Life & contribution
Baghdad-born oud player, composer and singer associated with the professional musical culture of Iraq and later with Iraqi Jewish musical traditions in Israel.
Detailed biography & historical context
Baghdad-born oud player, composer and singer associated with the professional musical culture of Iraq and later with Iraqi Jewish musical traditions in Israel.
The documented record currently assembled for Ezra Aharon (Azuri) includes the following: Born in Baghdad in 1903, he became an oud player and composer and was performing for King Faisal I by the early 1920s. He represented Iraq at the 1932 Congress of Arab Music in Cairo and later directed Arabic-music ensembles for the Palestine Broadcasting Service and Israel Radio.
This career documents the central role Jewish performers, composers and ensemble leaders played in the formation of modern Iraqi urban music. It also helps explain how Iraqi musical traditions continued after migration through radio, recordings, performance and teaching.
Archive classification: Music & Composition. Recorded life dates/status: 1903–1995.
This profile synthesizes the documentary sources listed below; where the record is limited or contested, the dossier avoids unsupported detail.
Additional documented context
- Born in Baghdad in 1903, he became an oud player and composer and was performing for King Faisal I by the early 1920s.
- He represented Iraq at the 1932 Congress of Arab Music in Cairo and later directed Arabic-music ensembles for the Palestine Broadcasting Service and Israel Radio.
Documentary references
Additional biographical details are tied to the source records below.
Permanent ID · IJHDA-PER-0020
This biographical figure record is integrated into Discover Jewish Iraq from the Virtual Embassy’s Iraqi Jewish heritage collection.