Saturday, November 16, 2013

Makela Says Goodbye - and Hello

Makela at Dan's last performance with the group, after welcoming its then newest member, Rachel.


If you ask any of our current or former members what the second-best thing about Makela is you'll hear a variety of answers: Making great music, feeling connected to Jewish culture, getting a 2 hour fun break at each week's rehearsal, invitations to hob-nob at awesome embassy events and other DC area goings on...

But the number one answer will always be the same: The people.

For all the wonderful things about being located in D.C., like the opportunities we get to perform at events that wouldn't be possible elsewhere and to interact with people from all over the world, being in D.C. can also be tough. People in D.C. are constantly coming and going because of work or other short-term opportunities that are unique to D.C. This means that our members often come and go. New people come, make a unique mark on the group, impact its sound and its culture and then have to say goodbye.

In the past few months we have said goodbye to several members who made a huge impact on the group and on each of our lives. Dan left to attend rabbinical school in Israel. Dan is an extremely cheerful, upbeat guy with an epic bass voice that can make the whole room resonate.  Not only does Dan have the ability to instantly ground a song and add an intensity of rhythm that can set the tone for the whole group, he can also be counted on to create an impact whenever a particular moment requires added emphasis.  There's a point in Emtsa that will forever be known as "Dan's thing." (Watch Emtsa and look for Dan's moment at 3:28)

We also said goodbye to Aviv, who came to D.C. through her work at the Israeli embassy and recently returned to Israel (where we sincerely hope she's hanging out and singing with Dan!) Aviv's Israeli ties brought a new dimension and internationalism to Makela's Jewish identity, and her cool, laid-back personality made an impression on everybody in the group.  Aviv has a gift for picking music up quickly and she has a low, resonant, bluesy voice that could blend beautifully in several different voice parts to mellow and round out the group's overall sound.

Most recently we said goodbye to Dani, who served for much of his Makela tenure as Makela's president (an honor that now belongs to Emerald).  Dani is the kind of leader who did a lot of work behind the scenes without bringing much attention to all he was doing.  He made it so that the rest of us could just have fun and focus on the music, which was a gift.  Dani is also an incredibly talented beat boxer in addition to having a distinct, crisp, clear singing voice that brought amazing character to his solos and the group's blend (see him sing solo in the first part of the above mentioned Emtsa video and beatbox in the second!)

The group at Dani's last rehearsal - Our newest member, Ilya, is also pictured
We miss all of them very much.  Every member that comes and goes is unique and irreplaceable.

We've also had the pleasure of adding three new singers to Makela's ranks.  While none of them takes the place of a prior member they each bring their own unique personality, style and sound to the group.  The overall dynamic and group tone have changed remarkably with these new additions.  This is one of the most fascinating aspects of being part of a music group, particularly in a cappella - that a music group is a product of a complex formula in which each individual member plays a role.  Change one of the variables and you change the outcome.

Earlier this year we acquired Rachel.  Rachel's fun, quirky personality makes her a perfect fit for Makela's culture.  Rachel also boasts a soulful, true female tenor voice that gives the group mid-range resonance and also makes her a extremely versatile in her ability to fill out different voice parts.  She quickly picked up the solo in Bright Lights as her voice is an excellent match for this emotional, bluesy rock ballad.

We are also pleased to have been joined by Sarah M.  Sarah's versatile alto-mezzo voice has a distinct, warm honey tone that rounds out the low end of the upper voice parts.  She also stepped up big time by volunteering to become the group's first ever Booking Coordinator, which has made us more organized and ensured that the group handles our increasing gig opportunities with professionalism.

The group dined together after performing at Ilya's dad's birthday party - here's Rachel, Deb and Sarah from left to right


Finally, our newest addition to the group is Ilya.  Ilya is not only a talented bass but a musical jack-of-all-trades with significant instrumental experience, arranging ability and knowledge of music theory.  We are excited to see what he comes up with.  Also of utmost importance, Ilya regularly feeds us.

It's clear that when the composition of the group changes we don't lose a part of the group so much as transform into something new and different.  The only component we are really "missing" at this point is an experienced beat boxer (not that many of us haven't tried with varying comedic results).  A good beat boxer has the power to add additional rhythms, complexity and intensity.  Dani's shoes will be tough to fill because he truly understood how beat boxing is not only a fun talent in its own right but a way of artistically enhancing an entire song through nuance and emphasis - plus he had the physical skill and precision to actually execute his vision.  You can see in the Emtsa video how his beat boxing changes the song.

If you are an experienced beat boxer and are interested in joining Makela (or if you know someone who you think would be a good fit) please check out our audition page and get in touch with us about trying out.  Both male and female beat boxers are welcome and while much of our focus is on Jewish music you do NOT have to be Jewish or speak Hebrew to come sing with us.