98: Noa and Gil Dor
Achinoam Nini was a 20 year old aspiring singer who had spent much of her childhood New York before moving back to her native Israel because of a man who she says drove her “bazoozoo”. Gil Dor was a 37 year old session guitarist, jazzman and the founder of a prestigious music school outside of Tel Aviv. As soon as they met, the two began working together and quickly formed a musical bond. Within a relatively short amount of time, they got their first major record deal as well as the approval and encouragement of guitarist Pat Metheny who would produce their first big record and help introduce them to a larger audience.
That was 25 years ago.
Since then the two have made 15 records together, traveled the world, playing in some of the most prestigious venues and sharing the stage with many of the finest musicians around including Sting, Stevie Wonder Andrea Bocelli, Carlos Santana, Sheryl Crow, George Benson, Johnny Clegg, Jorge Drexler, Joan Manuel Serrat, Miguel Bosé, Donovan and many more.
In this week’s Spotify playlist hear some of the songs we discuss in our conversation. Listen here.
We met recently in New York while they were on tour to talk about their quarter century long creative partnership, how popular culture has developed in Israel, how they handle the responsibility of their success in such a politicized and charged atmosphere.
Noa and Gil shared their unique and provocative viewpoint on Israel, describing the “war between the Jewish people and the State of Israel” and explaining in beautiful terms why “language more than anything else is the ultimate instrument of equal opportunity.”
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