Meet our returning Artist of the Week – The outrageously talented musician Tali Rubinstein, who will be performing a jazzy and innovative Winter Wonderland program with us on Thursday, December 19 at NoHo Sound.
We sat down with Tali to get to know her a little bit better and this is what we learned!
MT: What first drew you to the recorders? Were they your first instrument?
Tali: I began playing the recorder in 2nd grade, when most people do. It was just an after class activity, alongside ballet, tap dancing, art etc… I don’t even remember deciding ongoing. But I do remember it was like a game for me at the beginning and I enjoyed it a lot – so much so, that after 2 lessons with the group, the teacher invited me to come study with her privately, since I was progressing faster and I think she realized I might be really into it. I’m so glad she did, otherwise who knows if I’d still be doing it.
MT: When did you start drifting away from the conventional recorder music and into your unique style?
Tali: When I was in my early 20s, I started to realize for the first time that the way I play is very different than other classical recorder players. I never knew it before, since I wasn’t surrounded by recorder players – I was mostly with my teacher, who, looking back, gave me a lot of freedom to develop my own style. She always had high expectations for me and was strict in the technical aspect, but eventually, it was about my own unique expression, which I only came to understand much later. Her name is Bracha Kol, and she is the most important person in my musical life, no doubt about it.
MT: How would you characterize this style? What should people expect from a Tali Rubinstein performance?
Tali: I’ve characterized my music as jazz before, but although I can play jazz, and although there’s a significant quality of improvisation in my music, I don’t think this is the most accurate definition for my current style. I’m drawn to Israeli songs, rock, R&B, as well as baroque and jazz. My esthetic is changing and evolving constantly. Currently, I’m composing for my first solo album, which I think would best be defined as New Baroque. I love the raw and pure sound of the recorders with the urban sound of drums and bass, and when you strip the composition down to melody and harmony, the language I naturally use is still classical-baroque.
MT: What are some common reactions when a new audience first hears you play?
Tali: I never knew the recorder could sound like that…
Was that a clarinet?
I also played recorder when I was 6! This is by far the most common reaction, and I always have to act a bit surprised 🙂
