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October 31, 2008
Ethnic-influenced jazz
Cohen shows off her Yemenite roots in concert.
RHONDA SPIVAK
Award-winning Israeli singer and songwriter Michal Cohen is recognized for the unique way in which she fuses the ancient sounds of her Yemenite heritage with contemporary jazz.
Cohen's soaring vocals and soulful compositions opened this year's Richardson Partners Financial Israeli Concert Series at the Rady Jewish Community Centre in Winnipeg Sept. 20. She performed songs from her Henna Project, which she has been performing in North America and internationally since the release of her acclaimed debut album, Henna, in early 2004.
Cohen said that her work originally blended ancient Yemenite melodies with modern electronic beats, but after becoming involved in the New York jazz scene, she adapted the project into music that she calls "henna jazz."
She explained how she chose the word "henna" to describe her music. "As a child [born in Israel to Yemenite parents] I lived in the Yemenite town of Rosh Ha'ayin. I remember going to henna parties, which are traditional Yemenite wedding parties for women. At these parties, there were wonderful old ladies that used to sing and tap on big cans used for storing pickles. They would remove the pickles and make this emotional and happy music. Years later, when I started with the Henna Project, I asked my mother to take me again to a henna party, so that I could remember everything about them."
According to Cohen, in Yemen, Jewish women were not allowed to sing in Hebrew, as it was considered a sacred language; instead, they wrote music in Arabic Yemenite. "This music was mostly about love that's happening or happened or that is forbidden. I remember my mother singing and humming all the time while she cooked. As a child I heard this and that ethnic music influenced me," recalled Cohen.
Cohen, who performed as a lead singer in an army band during her military service in Israel, said that the Henna Project was born after her father passed away in 2000. "His passing made me look back more into my tradition and that's how this project was born."
The song that is most dear to Cohen's heart is titled "Aluva," which is "a song about my father and my brother, both of whom passed away. It's very emotional and sad, but it has an optimistic side. It's about the worth of living your life [fully], rather than just floating through it."
As a child, Cohen said she sang every kind of music that she heard. "I never thought that singing would be a profession for me ... but I listened to all kinds of music," she said.
After receiving a scholarship to the Berkley College of Music in Boston, where she graduated in 2000, Cohen remained in the United States until a year and a half ago, when she returned home to Israel.
"Going to the United States is tricky. Once I finished studying, I began to feel out the music scene. You get caught up because there are so many things going on in New York where I moved to. So I stayed and stayed. At one point I realized I would know when it was time to go back. And that's what happened.... I am glad to be back. I am happy to be with my family, even though the music scene is a bit smaller in Israel than New York," said Cohen, who now lives near Tel-Aviv.
Cohen's vocals have appeared in two movies – Historias Minimas by Carlos Sorin and Divan by Pearl Gluck – and she has been featured on BBC London and PBS.
Cohen said that after a concert in Germany, " a woman told me that she could hear all of my cultural roots from my voice."
In Winnipeg, Cohen performed with Ted Poor, a drummer with whom she usually performs when in New York. She also was accompanied by local musicians Myron Schultz on clarinet, Steve Kirby on bass and Will Boness on piano.
Cohen, who was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and has been the recipient of the Vocal Jazz Cleo Laine Award, said she is currently working on a new CD, which "will be out in a few months.
"The new CD of my music is going to be electronic, but it will have all kinds of influences," she said.
Rhonda Spivak is a freelance writer who divides her time between Winnipeg and Israel.
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