Podcast 992: A Conversation with Sivan Arbel

At its heart, Oneness is Israeli-born vocalist/songwriter/arranger Sivan Arbel's musical response to the divisions she sees in society. Seamlessly blending Eastern and Western influences, she invites listeners to embrace their cultural and ideological differences and yet recognize the universal connections that bind us all. A tall order in late 2024. Oneness echoes this hopeful idealism by envisioning what is possible. Growing up in an environment where diverse cultures coexisted fueled her lifelong curiosity and desire to explore and integrate different musical influences. As a follow-up to 2016's Broken Lines and 2019's Change of Light, which was selected as Best Vocal Disc of the year by Jazz2K, the album stands as a major statement from a developing artist. The concept for Oneness started to take shape in 2022, during a week-long residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in New Hampshire, where Arbel and her band -- pianist Nick Hetko, bassist Sam Weber, and drummer Evan Hyde -- were awarded a retreat. The resulting work was honed before live audiences before recording the music, bringing to fruition Arbel's lifelong exploration of unity through diversity, drawing from her experiences both in Israel and Brooklyn.  In Podcast 992, Sivan and I talk about the tunes on Oneness, from her own  "Second Floor Beloved," a deeply moving narrative about a homeless man on the Tel Aviv boardwalk sung in Hebrew, to the classic Tears for Fears song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Her fresh, soulful interpretation of that iconic tune infuses her rhythmic and harmonic flair into a brand=new musical statement.  Sivan Arbel will be presenting the album release show on December 18, 2024 at 8PM at the New York City club Nublu.