Getting to know vocalist Ori Dagan

It’s surprises me to know that the last time I wrote anything for my blog was about a year ago and that was one of my “get to know” blogs featuring my Toronto based friend Maureen Kennedy who was coming to town to perform. Now, fast forward to May 2024 and I am going to introduce you Toronto based jazz vocalist Ori Dagan who is coming out on his first ever West Coast tour. Perhaps you know him already? Welcome to our beautiful province Ori!

Ori and I will share the stage for one concert on May 16^th we’re calling “These Are A Few of Our Favourite Tunes” at Brentwood Presbyterian Church in Burnaby and then Ori heads to the island where he will sing as part of a Big Band Festival in Nanaimo followed by a performance in Victoria and then he’ll return to Vancouver where he’ll perform his special “Rat Pack Songbook” tribute show on May 21^st at Tyrant Studios. As you can see he is a busy guy!

I’m delighted to have Ori do this Q & A with me and I hope you enjoy getting to know a bit more about this uniquely talented and hardworking artist.

K. Ori, you have performed many duets in concerts and for recordings. What are the aspects of singing a duet that you particularly enjoy?

O: For me what makes jazz music so interesting is the element of surprise – so it is always fun to work with different musicians, play for different audiences – and the best is if I manage to surprise myself! I find that duets always lend themselves to moments of surprise, especially when performed live. I have had the honour of singing with some of my favourite vocalists including Alex Pangman, Heather Bambrick, Simone Denny and of course, Sheila Jordan which was a career highlight! It is particularly enjoyable to do this with the standards we know and love and to see how another artist might approach something familiar and make it feel brand new.

K. Who would be some of your main influences in jazz that have helped inspire and guide you in music?

O: It was Ella who got me into the music, with her “Mack the Knife: Live in Berlin” album which I listened to over 10,000 times. My other big influence in terms of vocalists is Anita O’Day – absolutely love her sense of time, use of dynamics, creativity in arranging and her ability to reinvent the familiar. Louis Armstrong I adore forever for the joy, the swing, the love. Carmen McRae is someone I greatly admire for the depth of her interpretation – there is never an instance where she isn’t truthful, and when she takes liberties with melodies these always manage to enhance the lyric.  Of course I adore Billie Holiday – it took me a few years to get into her approach but now I can never get enough. Sarah Vaughan is another one who is almost superhuman in terms of how she makes virtuosity seem effortless – a true goddess of music.  More and more I realize that Mark Murphy is a huge influence of mine, especially when I find myself exploring the possibilities of a song and stepping outside of the box. I am not generally a fan of choral singing in jazz but I absolutely adore Lambert, Hendricks & Ross as a collective and individually – such intense creativity and pure genius in those recordings. Sheila Jordan is like my spiritual grandmother – not only for her brilliantly original approach to singing but also for her role as a “jazz ambassador” which I strive to live up to as well. Besides all of these vocalists I get a lot of inspiration from horn players – saxophone is my favourite instrument to listen to and some of my favourites include Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Don Byas and Arnett Cobb to name a few.

K. When you listen to recordings do you listen to CD’s, Vinyl or do you prefer streaming platforms?

O: I love collecting vinyl – have to stop going to these stores for a while because I have no more space haha. Generally I don’t buy CD’s anymore unless there is a good reason (e.g. a live album by Anita O’Day in Tokyo!) or if I am supporting a fellow artist. I do listen to streaming for the convenience of it. Everyone please check out Bandcamp!!!

K. When you write songs do you sit at the piano or do you do that away from any instruments?

O: It is strange but for me songs just come out of nowhere and I have to run to the piano to try and lay them down. The challenge is always FINISHING the song – this could take months or in some cases years.  Hoping to become more disciplined about songwriting as the years go by, maybe one day I will work on it every day. As the great Sheila Jordan says, “dedication is the key” and I think that applies to everything in life and music.

K. What are some factors you look for when you are putting bands together for your various shows? Do you look for specific qualities in the musicians you like to work with?

O: YES! I love to work with musicians who have good positive energy, who smile, who listen, who swing, and who have a good time.

K. Do you have a specific vocal regime that you use to prepare for a gig?

O: I have a classical vocal exercise that I go through, but I am not too religious about it, just a few minutes in the shower.  I do sing just about every single day whether it’s at my gig, a jam session, a friend’s gig or on a walk, so I find that keeps my voice in pretty good shape.

K. Other than jazz-based music are you drawn to any other genres?

O: Anything that has heart and soul and especially creativity! I only don’t connect very well to heavy metal music because I find the instrumentation to be a bit jarring….but I am always open to something new.

K. What do you find the most challenging aspect of being a musician?

O: Staying positive in the face of regularly being rejected; making a living in an industry that is barely functional from an economic standpoint. And yet I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world!

