The Six-Day War and its glorious conclusion swept Israeli society into a wave of euphoria.
After the war, victory albums and victory songs were released, glorifying the IDF and its heroism. Nimble impresarios collected 12 songs that dealt with the new reality and produced a record titled: "Jerusalem of Gold - Songs of the Six-Day War," named after its first song, the most significant of those days, which expressed the sentiments of Israelis after the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The album, which sold over 100,000 copies, ushered in a new era in Israeli music.
The beginning of the era was marked by a heavy dose of patriotism – songs of praise for the IDF and the heroic soldiers, for the Western Wall and Rachel's Tomb, for Israel, which was a small country and suddenly became very large, from the Golan Heights to the Suez Canal. Then came waves of Israeli military ensembles songs, and Hassidic music, and rock and pop songs inspired by the music played in Europe and America.
Aris San's Greek style receded to the sidelines of the musical arena.
His personal life underwent a upheaval after he separated from Aliza Azikri, his partner in romantic and professional success. He tried his hand alone, and released solo records with Hebrew songs, which sounded inferior and were less successful. His versions of songs he wrote for Aliza Azikri sounded less good and were less successful.
He returned to releasing records in Greek and added songs in Spanish and a few songs in Hebrew.
The song "Tel Aviv" from 1968
To listen on YouTube - click on the image or here
Aris San did not entirely fade from culture.
His widely publicized separation from his beloved made waves, adding a scandalous touch to his colorful persona. He continued to perform and fill halls and clubs, gaining admiration among his home audience and in other sectors of Israeli society.
He pampered his home audience with the song "Boom-Pam."
This was an unusual and revolutionary song, even for Greek music lovers, due to its length – about 7 minutes, and also because of a long instrumental section integrated into the song, a virtuosic guitar performance that was a tribute to the Arab singer Umm Kulthum.
For lovers of Hebrew songs, he brought the song "Sigal," another song written for him by Yehuda Ofen. The song was swallowed up among the stream of songs born daily in the 'Listener's Choice' segment of the hit parades, and did not receive proper attention in the written media, but it was also a hysterical, cross-sectoral and cross-ethnic hit. In both elite culture and underground culture.
For a moment it seemed that here was the man who would build the bridge between cultures in Israeli society, but the bridge was too shaky. Irrelevant. Other bridges were built, made of different materials.
The music industry began to flourish, and the country filled with Hebrew songs, both old and new, with rich productions and arrangements. Graduates of Israeli military ensembles, and duos and trios who emerged onto the musical scene, taking over the arena and becoming sought-after stars in performances and on records. They enjoyed the adoration of teenagers, and their songs were ranked on the hit parade that determined fates and decided who would be popular and who would be forgotten and disappear from the scene. Greek music was swallowed up by the turbulent musical waves.
Aris San had no chance against the Israeli military ensembles, against the native-born Israeli creators and singers, who rode the wave of euphoria sweeping Israeli society, harnessing it to strengthen the rooted Hebrew identity in Israeli song.
Sigal was, most likely, his last Hebrew hit.
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Aris San "Sigal" live performance
To watch and listen click on the image or on the link here
Aris San "Boom Pam"
To watch and listen click on the image or on the link here
From the peak he reached at age 30, he could only descend.
Aris San was not only a talented musician but also a businessman with developed business instincts, who knew how to identify his situation in time. A few forays for invited performances in the United States hinted to him that there, in America, big money was waiting for him, and he began to prepare accordingly.
In the late 1960s, he reduced his appearances at his nightclubs in Israel. He flew around the world and filled concert halls in America, Britain, Greece, and Turkey.
Last contracts were signed, and just before he finally decided to leave, with his suitcases ready for the flight, he still wanted to receive recognition from the Israeli cultural establishment, recognition that would call his departure into question and perhaps persuade him to stay.
He submitted his candidacy for the "David's Harp Award," which was awarded to Israeli creators in various fields, and was considered one of the most prestigious awards in Israeli culture. This award was supposed to admit him into the cultural hall of fame.
He didn't win.
Instead of receiving institutional recognition, he received public recognition.
The record with the song "Boom-Pam" sold over 100,000 copies and earned him a "Gold Record" from the music industry – an achievement no Israeli artist had received before him, and it was the second in the industry's history.
This was a fitting response from his lovers and admirers of his songs, to the record that did it before him: "Jerusalem of Gold - Songs of the Six-Day War."
This was a consolation prize that could teach about his ability to make money from his musical talent. A lot of money that he would leverage for the next chapter in his career.
In life, everything passes" - Aris San in a 1972 recording
To listen on YouTube click on the image or click here
He chose to live the next chapter of his life in America.
Just 13 years after he landed by boat on the shores of the State of Israel, a penniless Greek boy, with a small suitcase in one hand and a bouzouki in the other – he left it by passenger plane to New York, as an admired star, a wealthy businessman paving his way to good business in the United States, "the land of unlimited possibilities."
In 1970, he arrived in America where he opened a nightclub and performed before a diverse audience of Israeli "yordim" (emigrants), local Jews, and Americans who loved his unique style.
His dreams came true, and he prospered in business.
He did not forget Israel
Every year he left the club to give a few performances in Israel, volunteered to perform for soldiers in the Yom Kippur War, appeared on television, and brought his fans back to waves of nostalgia, keeping him in their consciousness.
His good life in America lasted 15 years, during which he became addicted to drugs, got involved in criminal affairs, served a prison sentence in an American prison, and lost money, assets, and the reputation he had painstakingly built.
After serving his sentence, he tried to regain the honor he had lost among his music admirers in Israel. In 1988, he released a new record, with some new songs in a slightly different style than what he had accustomed them to – romantic and melancholic songs, sweetish, in the Italian San Remo style, with large orchestral arrangements, and almost without the sounds of his famous guitar.
The record was not very successful, even after he was invited for a television interview to tell fans what was happening with him and what he was going through. The interview did not bring him back into the embrace of Israelis.
Since then, and for a few years, nothing was heard of him.
His fans in Israel did not really know where he was or what was happening to him, and it seemed he had been lost in the depths of collective consciousness.
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In July 1992, Israelis learned that Aris San had died of cardiac arrest in Hungary, at only 52 years old. To the main news, vague details were added about his last years, his entanglements, and what he had been doing in Hungary.
As the years passed, more and more details about his life emerged, all made of the stuff of a fantastic story. These materials were processed into journalistic investigations, a documentary film, and articles in all media, attempting to shed some light on the mystery.
And all that remains is to cherish his musical legacy.
In the few years he lived among us, the Israelis, he managed to create, out of nothing, an innovative musical style, drawing its sources from Greek and Turkish music, combining embellishments from Arabic music, and presented through an electric guitar aimed at the spontaneous emotions of the listener.
After he left Israel, his style entered a long slumber that lasted several years, and reawakened without him.
His successors adopted his style and his anger and frustrations with the establishment, which did not grant him a proper place in the Israeli Hall of Fame.
With all this, they brought "Mizrahi music" into the world, which was meant to rectify the injustice and place it at the forefront of a struggle that is both musical and social.
This is the last chapter out of six chapters in A Musical Biography of Aris San. Aris San was a singer, composer, and original creator, who developed and promoted Mediterranean music in Israel, and paved the way for the breakthrough of "Mizrahi music" in Israel.
For reading all chapters of the series - in the table of contents at the following link:
