Nahal Band Review
The fifties
The Nahal Band was established on November 3, 1950, from members of the youth movements and Nahal core groups, at the initiative of Ze'ev Havzalet, the first education officer. Among its founders were Giora Manor (as the band's commander), Yossi Banai, Yona Atari, Drora Chavkin, Avraham Forman, Geula Levavi (Gil), Azriel Polani, Esther Greenberg (Shebek), Ze'ev Hillman and Shmuel Shai, who performed the band's first program, "Mirik is Getting by". Its musical director was Dovi Seltzer, who composed its first songs for the band.
The band performed for soldiers, but did not record any recordings. Among the songs of the first lineup were "Nahz Khel Shlet" (Zeev Havzalet/Dubi Seltzer), "Hora Ya'Hatzu" (Yehiel Mohr/Dubi Seltzer), "Ya Yerach" (Yehiel Mohr/Dubi Seltzer) and "Hora Mamtatra" (Yehiel Mohr/Moshe Wilensky). The band's dress rehearsal, which took place in a dimly lit movie theater in Ramat Hasharon, was almost its swan song. On stage, the band attempted to present a comedy, which, to say the least, did not amuse the staff officers present in the hall. "What do you want from them? The first show of the Cheesewatron was much worse!" said Haim Hefer, who was also present at the performance and thus saved the band from disbanding.
The second generation of the band, which included Haim Topol, Nechama Hendel, Aliza Kashi, Uri Zohar and Gabi Amrani, was the one who also recorded the band's new and old songs, and published them outside the borders of the IDF. The band's songs at that time, most of which were composed and arranged by Moshe Wilensky, gained popularity among the general public, including: "Ya Mashleti" (Yehiel Mohar/Moshe Wilensky), "Rachel Rachel" (Yehiel Mohar/Moshe Wilensky), "Hora Natgeber" (Yehiel Mohar/Moshe Wilensky), "Tothim Bimkom Garbim" (Haim Hefer/Moshe Wilensky), "Kiddat Almonit" (Yehiel Mohar/Moshe Wilensky), and "Hu La Yadea At Shema" (Haim Hefer/Sasha Argov).
The band's vocal director at the time was Yossi Wald, who composed the band's fourth and final song, "Zia Zia La Nzia." The other three songs were "Hora Ya'a'zat," "Hora Mamtara," and "Hora Natgeber."
In 1956, with the conquest of the Sinai Peninsula during Operation Kadesh, the band members hastily recorded a song that became a symbol of the war, "In Front of Mount Sinai" (Yehiel Mohar/Moshe Wilensky). Over the next two years, the programs Up to One Hundred and Twenty (1957) and We Must Live (1958) were performed.
In 1959, the programs "Not Leaving the Instruments and Generally" were performed, starring Arik Einstein and featuring Yehoram Gaon, Gabi Eldor, Aliza Rosenthal (Rosen), Gevrey Banai, Israel Polyakov, Hanan Goldblatt, Yoram Arbiter (Arbel) and accordionist Ami Gilad. The band's biggest hit during this period was "Autumn Wind" (Yehiel Mohar/Yochanan Zarai) performed by Arik Einstein. The band's director was Yossi Banai and the choreographer was Naomi Polani. Two years later, Polani gathered some of the band's alumni and founded the Roosters Band. The hits from these years were: "Twelve Tons" (Yehiel Mohr/Sasha Argov), "One Tall and Two Small" (Yehiel Mohr/Yohanan Zarai), "Vacation in Red" (Amos Ettinger/Sasha Argov), "Dina Barzilai" (Haim Hefer/Sasha Argov), "Vivoyo Gam" (Dan Almagor/Georges Bresnes).
Among the composers who wrote for the band in the 1950s were Moshe Wilensky, Haim Hefer, Yechiel Mohar, Sasha Argov, Ze'ev Havatzelet, Didi Manusi, and Ephraim Kishon. Kishon was the one who brought "Saleh Shabtai" to the band, a character who had been associated with Haim Topol for many years.
Early sixties
In 1963, the band performed the successful show "Sun in the Desert," which featured the new generation of band members: Aliza Itzhaky, Ronit Katz, Danny Kulish, Ruthie Bikel, Eti Mizrahi, Tuvia Kozlovsky (Tzafir), and the band's accordionist Yair Rosenblum. Many songs are remembered from this show, including "Tomorrow," "We Still Haven't Eaten," "Umbrella in Two," and "Hiding." All of the songs on the show were written by Naomi Shemer.
