Devorah - The Artist Known As Soul Improvisations Interview - The Final on Vinyl Podcast

Devorah - The Artist Known As Soul Improvisations has arrived! We talk about her journey and her music.

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:14

Hello everyone. This is Keith MuzikMan Hannaleck with the Final on Vinyl Podcast and today we are with Devorah, who goes by Soul Improvisations, uh, an artist who has um decided to come on board the final and vinyl podcast today, and I'm very grateful for that. I just had the pleasure of listening to her solo piano music. Um I I would say it's based in classical, um, with a very new age depth to it and content. It's titled From the Depths, and um I believe it came from the depths of her soul. She's been through a lot in her life, and welcome aboard.

Speaker 2 0:54

Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 0:58

Thank you for coming. So as I said, you you've you've been through a lot personally over the years and you know, for different uh things in in the past, you were a lawyer for many years. And just wondering um that that aside, all those personal things, uh what exactly brought you to the point to get you to the piano and um did you start playing when you were a very young girl? Uh what are some of the influences you had? And you know, basically what what got you to this point today?

Speaker 2 1:36

Sure, sure. So I'll make an abbreviation to a very complex story which is also set forth on the website with a little more details, but essentially I started when I was five, and you know, whenever I hear music or think about music, I just light up. But unfortunately, due to my circumstances, there wasn't support for music. I I really wasn't able to continue. I took on and off lessons, you know, private lessons, and I did piano competitions when I was in elementary school, and then I wanted to be part of a band, they didn't have a piano, so I played the alto saxophone. I loved that, and I was a drum major in high school, but again, I wasn't allowed to continue beyond that, so I was very focused on sports and other things. But essentially in high school, I took a class, uh psychology class, and we got to a unit on Abraham Maslow, and they were talking about the hierarchy of needs and actualizing your potential, and that was a very emotional experience for me because I realized that music and the piano, it's really my true passion, and that's the self-actualization for me is doing my music. So I really just embrace that part of my soul that yeah, you can't deny this passion, it's such a gift, and so I loved listening to the local radio station, which was a classical station, and at that point I just convinced my parents to allow me to take some lessons so I could learn. I wanted to learn the Schumann piano concerto in A minor. I just loved the romantics. I fell in love with when I heard it on the radio, so I got a teacher who to do the second piano part, and I ended up playing that at the community college, but there was a lot of you know pressure to do another major, so I ended up having a double major in the College of History and Political Science as a pre-law um you know preparation, but I just knew I couldn't live without some music in my life, and namely, you know, playing the piano and just being with my instrument, even though I was separated. So during college I just took it upon myself to learn the Beethoven source, and so I got my I got into um to that and it was really on and off just to keep me going. But as you can imagine, you know, when you're doing teenagers, you didn't have you don't have a lot of time. So and then once I uh at the end of those four years I I performed that one with the local community college because my piano teacher who did the second piano part was was part of the orchestra. And that was wonderful. But one big music memory I have which left I I always remember is I had to do a scholarship competition to afford the lessons, and I remember fondly when I was leaving the audition room, one of the judges said, Wow, what a waste of a great pianist. Now she's going to law school. I guess she was telling that to her colleague, but she happened to say it, you know, louder I could hear it. So I remember that fondly. It always stayed with me, but you know, there were so there were some believers, but unfortunately I I just didn't have the proper support. So in a nutshell, to you know, in terms of my musical background, you know, I never had the privilege of going to a music school or ever really immersing in music. And so I went to law school, and then that was really a a final kind of end, unfortunately, to doing you know more of that even on the side. And and then I hit the crossroads. Speaking of crossroads, you know, you mentioned some of my background, you know, I have been having a lot of challenges. So prior, you know, about three years ago, I hit a crossroads with, you know, health decline and things like that. And I just had a reckoning, you know, having worked 17 years as a lawyer, you know, with with young children as a single mom. Now, I just hit a reckoning in that with with God, with my creator, and I just realized, you know, wow, that I had it would be canceled. I w if I didn't get the proper, you know, surgeries, I wasn't gonna make it. So that's when I really had a moment where I said, you know, I always love music. Whenever I passed by a piano, I cried because I wanted to be there and I was separated. Or I've heard gorgeous piano music on the radio. I just had so much love and music in my heart, but I was separated. So at that moment when I knew, wow, here I am, you know, at it was I was 45 at the time, three, you know, and I just said, God bless me, it was such a gift, but I never had a chance to even live my mission. So I made a decision, you know, in terms of dedication. I just said, look, you know, you get me through this one. If I have the chance for a new life, I'm gonna go against what everyone told me, all the naysayers, all the pressure. Even though it was a 45-year investment, I'm gonna follow my soul. Even though I had no support, pedigree, or real musical training, you know, aside from these on and off lessons and really self being self-driven by passion, uh, you know, God blessed me with a talent. He gave me a passion and excitement, a tremendous love for music. So I'm gonna dedicate whatever life I have, if I'm given, you know, one, to helping as many people as possible and becoming as prolific as possible. And just spreading this music around the world to touch the lives of people. So thankfully, you know, uh last April was was really the last of the five uh procedures that you know advanced me enough to be able to move on. And so I'm just so happy, Keith, to to be where I am now in producing music that is from my soul, and that's my brand. See, my company, my artist's name is soul improvisation, because my music, I'm an improvisational composer. My music is truly from the soul, from my heart. Um, you know, for whatever reason. Um God has blessed me with so much love in my heart. My kids say, you know, you have such infinite love, but you know, unfortunately, that's this little 45 of your chapter was was very heartbreaking. But now I'm that I'm reunited. I just want to share that with as many people and help people. And you know, that's how my music comes about. It's through emotion and it's through wanting to help. Like I know you particularly enjoyed the Keep Hope, which is my first track on the album. And, you know, uh also the titles of my pieces really reflect not only some aspects of the composition's mood, but also my overall personality and my belief. Uh so Keep Hope came about one day, you know, several years ago, I got a call from a stranger who happened to get my number from someone who who knew that I could help this particular woman. She was facing some issues, and then she got to talking, and she and I found she just sounded so hopeless and so down that she had young kids and pain and medical. So after we spoke, I just I just said, You gotta go to the piano, Divore. Just you gotta play. I felt so inspired to play her something to make her feel better. So I got my voice recording on my phone. And that's what I usually do in my improvisational process because as you can imagine, my time's limited, so I don't have huge blocks of my instrument, but I do a lot of my composing and brainstorming when I'm here or there, whether it's driving the kitchen, taking people places. So anyway, I I just sat down for five to ten minutes cold. I said, Okay, Deborah, look, just see what comes out. So I started, and then I liked where I was going, so I kept going, and then I just said, Well, gee, you know, and then someone happened to ring the doorbell, but I said, you know, you shouldn't go too long, because you're just sending this to someone, you never know. And that's kind of one of my problems is I just get rolling, I get so excited, and to make my composition five or less is is quite challenging. Uh so anyway, after that I sent it to her as like a text message or something, and then a few hours later, she called me, she sent me that, she said, I am just overjoyed to tell you what your music did for me. I listened to it over and over, I cried, I feel so happy to be alive. So at least it's an experience like that, which told me victory. That's my whole mission. Look, mission accomplished. And that's what I've been doing.

