it, perhaps at a Jewish wedding, where Asher Bara is a staple of the horah set list. It’s the song that sounds like Men At Work’s 1981 chart-topping Down Under, but with Hebrew words adapted from Jewish liturgy: Asher bara sason v’simchah/ chatan v’kalah/ gilah, rinah, ditza v’chedvah/ ahavah v’achavah/ v’shalom v’reut (“He who created happiness and bliss/ groom and bride/ joy, gladness, pleasure and delight/ love and harmony/ and peace and companionship”). It’s a surprisingly versatile piece of music – equally catchy in the original reggae-inspired, flute-enhanced version, glitzed up with a brass section, or ground down by fuzzed-out guitars.
Piamenta was a bona fide guitar savant. Discovered in Israel in his early 20s by sax legend Stan Getz, Piamenta would earn the moniker the “Hassidic Hendrix,” and yet his lasting legacy will probably be what is effectively a cover song, a playful if uncomplicated musical reconstruction. But if Asher Bara isn’t necessarily the best illustration of Piamenta’s genius, it nonetheless represents something powerful – an instance of creative transcendence, where Jewish art and pop culture intersect.
Those moments are rare – just ask Matisyahu, the Jewish reggae star recently targeted by the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. When he refused to endorse Palestinian statehood prior to a scheduled performance at a Spanish music festival, protesters demanded he be removed from the lineup. The BDSers were initially successful before a global outcry convinced concert organizers to re-invite Matisyahu. (For what it’s worth, Matisyahu claims he hasn’t “chosen a side” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.)
When he finally hit the stage just north of Valencia a couple of Saturday nights ago, Matisyahu, who famously used to perform in traditional chassidic garb, complete with tzitzit and payes, was greeted by as many as 20 Palestinian flags waving in the audience. The flags are clearly visible in video of the performance, including footage shot from behind, which allows viewers a glimpse into what Matisyahu saw as he prowled the stage.
Asked later whether he felt the incident was anti-Semitic, Matisyahu told the Jerusalem Post, “absolutely.” Still, he didn’t back down. He might have snubbed the Spanish audience after what was a concerted effort to censor his art, but instead he fought back the best way he knew how – by performing. His set included Jerusalem, one of his biggest hits, complete with a refrain – “Jerusalem, if I forget you, fire not gonna come from me tongue/ Jerusalem, if I forget you/ let my right hand forget what it’s supposed to do” – that recalls another classic from the Jewish wedding playlist, Im eshkachech Yerushalyim (“If I forget thee, Jerusalem”).
In that, Jerusalem clearly echoes Asher Bara, and it seems fitting. Piamenta’s greatest hit busted through artistic barriers. Matisyahu appears tasked with making sure those barriers stay down. — YONI
