S

ince her time as an elemen-
tary school student in Newe
Shalom, a multi-ethnic vil-
lage on the Latrun hilltops in Israel,
Sivan Arbel has tried to live in a
world without parameters.
And that’s particularly true of the
now Brooklyn-based singer, pianist
and composer’s music — including
her new album, “Oneness.”
“I’ve always been very interested
in different sounds and rhythms
from around the globe,” Arbel
explains via Zoom. “I just soak in
whatever I’m interested in within
that time. You study it; you think of
the technicality of it and the com-
position and everything that comes
with it. I call it the sponge; you just
squeeze the sponge, with everything
I’ve cultivated and soaked in, and
then whatever comes out comes out.
“I really try not to judge it or have
an agenda for it. Whatever came in
came in, and whatever comes out
comes out.”

A NEW SOUND
The nine-song “Oneness” came
out of Arbel’s experience during

the pandemic. Unable to perform
live to continue promoting her sec-
ond album, 2019’s award-winning
“Change of Light,” she decided to
immerse herself in studying classi-
cal Indian music, a style Arbel says
was always a bucket-list endeavor.
She also moved during that time
and wound up, coincidentally, in
the same building as Jay Gandhi, a
bansuri flute master and member of
the Brooklyn Raga Massive — and
an enthusiastic tutor in her new
pursuit.
“We really dove into basically him
sharing a lot of that knowledge with
me,” recalls Sivan, who recruited
Gandhi to join her and her regular
trio on the new album’s expansive
opening track, “Dreamland.” She
was also inspired by Shakti, a jazz
fusion band that incorporated
Indian elements into its sound.
“Diving into that world created
a big shift in how I sing and my
creation of music. The singing tech-
nique of the classical Indian music
is very different than what I’m used
to; I’m used to moving and a lot of
standing, and in classical Indian

music you sit, and each note is like
its own universe, not a culmination
of notes like a scale. So, it was very
different than learning ‘do, rei, mi...’
“So that, and also the rhythmic
approach to how you play around

with the rhythm when you sing, that
was different.”
And, Arbel is quick to note,
her study hasn’t stopped since
“Oneness” was recorded.
“I still immerse myself in it,” she
acknowledges. “I’m still meeting
with Jay and I’m still in it, and it’s
just a dream come true ’cause I was
always interested in it. I feel like I
need five more lifetimes in order to
get a deeper understanding of it.”

ARTISTIC INSPIRATION
Arbel’s artistic interests began
young, even though hers was a
household of appreciators more than
practitioners. However, she says, “I
think that if my dad would pursue
music, he would be an amazing
musician. When I play him some-
thing, he hears everything, and I
don’t know how. I think he has real-
ly good ears.”
Her siblings also learned to play
musical instruments, while music
videos on MTV inspired Arbel “to
want to learn how to sing and dance
like some of the artists I saw.”
She took voice and dance lessons
as a youth and taught herself piano,
finding a pathway into jazz via

ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC

Israeli artist
Sivan Arbel
releases new
album.

GARY GRAFF
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

50 | DECEMBER 19 • 2024
J
N

Sivan Arbel has
toured the world
as a singer.

DANIEL GAN