Speaker 1 11:26

It sounds like I I had this thought while you were talking, and I I could see it's like you were in a cocoon and you broke free and now you're just flying away. You know?

Speaker 2 11:41

That's so beautifully put. Yeah, I just feel so privileged in today's life, of course, to be not only alive and having my basic needs beginning to be met, even though it was a long tool, but now we can share music all around the world. What a privilege it is to be able to touch the lives of people, strangers, with my music. And for them to ch to say they have changed based on me just sitting down for five to ten minutes, and then they re-listen, and that was just an improvisation, you know, where I was recording it with what you know, a cell phone. It's it ri these memories and the power of music produced by someone with the motivation of you know, heart and love and healing and just helping people be the best they can be. You know? It's a supportive role.

Speaker 1 12:42

It wouldn't be fair to the world if you didn't do what you did, you know? And if you think about it for a moment, a lot of the great composers put together their concertos on the piano. And the piano to me and I and I've said this before, to me it's like a built-in orchestra. And whoever's behind those keys is the conductor. That's what it sounds like to me.

Speaker 2 13:12

I I really agree. I I love the piano and I I just love all these sounds and the ability to create. Um someone was hearing one of my compositions and says, Wow, you have turned this into a whole orchestra. Uh, and I I feel like that's a great compliment because that's my goal to create these lush melodies. And I always, you know, I tend to go to have counterpoints and so much so much layering. I I just love that. And for whatever reason, I tend to gravitate to the heart-centered keys, uh, despite you know, whatever I might be feeling, and I you know, I go with that too. But the piano is such a beautiful instrument, just the acoustic traditional model is has such beauty, and I really believe as advanced as technology is today with respect to music, nothing can recreate a soul, a soul of man. You know, we're all so gifted and so blessed in whatever capacities, and that's something that distinguishes my brand. My whole company and focus is on the soul that we are here to really flourish, and you beautifully expressed, you know, flying like birds, and it often does take a toll, and I have gone through that. I feel I can relate as a person and musician to people of all walks of life, and many people have told me you convey that so expertly with your music of the humanity, the unity of of the beauty of everybody's soul.

Speaker 15:02

Yeah.

Speaker 1 15:05

You know, I think about everything you've said and um after hearing your music and and writing about it um to me it seemed like you went through a healing process before you got started. Then you went through another healing process by creating the music. Is that right?

Speaker 2 15:24

I I definitely find that creating music and composing is one of the most rewarding and healing experiences. So I really do agree with you because music and art, in my opinion, the that those creative realms take you to a fourth dimension of life. It it very much is divine, godly, uh of what it's really not a religio you know, it's not about religiosity, it's just a spiritual beyond this natural physical world experience. And I believe it has tremendous healing power. So for me to be privileged of creating the music and sharing it with others, but then by being a vessel, that's really my goal, and that's how I operate, is to be a conduit for these ideas to flow through me. I often get ideas, you know, at 2, 3 in the morning. I wake up with these creative ideas I'm on a roll, so I just go right to my piece of paper, write down notes, or go to the piano if if I can and you know, style and do my thing. But it it really is a healing experience, even if the music may not be all the arpeggio relaxing type of stuff, even though it has variety, but that variety is part of life, you know, contrast, there's dissonance, there's resolution, and that also is healing, is really embracing a musical note. I always like to say there really are no mistakes when um when you're improvising because it's just a creative opportunity. See where that note takes you, right?

Speaker 17:26

Right.

Speaker 1 17:27

Well, it's been wonderful speaking with you today, Divora. And once again, I want people to know that your album as The Artist's Soul Improvis Improvisations from the Depths is now available. It came out August 24th. And um I look forward to uh beginning a history with you and listening to your music and getting the word out there.

Speaker 2 17:53

Thank you so much, Keith. And I have another single that's gonna come out in a few weeks on October 3rd. Uh so looking forward to to sharing that with you and getting out more albums and singles and just all kinds of music. So thank you very much for all that you do, really is a service to the whole music community.

Speaker 1 18:16

Thank you. Couldn't do it without people like you.

Speaker 18:19

Thank you. Thank you.

Speaker 1 18:21

Take care.

Speaker 18:22

Okay, you too. Bye bye.

Speaker 1 18:24

Bye bye.