Active listeners of music and enthusiasts of jazz and instrumental music alike, you don’t want to miss this exciting new record! Written and performed by the multi talented Ari Joshua alongside his former bandmates Joe Russo and Marco Benevento, Tagine is a song filled with ear candy and intrigue, a groove that will move your body, and captivating instrumental hooks. The song itself was written 20 years prior, in New York shortly after the tragedy of 9/11.
We had the pleasure of asking Ari a few questions about the record, his collaborators, and life as a musician. His thoughtful responses were illuminating, and he goes deep on the subjects.
Firstly, we were interested in some of the backstory of his collaborators for this song, Joe and Marco. Ari shares with us his introduction with Marco, and how Joe and Marco were playing as a duo at the time when Ari came to be a part of their ensemble.
“Marco graduated from Berklee about a year before I finished at The New School. He moved to Brooklyn, and I was introduced to his playing through a mandolin player named David Tiller. From what I remember, we bonded quickly over the classic organ trio sound. I was thrilled to learn that he also shared a love for the rock ‘n’ roll and other music I grew up with. I had played with some amazing musicians, but few who shared my taste in music. For a time, we [Ari, Joe, and Marco] did some organ trio gigs. Joe and Marco had the jazz vocabulary, but also an appreciation for the other genres I cherished. I knew they were the musicians I wanted to start a band with, but sustaining bands has proven more difficult than I expected. They sounded incredible as a duo. I’d go wherever they played, bringing my amp and guitar to sit in. There are some recordings out there, like from The Knitting Factory.”
Ari mentioned previously that this record was found while going through some old recordings, and we were curious on how it came to be released, whether they had to re-perform it, and the process of bringing it up to a modern standard of sound.
“I have a box of like 30 hard drives and ADAT recordings that have been traveling with me for the years. I am not the most organized person but I make up for it in being sentimental. A certain amount of archives are missing but a lot of it is intact. It’s been a really healing process, bringing me a lot of joy and meaning.”
Ari describes how in the past, he had been always more focused on creating the composition, and less excited about and experienced in the production and mixing involved in getting a song ready for an actual release. He shares with us that it has been more recent that he has developed a focus on getting his music out there in the world.
“It’s only recently that I’ve been able to take the time to focus on producing these tracks to my standards. When you love something deeply, you want to give it your best. Art, in a way, is the art of being, and I’m learning to value everything I’ve created. The name of the game is sharing it, and I’ve received amazing feedback. The process involves selecting tracks that are closest to being finished, figuring out what needs to be done to complete them, choosing artwork, and cuing them up for release. I work with an engineer to refine the sound, and we bounce it back and forth for months, sometimes even years, before it’s ready to release. I like to place Easter eggs in the music, utilizing the studio as a canvas. I recommend listening to my work in surround sound or on headphones to catch all the subtleties.”
He mentions about his collaborators “I wish I could get the players together to play the material again—someday, I’d love that. Many of us have families, and coordinating schedules is difficult, but it would be a dream. I truly wish there were more collaborations with Joe and Marco. I call them occasionally. When I’m in Woodstock, I try to connect with Marco, and when I’m in New York, I reach out to Joe. If they’re reading this, I’d love to play, tour, or record with them anytime. I absolutely love those guys and the music we create together. I love all the people I play with, really—it’s the music that I cherish so deeply. There will definitely be more releases from this session, that much I know.”
One of the things we were curious about was his experience during the 9/11 tragedy, since he had mentioned that this song was written in New York very shortly after that had occurred – the song itself is named after a place in the area where they played a jam session – and Ari highlights some of his experiences.
“9/11 in New York was intense; I’m still processing the shock and awe it caused. I had students who worked in the towers and never returned for lessons, and I’ll never know if they lost their lives. My girlfriend worked in that area, and when the cell networks went down, I was deeply concerned. My roommate had a gig scheduled at the towers the day after the attack. I woke up to him screaming—he had a television in his room, which was the only screen we had besides my audio production computer. A high school friend’s film company, Global Griot Productions, went straight to ground zero and captured some incredible footage. We passed the towers every day on the A train, and after 9/11, I remember seeing people covered in white dust, looking like zombies”
As deeply traumatic as this must have been, he also highlights some silver linings that he was able to gleam from the time.
“On the other hand, the city became a place of kindness and politeness for months after the attacks. I had lots of time to write music, and my dear friend was staying with me. I was writing and practicing constantly, producing new ideas daily”
Finally, we wanted to ask Ari about his experience as a full time musician, and what some of his career challenges, accomplishments, and passions have been. We have edited some of the interview up to this point to fit in the format and length we typically prefer here, but for this question, Ari hits on some really key points and for those of you out there looking to be an artist, this should really speak to you.
“Making a living as an artist today is an intricate equation. Very few people break through, and you have to love this medium enough to continuously learn and apply new skills, often for what seems like small returns. When I was growing up, the industry was different—there were record labels and infrastructure. Music came naturally to me, and I assumed I would meet and develop my dreams with like-minded friends. When I was younger, I was certain I’d never want to do anything else, even if I had all the money in the world. There was a therapeutic quality and an urgency in the music that became almost an obsession. Music has the ability to transform pain into something else without engaging the analytical mind—it simply happens.
Struggles are part of the journey, from bands breaking up to the exposure to drugs in the industry. I’ve been through that and have lost friends, girlfriends, and bandmates along the way. One of the hardest challenges is monetizing the work. I was fortunate to grow rapidly from age 14 to 22, which allowed me to make things happen. But I was surprised at how difficult it is to get a group of people on the same page without massive resources or money. For me, I was always able to support myself through teaching, and gigs were enough to get by. You have to believe in your contribution to the world so strongly that you’re willing to put in those 50,000 hours.
An artist lives ahead of reality a bit, but in many ways, I’m living a dream come true. I’ve been blessed to play with many of my heroes and earn the respect of extraordinary musicians. I’m ready to play with anyone, anywhere, anytime. I have music out in nearly every style, and I’m proud of it all! I’ve never had another job besides music. I started teaching when I was 16, taught my way through college, and eventually opened The Music Factory, which has employed over 100 teachers and delivered more than 100,000 lessons to kids and adults. Music has taken me across Europe, Mexico, the U.S., Africa, and Iceland. I have enough resources to continue mixing, mastering, and recording new music, and I’m grateful to be in good health. I feel like I have much more to contribute.
I really want to connect to people and keep going, keep building on what work I have done to get this far, and releasing these recordings is a big part of that. Tagine is a big release for me cause it’s a memory, a time, a place, and it’s Marco and Joe who are just doing so well in the industry and in life, and next up we have a track with Delvon Lamarr, Grant Schroff, and Skerik called Audio Bicycle Day, and then The Triceraphclops drops on August 30th with Ray and Russ from The Trey Anastasio Band and Lamp and Soule Monde, and then I have like another 10 songs that are so close to be released. Folks don’t give up, stay with what you love.”
Ari has shared some great insight here, if you feel inspired or intrigued with some of his insights like we do, definitely check out Ari’s music! He has been releasing a steady stream of great music these days which you can find anywhere music is streamed, and further, you can check out his website for more updates and ways to connect! We also have another article on one of Ari’s recent releases that we loved, and you can check that out here!
Stay creative my friend!
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