The 1960s had the Swingle Singers, the 1970s had the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the 1980s had Bobby McFerrin, the 1990s had Stomp. Now the Voca People (you read right: no "l"), from Israel, look to be, YouTube and Facebook helping, the sensation of the decade.
There's eight of them, each an orchestra section his or her own. David Boaz and Yinon play drums, does sound effects and other percussion instruments. Eyal Cohen sings, plays the tuba, the electric and acoustic guitar and the bagpipe. Zora Adi does vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion instruments, the trumpet and strings. Oded Goldshtein is a brass section, and so on.
With this catch: None of them actually plays an instrument. They each are their instruments. Their vocals do the trick(s). Remarkably, wonderfully so. They also dance, act and mesmerize.
If you're hooked into YouTube this isn't news to you. Voca People's brief history of music, a three-minute romp from Bach to "Who Let the Dogs Out," logged close to 600,000 views since going up in March. Not as much as "Jill and Kevin's Big Day" (you know, that wedding video that's become so infectious (2.7 million views) it hijacked the wedding scene on "The Office" last week). But still: for an Israeli group just coming out on the the world scene, agents must be taking notice.
The group itself is directed by an Israeli-based company that calls itself Lidor Productions and publicizes the group a bit too cheekily, to not say dishonestly: nowhere does it advertises the fact that they're Israeli. What it does say, with too much cuteness for my taste, is this: "The Voca people are 8 friendly aliens from the planet Voca, a musical planet that has no verbal communication but use vocal expressions only. They have heard the music from earth for decades now and with their imitation abilities they have decided to pay a one evening tribute to humanity and to perform the songs they love as musical- gratitude."
Great, but it's not as if Israel and aliens are mutually exclusive (alienation all sorts, unidentified flying objects included, being an essential character of Israeli history).
The Voca People's show is a full-length production that can run up to 100 minutes with a repertoire of songs that cover every imaginable (if overwhelmingly western) musical era, with extra emphasis on the recent, the pop and schmaltzy. Then again, that's how this sort of group has been seducing the masses all the way back to your more off-the-wall troubadours of Medieval Italy.
Voca People haven't toured North America yet. They managed a tour of Brazil, including Rio, which seems to be getting all the best acts lately. But they're looking north. Their YouTube impact suggests that it's just a matter of time before they break through in entertainment meccas. Too bad most of the Middle Eastern world, where the mere act of being Israeli is an interdiction, won't see those aliens.
See Also:
- Beethoven Under Barenboim's Israeli Baton in Cairo
- Boycotting the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra
- A Palestinian Youth Orchestra Demolished By Small Minds
- Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World
- Censoring Israeli and Palestinian Art
Comments
who said middle eastern are so stereotyping? The fact that they are Israelis are one thing, and being a brilliant musical act is another. So please don’t say would you don’t know
There are no Middle Eastern stereotyping in the post.
Most Middle East countries are boycotting Israeli artists and therefore they miss some of the best performances act from Israel and even the world , including Voca People and Mayumana , another groundbreaking sensation from Israel.