Black jacket portraits by Peter Nguyen/ Blue jacket photo by Dan Brown
JAMES STRECKER: In what specific ways has COVID-19 changed your creative life in the arts?
ORI DAGAN: Cancelled gigs included my first tour of Quebec and my first European showcase opportunity, but I am very lucky because most of my out-of-town gigs will be rescheduled as opposed to cancelled, thanks to my agents at Station Bleue. The main thing that changed in my own creative life – and personal life, see below – is not being on the Toronto jazz scene at all hours of the night. Whether I’m playing a gig, absorbing inspiration of a concert, sitting in with my friends or trying out a song at an open mic I’m at one of these places on far more nights than I’m not. So, it has been a bit of a shock to my system to say the least to be home so consistently.
As a performer I’ve adapted to the situation by creating an online gig, live streaming from my Facebook page. I started this on March 27th which was Sarah Vaughan’s birthday and have since kept it going every Thursday night. The transition from performing in the clubs to performing to social media has been challenging to say the least. In the clubs I had the luxury of collaborating with other inspiring musicians; online, to accompany my singing I’ve had to brush up on my piano chops which were getting rusty. It’s also quite different not to see and hear an audience. On the plus side, I’ve been able to reach audiences far beyond Toronto, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. More than ever I think that people feel the need to escape, to be entertained, to smile, to cry, to feel joy or catharsis through song. I am really grateful to be able to still connect with people through music.
JS: How creative are you feeling with COVID-19 on your mind?
OD: I have been feeling very creative as a musician and have been focusing my energy on practising the piano, which is a discipline I have struggled with my whole life. So that has been very positive and productive. While I have not yet been able to translate that creative energy into songwriting yet, I’m working on incorporating this into my routine. In January I got approved for a FACTOR grant to write an album of original music and I am planning on writing a song, if not several songs, inspired by our current situation. There certainly is no shortage of inspiration in these surreal times.
JS: In what specific ways has COVID-19 changed your personal life?
OD: Being home all the time is a huge change! I have to hand it to my husband for being so supportive of my career and accepting the fact that I’ve been usually out at least 5 nights of every week – it has been quite nice to spend more time with him. We have been eating at home almost every night and I shamefully admit that I don’t cook but he is inspiring me to learn. With a background in filmmaking, he has played a big role in my career as the producer of all my music videos. He now produces my weekly show on Facebook, making sure it looks and sounds as good as it can technically. We recognize that we are lucky to have one another and are doing our best to be there for our family and friends however we can.
JS: What are your primary worries, at this time, about the present situation in the arts because of COVID-19?
OD: There are so many in our industry who are struggling – artists, venues, industry members – without work for the foreseeable future. The hardest part about it is the uncertainty. Not knowing when this will change, and not being able to plan for the future. I’m grateful that for the time being the Canadian government has been supportive of arts workers, and hope that it will step things up with small businesses including music venues as the crisis unfolds.
JS: What are your primary worries about the future situation in the arts because of COVID-19?
OD: Frankly it is quite scary. I worry in particular about the future of live music and the survival of live music venues. Our line of work as musicians was already in danger before this epidemic, with many music venues struggling to stay open in the 21st century due to astronomic costs of running shop contrasted with the decreasing need for consumers to leave their house to be entertained. My hope is that whenever things return to a more “normal” routine, patrons will be so inspired to go out and support the music after having this freedom taken away so suddenly.
JS: What are you yourself doing to get through this time of crisis?
OD: Music is everything to me and being able to connect with people through music is a gift I cherish. The Facebook Live performance series on Thursday nights has been keeping me focused and sane. Last week I did a show that was entirely by request and the response was overwhelming! I took 22 requests, all of which were given to me in advance and included some songs I learned for the occasion. I did not want to leave anyone out so I fulfilled all of the requests and the show went overtime by 25 minutes. It has been amazing to see the generosity and kindness of people tuning in and supporting this endeavour, sending tips if they are able to do so.
