The other week we went to a concert at the Jerusalem Theater, produced and introduced by Astrith Baltsan, a well-known Israeli pianist and lecturer. She welcomed three musicians: a flutist, an oboist, and a cellist. Each played some brief, familiar classical pieces.

She then turned the proceedings over to her husband, Moshe Zorman, a celebrated composer and arranger. He led the rest of the concert in a series of old Israeli songs. It came as no surprise that most of the concertgoers were old Israelis.

Some of the songs went back to the pre-State era. Most spanned more recent decades. The last segment was devoted to the songs of Matti Capsi, the legendary Israeli singer-songwriter, who had passed away that very day.

My wife and I recognized a couple of the earliest pieces. We heard them years ago on Theodore Bikel records. The rest were new to us, though certainly not to rest of the audience, who clapped and sang along. We loved watching them enjoy themselves. We liked the songs too, though perhaps not in the same way.

Zorman introduced the Israeli song segment. He spoke of the “American Songbook,” which is made up of classic songs from the 1920’s through the 1960’s. George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and others wrote them. Singers like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald performed them.  Zorman pointed out that these classic songs are available to the general public in simple arrangements, so ordinary people can play them. A good many have been embroidered by jazz musicians.

He has been........

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