Before the great success, the band performed less successful shows: Is This Nahal This?, Holding on to Space, and Honey Drop. The last two shows produced a small number of hits, including "Anat" (Yehiel Mohar/Sasha Argov) with David Cohen's solo, "Flowers and Girls" (Yehiel Mohar/Sasha Argov), and "Song of the Guards" (Haim Hefer/Sasha Argov). The main reason for the lack of success of these three shows lies in the fact that at the same time, two successful ensembles were operating in the civilian sector, which included graduates of military bands: Besal Yarok and Tarngolim. These two bands achieved success mainly because of their great similarity to the military ensembles from which their members came.
Tuvia Tzafir, Aliza Itzhaky, and Danny Kulish remained for the band's 18th program, the Nahal Band for the 18th time (1964), and were joined by new band members such as Abi Kleinman (Koren) and Hanan Bolivsky (Yuval). The program was not a success, and the only song remembered from it is "A Quarterly Vacation", which was the first song composed by Yair Rosenblum.
A year later, the program from Nahal was performed with love, which was one of the band's most successful in the sixties. Among the band's new soldiers, Shula Chabinsky (Chen) stood out, who performed hits such as "He's Not So Smart" (Yorem Taharlev/Alona Tural) and "Ahad Holmani" (Tirza Atar/Alona Tural). Other hits that appeared on the program were "Serenade for a Woman" (Lea Naor/Moshe Wilensky), "Moshe Moshe" (Yorem Taharlev/Moshe Wilensky) and "Gvanim" (Haim Keinan/Yigael Gordon). The songs "Four After Midnight", "He's Not So Smart" and "Moshe Moshe" from this program were the first three songs that Yoram Taharlev wrote for military bands.
Before the Six-Day War, the company's 20th program, The Nahalaim Ba'im, was aired, which continued after the war. Yair Rosenblum was responsible for the arrangements and musical direction, Danny Litai helped him with the rhymes and the choruses, and Yossi Banai, a graduate of the company, was responsible for directing the sketches. Shula Chen, Sasson Kosovsky (Shashi Keshet), Moti Fleischer, Avi Koren, Menachem Zilberman, and Shalom Hanoch all stood in the darkness adorned with white gloves, and in a fluorescent light that turned their hands into wings, they sang "Ilo Zpivorim" (Jean Brussol/Jean Kalba/Naomi Shemer). Among the other hits sung on the program were "Geshem Boa" (Tirza Atar/Alona Tural), "Yishnan Bnot" (Yorem Teharlev/Yair Rosenblum), "Hayti Naar" (David Atid/Yair Rosenblum) and "Hallelujah" (Yair Rosenblum).
1967-1973 – The Peak
Yair Rosenblum and Danny Litai were also responsible for the 21st program of the Nahal Company, a program without a specific name but with songs that became hits, with members who are some veterans and some new to the company, and with a sketch director who is a veteran of the company – Yehoram Gaon. The program was prepared in record time of just a few weeks, replacing the Penny and the Moon program that was shelved after its premiere. The shelved program was directed by Naomi Polani, in the best tradition of the "Roosters", which enjoyed great success at the beginning of the decade.
The audience after the Six-Day War did not connect with the poetic choreography, the program was canceled, and Danny Litai was brought in from vacation to save the band. Many remember the program as Carnival in Nahal, after its biggest hit, but it had other hits such as "Shalva" (Avi Koren/Yair Rosenblum), "Beshmele Aduma" (Ruth Safroni/Yair Rosenblum) and "Ha'Haim Hifi" (Yaron London/Yair Rosenblum). In this program, Rosenblum introduced organ sounds (by Yuval Havatzelet, the virtuoso accordionist who successfully coped with the new electronic instrument) and electric guitar (by Danny Sanderson), which replaced the old accordion and marked a new era in the band, of pop music that was more in line with the musical trend in the world.