A few weeks back I was selected to be part of the #MusicTogether series which was sponsored by Ontario Creates, Arts & Crafts, Shopify and Slaight Music. So, for that particular episode, I wanted to pay it forward by supporting a charity. I announced that half of my tips that week will go to the Daily Bread Food Bank. It was amazing to be able to raise $212 – according to the charity’s website $1 buys a nutritious meal so that was 212 meals! I am very much inspired right now by kindness and looking for more ways to work with charities.
JS: What are other creative people you know doing to get through this time of crisis?
OD: Everyone has their own way of dealing. I have friends who have completely lost their inspiration to make art, while others like myself are more driven than ever to channel creativity and find new ways of reaching audiences. Besides live streaming, while others have found ways of editing videos together so that music can be produced in a time of physical distancing.
Artists are often extremely sensitive humans, so I think the most important thing is for us to be able to reach out when we need to in order to maintain sanity. Staying safe and staying sane. Overall, I think one of the greatest blessing through this crisis is that we can remain connected virtually – otherwise the forced isolation would truly be dangerous to our well-being.
JS: What are the saddest stories you’ve heard about creative people during this time of COVID-19?
OD: The absolutely saddest has been the people we have lost to COVID-19: heroes like John Prine, Ellis Marsalis, Lee Konitz. Most of the stories I hear about artists involve cancellations of shows, tours, etc which are sad but not tragic in a health crisis. I feel that we are pretty lucky to be living in Canada – I can only imagine the many struggling artists in the United States with a far less stable situation there. This is a time where being kind, generous, and conscious has never been so important.
JS: What are the most encouraging or inspiring stories you’ve heard about creative people during this time of COVID-19?
OD: I have been particularly inspired by artists who are adapting to the crisis in positive ways. For example, the Niagara Jazz Festival, run by husband and wife team Juliet Dunn and Peter Shea, has been presenting an online series of performances and interviews with Canadian artists. Singer-pianist Jim Clayton does a live stream literally every single night at 9pm to raise money for the Glad Day Bookstore Emergency Fund. My friend Laila Biali launched her March 27 album “Out of Dust” as planned despite having to cancel a massive tour; she recently embarked on “Quarantunes,” a series in which musicians in her band recorded their parts separately and were edited to still produce beautiful, engaging videos.
My friends Jennifer Walls and Heather Luckhart, who normally host “Singular Sensation: A Monthly Musical Theatre Open Stage” and “120 Blues Night” at 120 Diner respectively, have both adapted the event online for Facebook, and as a result members of our community are able to connect with one another in a time of isolation. Beyond the Toronto jazz community there are some incredibly inspiring stories, most notably rock band The Arkells, whose lead singer Max Kerman has been doing a daily Instagram live show at 1pm which includes tutorials for fans on how to play the band’s music. The recent telethon #StrongerTogether featuring Canadian artists was beautifully done, with over $8 million raised for Canadian Food Banks through the single “Lean on Me.” Plenty of kindness, positivity and inspiration exists in the face of this crisis.
JS: How can we support people in the arts during this difficult time?
OD: Musicians can be supported in many ways. For those of us who are able to perform via live stream, there is usually a way that you can contribute specified. You can also buy recordings from musicians’ websites, or through a great platform called BandCamp which waives its fees on the first Friday of the month so 100% of the contribution goes to the artists (#BandCampFriday). I have a lot of colleagues who are offering music classes online – I feel that is an amazing way to support a musician while at the same time developing one’s own musicality, a total win-win!
JS: Finally, what specifically can we do to support your life and work in the arts?
OD: I would be so grateful to folks who are able to be part of my live stream show on Thursdays. As we speak, I am getting ready for the first “double-header” as I’m trying a 2pm slot in addition to the 7pm slot – two live shows. The stream goes live on my page at www.facebook.com/oridaganjazz and the schedule is on my website. The show is free to watch, and while tips are appreciated there is absolutely no expectation as I know many folks are in hard times. That said, if you are watching and enjoy the show, a “share” on social media goes a long way to helping any artist spread the word about what they do. Besides tuning in to my show folks can support my music by buying CD’s from my website: www.oridagan.com.