Jewlia Eisenberg

Excerpts from an Interview by Stephanie Levin

How did you get started?

I got into composing through singing and got into signing because I was raised with a lot of music. My mother was a musician, she stopped doing music professionally when she had to make a living and was a piano teacher. I grew up in a socialist commune in Brooklyn that valued music from all over the world. The commune had all types of music, poetry and dance from all over the world. We were always hearing lots of music, international music, it was part of the day care and programs at the community center. This was in a place called East New York, they ran a camp, I went to it and then worked at it. I learned and then taught music. There was lots of different music, everyone know tunes in different language, lots of different varieties. There were mostly African Americans and Jews in the group but there was also lots of Puerto Rican music, Civil Rights songs, labor songs, general working songs, songs honoring the sea, lots of different stuff, music honoring Africa. There was lots of Balkan music, it had interesting tonalities and meters. No one else had an experience like me, living in a black Jewish group with lots of music from Greece. The first song I arranged was "Free Nelson Mandela." I also arranged the Black National Anthem, Civil War songs, I arranged other old songs and then started writing my own songs.

Then I went to college at UC Berkeley. I was a music major and so I had composition and musicianship classes. In writing for the class, I began to write for myself and use it for the class since I had to write for the class, I decided I should write for myself. I started a group, 3 women's vices, it was a cappella. I wrote for my group, for women's voices. I was also still arranging. I focused on Balkan music, Eastern European music, lots of it is for women. Lots of my music is cross between Eastern European women's music like the Bulgarian Women's Chorus, Jewish music from eastern Europe and North Africa and has twists and turns from classical theory, some traditional American form, both Black and White. It's really a stew of the music I grew up with, I call it "Klezmer Punk Balkan Funk." I was in classes with some guys I lived with, we were all doing ambitious music. I did a project with the guys and liked the sound of women's voices in a rock band, so I formed a band called "Charming Hostess." I write for six pieces, three women's vocals, violin, sax, flute, guitar, bass, cello, drums and accordion. I don't really play any of those instruments but the bass. I write on the piano, the bass and sometimes the concertina.

Have you had to overcome any barriers or crossed boundaries with your music, in particular as woman?

No, not with my writing. I grew up with people who thought I was musical. My parents were worried, not because they think I don't have good music, but because it couldn't be a steady job and they wish I didn't have to scrape by, that makes them worry, not that I do music. I haven't had trouble as a woman. My band is four men and three women. I am lucky that I found cool guys. They are respectful of my vision, they accept my direction. They have their own visions too, but can take direction from a woman, not all guys will. I recognize that there are lots of boundaries for women to overcome, sexism and judgement about women in the music community. It's hard to break the mold, women like Tracy Chapman have. It's hard to make it if you're not cute, skinny and white. That's why I'll never be totally famous and on that level. My own music is interesting and appealing to lots of people.

Is your music influenced by spirituality?

Definitely!! I think music is transcendent. There is a triangle between the musician, the audience and G-d. A musician is trying elicit their own ascension and for the audience to connect together with each other and to above. That's great music. I do lots of religious music. I do a Jewish women's suppletory prayer song, white Gospel music from the hills of Virginia, shape note singing, Black religious songs and spirituals. I do a lot of a capella, with the audience. Two great Hasidic Rabbi's, the Baal Shem Tov and Reb Nachman of Bratzlav said that when you are singing you have a pure relationship to G-d. Pure singing is pure rising, especially without words, that's why I do a lot of voice without instruments. I write some religious music. I like setting text to music, certain parts of it make my soul feel ascension that I didn't even know was there. I have composed the story of Judith and parts of Genesis. That was based on the Hebrew Torah trope, I developed that and wrote other stuff for it, like harmony. I tweaked it. I like stuff with traditional bases, texts or music. I think music has to have a direct connection to roots.

Last Updated: 2/3/06