Gilad Atzmon

45
Gilad Atzmon bigraphy, stories - Israeli musician and political activist

Gilad Atzmon : biography

June 9, 1963 –

Gilad Atzmon ( born June 9, 1963) is an Israeli-born British jazz saxophonist, novelist, political activist and writer.John Lewis , The Guardian, March 6, 2009Mary Rizzo, , CounterPunch, June 17, 2005.

Atzmon’s album Exile was BBC jazz album of the year in 2003.Gilad Atzmon,, The Daily Telegraph, October 13, 2005 Playing over 100 dates a year, he has been called "surely the hardest-gigging man in British jazz."John Bungey The Times, March 6, 2009 His albums, of which he has recorded thirteen to date, at Gilad Atzmon website. often explore the music of the Middle East and political themes. He has described himself as a "devoted political artist."Stuart Nicholson , The Spectator, August 9, 2003

A profile in The Guardian in 2009 which described Atzmon as "one of London’s finest saxophonists" stated: "It is Atzmon’s blunt anti-Zionism rather than his music that has given him an international profile, particularly in the Arab world, where his essays are widely read." His criticisms of Zionism, Jewish identity, and Judaism, as well as his controversial views on The Holocaust and Jewish history have led to allegations of antisemitism and racism, Hope not Hate web site, November 24, 2011 from both Zionists and anti-Zionists.

Writings

Atzmon’s political writings have been published in CounterPunch,Examples of Gilad Atzmon in CounterPunch: , August 28, 2003; , July 10–12, 2009. Al-Arab online,Atzmon articles published by Al-Arab online include , April 28, 2010 and , May 5, 2010. Uruknet,Gilad Atzmon, , Uruknet, March 3, 2007. Middle East Online,Examples of Gilad Atzmon in Middle East Online: , September 22, 2009; , October 20, 2009. The Palestine Telegraph,Example of Gilad Atzmon in The Palestine Telegraph: , June 7, 2010. Aljazeera MagazineExamples of Gilad Atzmon in Aljazeera Magazine: , July 30, 2008; , October 22, 2009. and Aljazeerah.info.Examples of Gilad Atzmon in Aljazeerah.info include , August 12, 2006; , May 24, 2010. (Note neither is connected with the Al Jazeerah news network.)

Novels

Atzmon’s A Guide to the Perplexed, published in 2001, is set in 2052 when Israel has been replaced by a Palestinian state. It largely reviews memoirs of the alienated Israeli Gunther Wunker’s rise to fame as a "peepologist," or voyeur. The perplexed are defined as "the unthinking Chosen" who "cling to clods of earth that don’t belong to them." The novel excoriates what it describes as the commercialization of the Holocaust and "argues that the Holocaust is invoked as a kind of reflexive propaganda designed to shield the Zionist state from responsibility for any transgression against Palestinians." A reviewer for The Independent wrote that "Those who still thrill to the pages of Sixties underground "comix" may find some of this amusing, however laboured. Yet even those semi-sympathetic to its politics will find it cheap and "provocative" in the worst possible sense." He also wrote that the book has "just enough connection with reality to give it a certain unsettling power" but concludes "His writing, alas, represents a completely false start."Matthew Reisz , The Independent, December 7, 2002 The Guardian observed it is "odd to mix knob gags with highly serious assertions" but thought it works because "Atzmon writes with so much style and his gags are so hilarious."Darren King , The Guardian, January 25, 2003. Publisher’s Weekly noted "Atzmon clearly wants to provoke, but his approach is so familiar that few readers will take the bait.", Publisher’s Weekly

Atzmon’s second novel, My One and Only Love was published in 2005, and features as a protagonist a trumpeter who chooses to play only one note (extremely well) as well as a spy who uncovers Nazi war criminals and locks them inside double bass cases which then tour permanently in the protagonist’s orchestra’s luggage.Sholto Byrnes The Independent, March 25, 2005 The book also is comedic take on "Zionist espionage and intrigue" which explores "the personal conflict between being true to one’s heart and being loyal to The Jews"., BBC Cambridgeshire, June 3, 2005