Musicians from Broza to Nini keep the faith
We are all going through a tough time now, on all sorts of levels. Our livelihood is at risk and we’ve nowhere to go to get some much-needed light relief or cultural sustenance for the soul. Museums and galleries are closed, as are all music venues.
Thankfully, there is always the Internet to turn to. We can trawl YouTube or some other repository of archival material and catch some moment of magic from days gone by. But what about something new, something fresh, possibly something inspired by the current pandemic predicament?
Betwixt concerns for our own welfare – financial and existential – and that of our family and friends, spare a thought for performing artists whose onstage work disappeared overnight. Musicians and actors of all ilks suddenly find themselves with songs, entire show repertoires and ideas all good to go, and nowhere to go with them.
What does the abrupt discontinuation – postponement to some unknown date or total cancellation – of musicians’ gig schedule mean for them? What can they do to, somehow, overcome or, at least, offset the dearth of performance opportunities in these “Corona Days”?
Besides all the negative damaging aspects of the restriction of freedom, of movement and, hence, expression, perhaps the lockdown situation offers an unexpected – and probably unwanted – chance for introspection and considering a new take on the artist’s role and how they go about their professional business.
Achinoam Nini – aka Noa – has been strutting her stuff across the globe, to large audiences and on the odd auspicious occasion, including singing for a crowd of 100,000 at the Vatican, and Pope John Paul II, and representing Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest.
For Nini, it is more than about just making music. “I have always felt like a person on a mission… I’ve never been in the music industry for the money, and I don’t make much money,” she laughs. “So making less money now is not a big deal for me. For people whose whole life is oriented to humility and a sense of purpose – musicians who work from the heart – this crisis is less traumatic than for people who were making millions and are now making zero.”
Nini notes that, as a singer, songwriter and poet, she aims to touch people on some emotional level, and she is now doing that via the wonders of the virtual world. “What you dream for is for your words to reach somebody who needs them, who resonates with them, who can use them for solace, for energy, for medicine. I have an album called Love Medicine [which came out in 2015], and that was the idea behind that.”
She says the enforced curtailment of her live work is a blessing in disguise. “I’m a touring musician and I’ve been touring and traveling a lot. I am a free bird but, on the other hand, I was longing to stop the car, to write new music, to think thoughts, to write books. And now, with what has happened, that has been afforded.”
Having recently returned from the States, and come out of the ensuing mandatory 14-day quarantine, Nini is gradually getting up to speed with some new online offerings, which include tributes to places with which she feels strongly bonded.
“I feel that music has an incredible role to play in the lives of human beings right now. I wrote a song called ‘A Little Song for Italy,’ which you can find on Facebook and Instagram. It’s a folk song, sort of Joan Baez-y, in Italian and English. The Italians just adored it. I sent it out and people in Italy were so moved. People have been playing it from windows and balconies. I can’t tell you how wonderful I feel when I see that happening.” She has also put out “A Little Song for France” via the IGTV platform. “That is so rewarding,” she says.
David Broza is another of our globetrotting artists whose busy schedule disappeared in a puff of coronavirus constraint smoke. In happier, healthier days he divides his time between bases in New York and Tel Aviv. When I spoke to him, by phone, at his Stateside residence earlier this week he said he should have been on a plane to Israel, for rehearsals ahead of a concert at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in early April.
The singer-songwriter says he was stunned by the lockdown in the Big Apple but says he has no intention of hanging up his guitar, adding that he is inspired by the people around him. “I am so impressed by the initiatives of musicians, artists, professors, philosophers and poets who are uploading things to the Internet.”
Not being able to get out there in person is also something of a boon for Broza. “I have time to practice four to five hours a day on my guitar. I am hoping my new album will come out around July. But, for now, I will start putting out all sorts of things on Facebook – sing-alongs, quizzes on my music, giving the public something, something of value.”
He recently helped to instill a sense of togetherness among Israeli in the US. “I was asked to take part in an IAC – Israel American Conference – initiative. The IAC is a very large organization that connects Israeli in America. They asked me to join their Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony and sing a few songs. I was only too happy to do that. I set my Zoom camera on myself and played and sang for 4,000 Israeli families here.” And there is a similar Zoom session with the Jewish community of Argentina coming up too.
Broza feels virtual communication can actually bring people closer together. “There is a wonderful directness to all of this. You can sing songs straight from your own space, your own living room, for people in other places. That’s great.”
Rock artist Dan Toren says he has been walking the virtual walk for some time, and is well positioned for lockdown-era conveyance of some current zeitgeist creations. “I have been teaching music online, even before the coronavirus. The virus caught us ready and waiting,” he laughs. “We’ve already run two courses.”
Toren is also eager to keep his own creativity juices flowing, and proffering the resulting fruits to the world. “I am doing a song with [fellow rock singer] Django called ‘Not Alone,’ which I hope to put out there soon. I think the words are relevant for this situation of uncertainty – Not alone, even now, not alone, human touch. I think if that warms my heart it may do the same for others,” he chuckles. He says it is a two-way street. “It makes me happy to work. It allows me to get some relief from all this tension.”
Yehuda Eder has been highly active on both sides of the professional and educational divide for years. As a member of seminal seventies Israeli rock group Tammuz he was at the forefront of musical envelope-pushing. He continues to perform regularly, with the likes of seasoned rock drummer Meir Yisrael and, more recently, with stellar guitarist-vocalist Beri Sacharoff and with Swedish-born Israeli bluesman Andy Watts.
He also serves as president of the Rimon School of Music in Ramat Hasharon, and says he and his colleagues have had to redeploy in double quick time to keep the school activities rolling smoothly. “Within two weeks we carried out a hysterical revolution at Rimon. We are teaching 80% of our classes online, and with great success,” he exclaims.
He says that everyone concerned has risen to the challenge, and all concerned of reaping the benefits. “We have all learned how to improvise, to prepare ahead of time. There is tremendous energy around.”
In fact, the pandemic-induced circumstances did not catch Eder et al entirely napping. “We have been thinking of getting online work going for the past year,” he notes. “We have all sorts of collaborations in this area. People have been coming up with really great ideas for remote work together.”
Meanwhile, on a more individual front, as a performing musician things are less clear. “I have been playing with Andy Watts quite a lot recently, and we have 14 gigs lined up in July. We have no idea if that will happen.” But there seems to be no stopping the man. I intend to release a new album, together with [his rocker son] Alon Eder in about 10 days’ time. It’s going to be great.”
For now, we may not be able to catch our favorite artists doing their thing right in front of our eyes, but there seems to be plenty of the next best thing on offer.