Critically acclaimed Sivan Arbel is an Israeli vocalist, songwriter, and educator with a deep love for dance and a vibrant presence on the international jazz scene. Her original music, arrangements, and lyrics offer a glimpse into her rich inner world, playfully blending her love for jazz with diverse musical influences from her Israeli roots and global travels. As a performer, Sivan captivates audiences with her unique fusion of rhythm, groove, scat improvisation, movement, and dance.

 

From a young age, Sivan Arbel was curious about a wide range of musical genres, including pop, metal, reggae, soul, and R&B. However, it was Ella Fitzgerald's scat and song that ignited her enduring passion for jazz. To deepen her connection with jazz, Sivan studied at the Rimon School of Music near Tel Aviv. There, she was inspired by a broad spectrum of artists, from traditional jazz legends like Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, and Chet Baker to contemporary artists such as Kurt Elling, Gretchen Parlato, Tigran Hamasyan, and Snarky Puppy.

Sivan’s early outlook on music was profoundly influenced by her time attending 'Newe Shalom,' a unique elementary school where Muslims, Jews, and Christians studied together. Her third album Oneness echoes this hopeful idealism by constantly imagining what is possible. For Sivan, this childhood idealism is not just possible, but a reflection of our shared potential to embrace and celebrate each other’s backgrounds.

In 2014, after completing her BA in music, Sivan moved to New York City, the ultimate musical melting pot, to immerse herself in the jazz scene, Collaborating  with artists from around the world, including Brazilian Pandeiro player Tulio Araujo, Grammy-nominated Moroccan Gnawa musician Samir Langus, Japanese band Ichimujin, and award-winning pianist Guy Mintus. Sivan's exposure to a multitude of styles, rhythms, sounds, and even tastes (yes, food!) keeps her creative fire burning. For her, jazz is not just a genre but a way of life, a constant exploration that stretches the boundaries of musical traditions she cherishes and loves.

 

Sivan's unique composition technique, which she calls “the sponge,” involves absorbing diverse influences and transforming them into her own original and eclectic musical language. Driven by a desire to bring healing and connection through her music, Sivan captivates audiences with her vibrant performances, seamlessly blending rhythm, groove, scat improvisation, and dance.

 

Sivan’s debut album "Broken Lines" (2016) received immediate international recognition and media coverage. Travis Rogers, Jr. of The Jazz Owl wrote: “Broken Lines is a wonder. Sivan Arbel has captured love and longing, respect and reflection, and then set loose an emotional and lyrical watercolor that remains fresh and lively long after the album has ended. To transmit such joy—and for it to remain so long after—must be the greatest gift one can give. So it is with Sivan, she imparts joy and it remains.” Her second album, "Change of Light" (2019), was selected by Jazz2K as Best Vocal Disc of 2019, listed by The 41st Annual Jazz Station Awards as “Top Vocal Jazz Album,” and included in Giancarlo Mei's “Musical Choice for 2019.”

This curiosity and openness to diverse influences has been a hallmark of Sivan’s career, continuing in her musical explorations in Brooklyn, New York. During the pandemic Sivan delved into classic indian singing by regular jam sessions with her neighbor and collaborator Jay Gandhi, a master of the bansuri flute and member of Brooklyn Raga Massive. Their collaboration brought fusion of Indian classical music with contemporary jazz to her third album "Oneness" (2024), most notably in tracks like "Dreamland," where Gandhi’s flute adds an otherworldly, meditative quality to the music.

"Oneness" further developed during a week-long residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in New Hampshire in 2022. Here, Sivan and her band—Nick Hetko (piano), Sam Weber (bass), and Evan Hyde (drums)—refined the album’s compositions. Years of collaboration since 2016 allowed the band to infuse the album with rhythmic complexity, improvisation, and emotional depth. The album captures Sivan’s ongoing exploration of unity through diversity, drawing deeply from her experiences both in Israel and Brooklyn.

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Sivan has performed at festivals and venues across the globe, including the Minsk Jazz Festival, Bratislava Jazz Days Festival, Lincoln Center in NYC, Boston Jazz Festival, 4020 Festival in Austria, and more. In 2016, she was invited to participate in the Jazz Composers Series as part of the annual Montreal Jazz Festival. She also performed in Israel in Venezuela (South America, 2012) as the headline performer in the Israeli Independence Day Celebration and appeared as a company singer in the Pre-Eurovision program in Israel.

 

Before moving to New York, Sivan established herself as a rising talent in Israel and Dublin after forming “The Sivan Arbel Septet.” In June 2014, she was honored to be the sole representative of Newpark Music Centre at the 24th Annual International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ) in South Africa, an event established by Dave Leibman and founded by Walter Turkenburg. Sivan holds a B.A. with High Honors in Jazz Performance from the Newpark Music Centre in Dublin, Ireland, and is a graduate of the acclaimed Rimon School of Music in Israel in jazz performance.