The band members also included Amos Tal-Shir (band leader), Menachem Zilberman, Ofira Gloska and Miri Aloni. During rehearsals for the show, Ofira Gloska, who previously served in the Nahal's live band, continued to perform as part of the band with the hits "Eucalyptus Grove" (Naomi Shemer), "Such a Singer" (Yaakov Rotblit/Nurit Hirsch) and "In Spring You Will Return" (Charles Aznavour/Avi Koren).
Miri Aloni was the star of the band's 22nd program, Nahal's Hold on Sinai (1970), with her solo segments in "Haban Yakir Li" by the Malevsky family of cantors, or in "Song for Peace" (Yaakov Rotblit/Yair Rosenblum), which caused quite a few debates. The opposition to the song came mainly from the Central Command Major General, Rehavam Ze'evi, who claimed that it was a defeatist song that desecrated the memory of the dead and could lower the soldiers' motivation. He forbade the band from performing this song, but in light of the song's rapid popularity, the band members sang it as an encore. Other songs and sketches in the program were the theme song of the program "Be'Hayaz HaNahal's Hold on Sinai", as well as "Achne and You" (Yorem Taharlev/Yair Rosenblum), "Street Song" (Avi Koren/Yair Rosenblum), "Tarantella" (Yorem Teharlev/Yair Rosenblum) and the telephone sketch in which the star of the show, Miri Aloni, participated. This show included Amos Tal-Shir as well as Gidi Gov, Yardena Feinbaum (Arazi), Ephraim Shamir, Yuval Chavatzel, Ruthi Holtzman, Leah Loftin, Danny Sanderson, Alon Olarchik, Tami Azaria, Meir Fenigstein, Amotz Bruntman, Tali Goldberg, Shimon Weizman, Yitzhak Ben-Melach, and Yuval Dori. The last three: Yuval, Itzik Weizman formed a trio in the reserves after the end of their long reserve service with their bandmates in the Yom Kippur War. In fact, this show by the Nahal band formed the basis for the two major entertainment ensembles of the later 1970s, namely the Kveretz band and the Chocolate Mint Gum Trio.
In May 1972, the company's 23rd program, The Palanchanik, was released, a grandiose production in the terms of the day, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Palmach. The Nahal's education officer, Lt. Col. Ze'ev Peleg, wrote in its program:
"We felt that we were privileged to present an unconventional program this time, a little more serious and requiring a certain amount of participation and identification on the part of the audience. We want the youth who are being educated in our ranks to absorb that pleasant and innocent breath of air, and that same brotherhood of the brave and willingness to sacrifice that characterized the Palmach generation at the time and the IDF today."
Benny Negri for the musical direction and Danny Litai for the direction and choreography were responsible for the palanquin, which actually consisted of two parts. The serious part, dedicated to the Palmach days, included songs such as "Ballad of Yitzhak Sadeh" (Haim Guri/Yair Rosenblum), "The Evils" (Haim Guri/Sasha Argov), and "A Repentance Speech to an Italian Captain" (Natan Alterman/Yair Rosenblum). The light part, which brought up children's fairy tales and brought a lot of humor and satire, included a humorous performance of the story "The Three Bears" in the style of the Pale Tracker. The band's members included Shimon Weizman (band leader), Ephraim Shamir, Gidi Gov, Yardena Arazi, Yitzhak Ben-Malech, Anat Mivar (Gov), Yehuda Ader, Dorit Pendrich (Sadeh), Reuven Gvirtz, Naomi Kafri, Yuval Dori, Moti Morel, Danny Par, Riva Schechter, Zvi Boms, Yitzhak (Ika) Sadeh, and Chaya Pick. The Palanchanik was the band's last major program, which marked the end of the Her radiance.
Late seventies
In 1974, another program was performed for the Nahal Band, The Story of a Band (Program 24), which told the history of the band and celebrated the jubilee of the founding of the Nahal. Esther Hirschberg, Michal (Miki) Kam, Itzik Geir, Guri Segal, the orchestra: Yehuda Ader, Arik Rodich, Eitan Gidron, Ron Fish, Sagi Karp and others did their best under the guidance of Danny Litai, and performed a program that received much praise, but was forgotten over the years.
The most memorable song from the show is a remake of the band's hit from the 1950s, "Vioyo Gam," performed by Esther Shamir, Mickey Kam, and Melly Mayo.
The Nahal Band continued to perform until 1978, performing shows that were based mainly on the band's hits from the 1950s and 1960s. Among the band members during those years were Shlomit Goel (Trigger), Racheli Haim, Milli Miren, Anat Topol, and Hani Nachmias.
