74 | SEPTEMBER 2 • 2021
Another composition is
“Triple Helix,
” a concerto for
clarinet in three movements. It
was commissioned by Carnegie
Hall and Symphony Center
Presents in Chicago.
The ensemble considers its
attributes to include being very
collaborative, open and free to
create strong and memorable
moments on stage. Tentet is a
tongue-in-cheek title for the
10 musicians. The appropriate
name for a 10-piece ensemble
would be dectet.
LIFELONG LOVE OF MUSIC
“I always knew I liked music,
”
said Lev-Ari, who takes on inde-
pendent initiatives in composing
and arranging and has worked
on more than 1,000 projects for
chamber and wind ensembles,
big bands, orchestras and jazz
combos.
“I grew up in a family where a
career in the arts was not impos-
sible. My late father was an actor,
so I knew I could have a family
and be an artist.
“I got serious about music
when I went to high school. I
didn’t need any prompting to
practice, and I think that’s a sign
that you can’t really do anything
else. I spent my Israeli military
service with the Israeli Defense
Forces Orchestra.
”
While in the military for three
years, he performed on piano
and saxophone. Afterward, he
earned a bachelor’s degree in
jazz composition from the New
England Conservatory of Music
in Boston and decided to settle
in New York because of the jazz
opportunities.
With diverse interests, Lev-Ari
established a record label, Anzic
Records, with Anat Cohen, a
friend since high school. The
label releases their projects and
the work of others.
“The impetus to creating
the label was to keep complete
control and ownership over our
music, which is both an artistic
and a business goal,
” said Lev-
Ari, who occasionally performs
for the congregation at B’nai
Jeshurun in New York City. “I
learned a lot about how business
is operated and conducted, and
that’s a net positive.
”
Another interest is studying
the way music is perceived. He
works with neuroscientist Beau
Lotto, first paired in a perform-
ing arts program by presenter
NationalSawdust+ in Brooklyn.
“The truth is the way we
experience music has to do with
environmental and biological
aspects,
” Lev-Ari said. “One of
the best examples is that musi-
cians know different halls of
various sizes will have an effect
on how fast or slow they play a
piece. You tend to play a piece
slower in a bigger hall where
there’s a lot of reverberation.
”
While work slowed during the
pandemic, Lev-Ari returned to
piano performance digitally to
accompany his wife, jazz singer
Amy Cervini. The programs
originated in their living room
and may continue depending on
how quickly they return to their
usual commitments.
Their favorite number was
a version of “New York, New
York,
” which they purposely did
in a very different style from the
upbeat approach made a hit by
Frank Sinatra.
Two projects are moving Lev-
Ari away from the pandemic
limitations. He is composing
numbers for The Three Cohens
— clarinetist and saxophonist
Anat and her brothers, trum-
peter Avishai and soprano saxo-
phonist Yuval. He also is prepar-
ing a program for a German big
band.
continued from page 73
ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC
This new year as we dip apples in honey,
we refl
ect with hope for sweetness
in the year to come.
Your generosity sweetens the experience
of Jewish students at MSU Hillel
and the Hillel Campus Alliance of Michigan
We wish our donors and friends
a year of good health, happiness and peace.
President Patrice Morris Phillips, The Board
of Directors, Staff and Students of MSU Hillel
and the Hillel Campus Alliance of Michigan
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