Andrea Goretti and Sivan Arbel: Bazrima

Andrea Goretti and Sivan Arbel met at a jazz festival in Israel. They got on well and had enough in common musically that Arbel would travel a few months later to join Goretti in northern Italy. She has always had a soft spot for Italy and its people, but still, this would be a step into the unknown. "I thought this was going to be either fantastic or really horrible," she revealed.

Goretti graduated in classical piano and later in jazz piano. He has released two solo piano albums featuring original music, improvisations, and reworkings of music from the '20s, as well as a trio album with saxophonist Gabriele Fava and drummer Giacomo Ganzerli featuring his original compositions. Arbel is an Israeli vocalist, composer, and arranger whose work blends jazz, global influences, and expressive movement. Her latest album, Oneness (Adhyâropa Records, 2024), embodies her vision of unity and healing through powerful rhythm, improvisation, and heartfelt storytelling.

The two musicians wound up sharing ideas back and forth across two countries with little time to actually be in the same place. "We worked very hard when did get together," Arbel said. Goretti had applied for a grant towards a new project and a duo album was proposed. "Sivan has a very warm voice but also [has] influences very wide beyond jazz—raga, Indian music," Goretti remarked. "I was very open to this and willing to experiment."

The resultant album is titled Bazrima (Dodiclune, 2026s), which means "flow" in Hebrew, a word that mirrors the natural exchange between the musicians as they move fluidly between composition and improvisation. What the recording does is exemplify a core trust shared between two musicians who, not long ago, were strangers with a mutual love of the sounds of the world around them. This gives the album its uniqueness, duality, and the combination of—and conversation between—the contrast of keyboards and vocals wrapped around each other so delicately it might break if you hold it too tight. Goretti and Arbel deliver duets atop an unpredictable, infinity symbol-gentle soundscape that's leveled by glittery, high-end backdrop collages. Strip back the layers of any track from the album and there's a rapturous song lingering in the architecture, flowing in and out of phrasings and arrangements like a wardrobe constantly in flux. 

"These songs hold space for the tensions and tenderness of contemporary life," Arbel offered, acknowledging their shadows while leaning toward unity and wholeness. "The music becomes a gentle offering, a prayer of surrender to the self, to each other, and to the world around us." Two of the songs are wordless excursions into the atmosphere, but lyrics or not, one could listen to Arbel sing the menu in an Italian restaurant from the fritto misto to panna cotta. Known for leisurely meals that unfold over multiple courses (Italians have mastered the art of whetting the appetite) and obviously she knows how to twirl her pasta as well.

Arbel's vocals sound effortless but breathtaking, leaving the listener aching as she flutters above the piano and pillows your soul like a lullaby after waking up in a cold sweat. The songs destroy all preconceptions and burst into and out of themselves, cycling through octave-hopping interplay and cohesion. "Music is like a language," Goretti posed. "When two people come together to converse, there is the interesting thing one might say but also the deeper listening of someone understanding you, the interaction letting you know when it is a good time to play something and a good time to leave space."

Below, Arbel offers the pair's views of the ten songs on Bazrima.

Inside the Music

The Void

The song explores the relentless nature of contemporary life, in which constant entertainment and endless distractions make it almost impossible to simply be bored. Part 1 opens with a dreamlike atmosphere that imagines what it would be like to live beyond distraction. In the second part, inspired by the Indian raga Gujari Todi, the music transforms into an impetuous and frenetic energy.

Ocean song

The song is inspired by the vastness of the ocean and the sweet and spontaneous loss of thoughts in front of the tranquil vastness of the waters. Emotions and memories surface from the subconscious without any apparent logical order, taking us back to past experiences immersed in an eternal present.

Between Us, The Sky

The song is a ballad rooted in the jazz tradition. The lyrics express how we are all part of the same ecosystem, with intertwined destinies, watched over by the same sun and the same moon. It is a hymn to empathy and reflection, born from the awareness that we all breathe the same air.

Adama Ayefa

The lyrics of "Adama Ayefa" are inspired by the complicated situation in the Middle East. Born and raised in Israel, I have seen firsthand how that land and the people who live there are exhausted by living in a constant state of uncertainty about their survival. The words evoke the beauty of this land—the date palms, the landscapes, its ancient spirit—and at the same time become a prayer for peace.

Mantra

I surrender and love appears. This pentatonic mantra is an invitation to let go of self-judgment and rediscover authenticity. When we surrender, we can experience love for ourselves and the beauty of being fully who we are.

Perpetuum Mobile

This is the Latin term for perpetual motion, i.e., the idea of a mechanical system capable of moving infinitely without stopping. Although impossible to achieve, the concept of eternal motion continues to fascinate the human imagination. The composition is inspired by this idea: a 6/8 drone in the bass evokes constant movement. This intertwines polyrhythmically with a 15/4 rhythmic pattern and a 4/4 melodic motif, leading to improvisation.

Angel's Light

The composition, in choral form, develops spontaneously, with a meditative and expressive character. The light of the angels, which illuminates us from above, permeates our entire existence.

The World of the End

Inspired by the novel of the same name by Ofir Touché Gafla, the piece explores the various cycles of life and the afterlife. It is an invitation to reflect on one's earthly journey and the changes of direction that inevitably mark our lives.

Ballada

The piece accompanies the listener into the mysteries of winter tranquility. The bare trees, the morning mist, and the soft sun of the few hours of daylight compose a landscape that emphasizes the desire for the presence of a loved one.