The Nahal Band's last performance took place on October 29, 1978 at the Paratrooper's House.
The 1980s - Renewal
According to the decision of Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan, all military bands, including the Nahal Band, were disbanded in 1978. The band resumed operations in 1985, when the IDF decided to bring the bands back in full force. It aired the program "Renewal," which featured the hits "Sarit the Bookkeeper" (Shmuel Chizik/Ariel Zilber and Shmuel Chizik), "Hathadsot Acheret" (Naomi Shemer/Yuval Dor), "Shir HaSlang" (Koby Luria), and "El Hanahal" (Yorem Teharlev/Nurit Hirsch). As part of the "Shirutrom" broadcasts on Galei Tzahal, the band recorded the song "Drishat Shalom" with Yardena Arazi, which was also successful. Among the members of the group were Dafna Dekel, Reuven Lavie, and Ilan Leibowitz.
The band's next show, called Tel Aviv Is Not Worried, introduced new members of the band such as Yoav Tzafir, Ayala Asherov, Avital Pasternak, Shai Zornitzer and Mumi Levi and continued to release hits such as: "Sixteen, Sixteen" (Ehud Manor/Rami Kleinstein) and "Tel Aviv Is Not Worried" (Ehud Manor/Mati Caspi). The songs from this show and the previous show were released on records and were a great success.
A year later, the band's lineup, which included Oren Shevo, Sharon Haziz, Dana Berger, Tomer Sharon and Yoav Tzafir, was disbanded, as some of them were found to be smoking hashish.
Among the next programs the band performed were Beginnings and Nahal 90. Beginnings included songs by playwright Hanoch Levin, and the most memorable hit from it was the song "Dag Melohu Ve Te" performed by Yoav Tzafir to a tune by Korin Elal. A year later, on the Nahal 90 program, the band performed "Bneiich Merekh" (from the sources/Naomi Shemer), the service song of that year. The song was a success and a music video was produced for it, part of which was filmed at the airport, with the new immigrants who had arrived in Israel.
From the 1990s onwards, the band failed to stand out with new songs, and most of its performances were based on arrangements of songs by well-known singers.
Among the band's well-known members over the years are:
Yossi Banai, Yona Atari, Dovi Seltzer, Geula Gil, Shmuel Shai, Drora Chavkin, Haim Topol, Galia Topol, Nechama Hendel, Shushik Shani, Uri Zohar, Aliza Kashi, Gabi Amrani, Nira Adi, Yosef Org, Itamar Cohen, Yossi Frost, Arik Einstein, Yitzhak Shauli, Yehoram Gaon, Aliza Rosen, Gabi Eldor, Amiram Spector, Tuval Peter, Ami Gilad, Gavri Banai, Israel Polyakov, Hanan Goldblatt, Yoram Arbel, Geula Noni, Mordechai Arnon, Ruth Dar, Amnon Berenzon, Ora Morag, Aharla Kaminsky, Aliza Yitzhaky, Yehuda Ader, Yair Rosenblum, Tuvia Tzafir, Avi Koren, Hanan Yuval, Shashi Keshet, Moti Fleischer, Esti Katz, Eli Magen, Itzik Ben Melech, Miri Aloni, Itzik Weiss, Yardena Arazi, Amos Tal Shir, Shalom Hanoch, Menachem Zilberman, Shula Chen, Gidi Gov, Ofira Gloska, Ruthi Holtzman, Tami Azaria, Meir Fenigstein, Danny Sanderson, Alon Olarchik, Ephraim Shamir, Leah Loftin, Mickey Kam, Esther Shamir, Arik Rodich, Shlomit Goel, Anat Gov, Reuven Gvirtz, Dorit Sadeh, Racheli Haim, Efi Ben Israel, Hani Nachmias, Milli Miren, Anat Topol, Barak Galili, Dafna Dekel, Shai Zornitzer, Ravit Yosef, Ilan Leibovich, Avital Pasternak, Reuven Lavie, Momi Levy, Ayala Asherov, Uri Hochman, Rinat Emanuel, Yoav Tzafir, Sharon Haziz, Sharon Shahal, Dana Berger, Oren Shevo, Tomer Sharon, Gil Sasover.