K. Do you have any advice for young budding musicians who are very early in their musical development?

O: Yes – dedication and discipline, and then go out there! Jam. Listen to others. Meet others. Support others. We have to help each other – community is so important. 

K. Are there any special projects coming up in 2024 that you are very excited about?

O: I just launched a brand new project: The Rat Pack Songbook with jazz orchestra, which debuted in Quebec last month.  I will be performing it again May 18 at the Nanaimo Big Band Festival with the Vancouver Island Repertory Jazz Orchestra and am so looking forward to this!  Also I am working on a brand new album in collaboration with master pianist Hila Kulik and one of my greatest inspirations Jane Bunnett, stay tuned at @oridaganjazz! 

Thank you Ori. Wishing you every success on this tour and, of course I am excited about sharing the stage with you this month!

Here’s a link for our “These Are A Few of Our Favourite Tunes” concert: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/these-are-a-few-of-our-favourite-tunes-ori-dagan-karin-plato-in-concert-tickets-884263063627?aff=oddtdtcreator

And here is a link to Ori’s website for all of you: https://oridagan.com/home

Sing a Song of Summer 2020

Summer 2020 is officially here! I love this season: the endless flowers, the long days, the sun’s heat and, often there are camping trips and garden party get-togethers with friends.  This will be a very different kind of summer for everyone due to the current pandemic. Typically this month, I am preparing music for various  music camps that I teach at each summer season however,  all those camps are cancelled for this year.

Since the very beginning of the pandemic I have been able to shift most of my voice and piano students to an online platform. There certainly have been some major challenges along the way and, this method of teaching has required a great deal more work and preparation and flexibility however, I do appreciate the fact that in this current world, I am able to connect with my students and remain safe and distanced and yet still share the beauty, creativity and joy of music making and learning.

“adapt, modify, be positive”– those have been my key words in teaching online music to people of all ages.

I am aware that there are many people who are missing the experience of singing with others or, they are missing the in-person experience of sharing music in a lesson. Some people (perhaps especially the ones who are living alone?) are missing their social circles and have expressed a sensation of feeling anxious, sad, and frustrated with this current and continuing reality.

Over the past month or so I have designed a virtual song camp that I will offer online this coming July called “Sing A Song of Summer” I am really hoping that this song camp will bring some much-needed joy and connection to people who love to sing. I have been researching music that was made popular in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Some of the songs that were pop hits in the day are recognized as jazz standards while others were blues or country hits.  I have gathered “famous, familiar and perhaps forgotten” songs that have lovely melodies to sing and a potential for easy harmony parts.

Through the magic of the internet I will invite interested participants into my music studio each morning in this virtual song camp. One fact that has come to mind and which makes me rather excited is that people from various Provinces and States and, even those living in other countries could feasibly attend this song camp. Although my studio is located in Vancouver, BC you can live anywhere in the world and it may be possible that you can participate.

In my mind the type of person who might enjoy this song camp would be someone who longs to sing but wishes they could do so with accompaniment; a vocalist wishing to extend a current repertoire or someone who considers themselves a poor singer. One fact about this online camp is that people will see and hear me on the screen (piano and voice) and they will SEE others on the screen but not hear anyone else. So, you could feasibly sing your heart out and no one will be able to criticize how you sing! This is not a technique camp but rather a sing ’cause you love to sing camp.

I’ve got a lot more to say about the 2020 virtual song camp, but this blog is already longish. People interested can email me directly about the cost and other specifics: karinplato@shaw.ca

Have a safe summer everyone! K

What’s Your Story Morning Glory?

August greetings everyone! Here in my Vancouver garden the flowers seems content with today’s refreshing rain. Moments before the rain really kicked in, I ran outside to take a photo of my Morning Glory flowers. I love this blue! It’s a good day for me to write a blog about some of the music related projects in my life right now.

I have a new recording which will be officially released in December. It’s called “I’ll Send This Dream” and it is dedicated to the memory of Nancy Thorwardson, a musician who really made an impact on many people with her songs, her sense of humour and her engaging personality. She is dearly missed. Check out more about Nancy at her website: https://www.nancythorwardson.com/

I consider myself lucky to make music with and record with mandolin star John Reischman and incredible guitarist John Miller.  I admire and respect the musicality of both these men so much! Recording engineer Marc L’Esperance  was able to record us “live off the floor” here in our dining room and I am very happy with the end result. It’s natural and unadorned and just the way we like it! We recorded some beautiful jazz standards and we also included some original songs. We’ll be performing a CD release concert later in the year. Thank you to Paul Norton for the graphic design:

I’ve been putting the finishing touches on the next Joy of Jazz Concert Series for 2019-2020. These concerts take place at Hood 29 on Main Street and this year we’re presenting the concerts on Sunday evenings: October 27, December 15, February 23 and April 26. These are early evening concerts starting at 7:30 PM so even people who are working the next morning will (hopefully) consider attending. This is my labour of love series! I am part of each concert however some of my personal pleasure comes from hearing my fellow musicians in performance together and in solo presentations as well. Web-Meister Paul Norton will have the new website up and running soon. Here’s a link to last year’s series: www.joyofjazzconcerts.com 

Take a look at who is involved in the 2019/2020 series!! Yeah, it’s going to be a doozy…

There may be one more “Plato Pop Up Performance” which will be part of this series in 2020. I’m still scheming…

Enjoy the rest of your summer days everyone and thanks for reading my blog.

