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Friday November 30, 2007

Israel’s ‘Springsteen’ brings peace, love, harmony to KQED

by dan pine
staff writer

Like any rock star, Israeli singer/songwriter David Broza tours with a crew of roadies and technicians. For his latest concert production, he had to add someone else to the payroll: an archeologist.

That’s because Broza taped his upcoming PBS concert special at Masada, Israel’s ancient mountain fortress revered by Jews the world over. Nobody makes a move on that protected historical site without consulting the experts first.

Broza says he even had to have a rabbi present “to make sure there were no graves” where his team set up in the Judean mountain stronghold. “Playing on Masada,” he adds, “is a big deal.”

“David Broza at Masada” required a crew of 60, a $2.4 million budget and state-of-the-art HD and 5.1 surround sound technologies. It premieres locally on KQED on Thursday, Dec. 6, and will be repeated multiple times next month.

This marks Broza’s 14th annual concert at Masada and, like all his previous performances there, it is a sunrise show. True, dawn over the Judean Desert is a beautiful sight. But there are more practical reasons for starting the concert at 3 a.m., which is when it was taped last June.

“As soon as the sun comes up, you can’t be out there,” Broza said. “It’s 120 degrees in the shade.”

Most of the heat that night came from the performers. Broza’s guests on the show include American pop singers Jackson Browne and Shawn Colvin, both making a first visit to Israel .

At first, Broza’s muscular Hebrew anthems and flamenco-influenced guitar playing might seem a stretch from the California pop style of Browne and Colvin. But Broza has been a fan of both for years.

“[Jackson Browne] is someone who sings with integrity,” Broza said from his home in Israel. “He’s been a big influence on me, a great songwriting example. He’s been coming to my U.S. shows, and I just thought he’d be a great person to have on the special.”

Also on the show is a duet between Broza and Palestinian singer/oud player Ebrahim Eid. Joined by an Israeli-Palestinian youth choir, they perform their joint composition “In My Heart,” a plea for peace sung in Hebrew and Arabic.

Eid plays with an official Palestinian Authority band. Though he and Broza often work together, regional politics gets in the way of a deeper collaboration.

“They have a hard time,” Broza says of his friend’s ensemble. “They are very cautious. It’s not as if they can work with David Broza the Israeli, perform with him all over the world, then go back and walk the streets of Ramallah and be hailed as local heroes. They don’t have protection like we do.”

Broza has been in the limelight for almost 30 years. He spent his youth in Israel and Spain, where he developed a passion for flamenco guitar. Time spent living in the United States cemented an equally strong affinity for contemporary pop and rock. He blended those influences with his Israeli folk impulses, and 23 bestselling albums later he is called the “Bruce Springsteen of Israel.”

And like the Boss, he has also been a social justice activist. In his way, he has been a highly effective unofficial ambassador for his country.

“This has been my drive,” he says. “I love this country, and I really think there’s a misconception as far as the beauty of the culture and the incredible wealth of diversity. With so many immigrants from all over the world, whether one accepts it or not, it’s legit. It’s healthy.

“To discard [Israel] without looking at that insight is like taking a package beautifully wrapped and throwing it way before seeing what it contains.”

“David Broza at Masada: The Sunrise Concert with Jackson Browne and Shawn Colvin” premieres 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6 on KQED-TV. It will be repeated several times throughout the month.

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