This article appeared in the Dec. 1 Jewish Advocate.

Hot jazz to feature at First Night

Organization marks 30^th with new Director of Development

BY SUSIE DAVIDSON

Pianist Gilad Barkan's mother likes to tell the story of his bar mitzvah in his hometown of Ramat Hasharon, Israel. When he finished singing his Haftorah, the crowd clapped, forgetting to throw the customary sweets.

In his upcoming performance at the Berklee Performance Center, he may get some horn blasts as well as the claps. In an appearance sponsored by The Consulate General of Israel to New England, Barkan will be onstage from 7:30-8:30 p.m. as part of the annual, and this year the 30^th, First Night celebration.

Barkan was born in Manchester, England, but has lived in Israel since he was 6 weeks old. His roots are a rich mix of ethnicity: his mother, Dr. Tamar Jacobson, who is active in the early childhood field, is from a Sephardic family in Rhodesia; his maternal great grandfather was the chief rabbi of Rhodes island (not Rhode Island, he is quick to note). His father’s side was from South Africa, by way of Lithuania. Barkan’s career began early; at 18, he was playing piano in a Tel-Aviv nightclub. He attended the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, winning their Jazz Musician of the Year competition, but later moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. There, he became a member of the Issi Rozen Quartet, touring internationally and appearing on Rozen’s three releases. In 2003, Barkan released “Modulation” with his own trio, which features bassist Dan Greenspan and drummer Harvey Wirht. The group’s signature sound is an intermingling of African and Brazilian rhythms with jazz. Barkan has also been playing with flutist Amir Milstein since 2004.

“I feel a natural connection to Israeli and Jewish people and themes,” said Barkan. Perhaps due to his own background, Barkan says that this becomes amplified when he encounters people with other backgrounds. “I like that contrast, learning about and from different cultures,” he said, adding that he respects how U.S. society, “in spite of its flaws, tries to foster cultural tolerance.”

Barkan celebrates Jewish holidays. “Being Jewish to me means feeling a connection with Jewish people and culture,” he says, pointing to the benefits of belonging to a culture that, he notes, “values familial connectedness, intellectual curiosity, prickly yet empathic humor, and that is rich in ideas, stories, and traditions.” The drawbacks, however, he acknowledges, may lie in a “shared vulnerability that seems understandable, but also, potentially, a constriction of cultural exchange, learning and growth. It means the challenge and joy of negotiating such a path.”

He has appeared on WGBH and other local venues. Influences include John Coltrane, Tania Maria, Vladimir Horowitz, and Miriam Makeba. "There is a rawness and bareness about their music,” he says, “but also so much beauty. It's that kind of freedom that I try to bring out in my music."

First Night, Inc., an independent, non-profit organization with no endowment, is seeking to decrease corporate sponsorship and government support and rely more upon individual donations. When Terri Hootstein became Director of Development on Sept. 25, Executive Director Geri Guardino called her “the obvious choice from a great pool of candidates."

Hootstein's long record of community service includes her prior, five-year position as Director of Development at the Greater Boston Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. A Newton native who lives in Brookline, she was also a Development Coordinator for the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and a Development Assistant for Solomon Schechter Day Schools of Greater Boston. As a board member of Women in Development, she oversees the City Service Program. She was previously on the boards of CJP's Young Leadership and the Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly.

Preparation for the annual extravaganza begins long before Dec. 31, says publicist Joyce Linehan of Ashmont Media. “First Night’s Neighborhood Network is a unique, year-round program that brings community groups, artists, young people and their families together throughout the City of Boston," she said, citing ongoing workshops where participants create the exhibitions and performances for First Night.

During “First Month,” buttonholders can continue to enjoy many discounts at local attractions and venues, which include the Otis House Museum, the New England Aquarium, the Coolidge Corner Theatre, the Franklin Park Zoo, the Children’s Museum and The JFK Library, as well as restaurants and retailers.

“First Night is such a treasured event, with so many engaging elements,” said Hootstein. "I look forward to making the case for philanthropic support of a celebration that means so much to Boston.”

For more information about First Night, visit www.firstnight.org or call 617-282-2510.