Karin

IS MUSIC AN ACQUIRED TASTE?

There is something that I have been thinking about on the “surface” level for the past several days since hearing an interview with a beloved CBC radio host who is retiring after many years of being on air. This is a host for whom I have much appreciation. I have listened to, met in person and enjoyed speaking with her. Something was said in a final interview that has stayed with me for some reason. This is not a direct quote since I cannot recall the specific words but something to this effect was said:“classical music does nothing for me”. Yes, I know and agree that everyone has a right to have their own opinion about the music that they love. I also know that in my case I am lucky that the music I love today “came” to me after a somewhat slow start i.e. I did not like it when I first was exposed to it.

“Jazz” to me was a cacophony when I first heard it being played instrumentally in a live setting and on recordings as well. I couldn’t make sense of it and I certainly could not understand how my friends (classical musicians) were so enamoured with it. It was classical music that I loved and studied and it was the rock and pop music of my generation played on the radio that I was drawn to. Somehow over the years I did come to truly appreciate jazz in most of its incarnations and I continue to love and listen to classical music, folk music some pop and rock music and some world music. I am lucky to have had teachers and friends who kept suggesting various recordings and artists to listen to and to learn from. I’m glad I listened and that I decided to “work” on my listening and listening tastes.

I try to remember to keep an open mind and not to judge what I am hearing too quickly. The concern I have is that I am aware that both jazz and classical music seem to be failing at attracting larger audiences. I see this when I am attending some jazz concerts and classical concerts and of course I am aware that jazz clubs and venues come and go over the years with the poor club owners struggling to keep their business afloat. I observe diminishing audiences for classical concerts with fewer younger people attending.

Now, I see a new responsibility for myself as a musician and as a music teacher. I must assume that many people in the general population may feel as the radio host does, only loving or appreciating one form of music. I believe it is important to broaden ones horizons in the music that we listen to on recordings and at concerts. I believe that it is important at a cultural and community level to at least explore and experience some music and art that is not necessarily familiar or immediately appreciated by us as music lovers. That is not to say that all art or all music is good and deserving of an audience.
Certainly within each most genres the crème de la crème will rise? Is it naïve for me to think so? I hope not.

I hope that if I attend a jazz festival and listen to artists I have discovered on the radio and on recordings I have purchased that I will also then make an attempt to see new artists that I have not yet discovered; perhaps selecting a direction in the music that I am not immediately drawn to. The example would be deciding to attend an adventuresome jazz ensemble not playing traditional jazz, i.e. exploratory improvising jazz or “free form” jazz. It is my opinion that without expanding ones horizons in the area of music we purchase or go to see/hear, we cease to grow as listeners and might become stuck in believing that only John Coltrane is valid or Miles Davis or Brad Meldau etc. and that classical music has “nothing to offer”.

As a music teacher I believe I must keep offering my students various forms of music to study and encourage them to give certain pieces some time before deciding whether or not they like it. Some may wonder why people keep playing and listening to the “old dead guys music” (classical music) but there is a reason that we do continue to study the music and perform it and work at the skills required to do so. The melodies, rhythms, excitement, emotional range, complex orchestrations, challenges in technical ability, dynamics and surprise elements are some of the reasons.

In jazz of course we have the world of improvisation, the re-invention in the moment that exists in playing in ensembles or even as a soloist. I believe great jazz musicians share some of the very same skills that classical musicians work at achieving. The “cacophony” I thought I heard in my early days of hearing jazz when I thought none of the musicians were listening to each other was in fact careful listening from each of the musicians. Perhaps I was overwhelmed with what I heard at the time and I had to learn to truly hear it and understand. Perhaps some classical music requires the same care and “practice” so that the music can make sense to the listener? I am not sure about this. I just think that both classical and jazz music are too important to be ignored or judged with a swift decision.

It is all music! It requires facility, commitment, artistry, interpretation, listening ability and endless practice to perfect one’s technical and artistic sensibility. Unfortunately one other thing that jazz musicians and classical musicians share is the fact neither is the “popular” form of music now-a- days.

I encourage people new to either genre to try a taste of jazz AND classical music. Try a few tastes in fact because, sometimes music could be an acquired taste. You might fall in love with a flavor you didn’t initially like at all…

Beethoven and classical music

One of the composers who continues to inspire and delight listeners and musicians alike…I am a jazz musician but I also cherish the listening of classical and other music genres.