Undersung Artists

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every single human across the globe. Every industry is experiencing its own unique consequences to the crisis, and people who work in the performing arts industry have been hit especially hard. Performance spaces around the globe are closed indefinitely. Concerts, festivals, and other live events have been cancelled for at least the next few months. The bars and restaurants that used to host cocktail gigs are closed or only providing delivery and takeout services. The majority of musicians and other artists are self-employed, working freelance and hustling to fill their schedule with enough gigs to make ends meet. These conditions have made it all but impossible for most performing artists to work.

I want to take a moment to clarify that I don’t intend to downplay anyone’s struggles in this unprecedented time. I do, however, want to call attention to the performing arts industry and the damage it has suffered. Artists are used to hearing their work be written off as frivolous or “not a real job.” To anyone with that mindset, however, I encourage you to consider how frequently you turn to the arts to help you cope not only with the current unique struggles of the pandemic, but with everyday life in general. Do you listen to music on your daily commute? Have you been binge-watching your favorite TV shows while self-quarantining? Art is an integral and vital part of our culture, and the artists who are struggling as a result of this crisis deserve to have their stories heard.

For a personal insight into how this pandemic has directly affected the lives of working musicians, I want to tell you about my good friends Arjana and Ivan. This musical couple has been together for years, and recently became engaged. One of the pillars of their relationship is their shared love of show tunes, cabaret jazz, and the art of song.

Arjana is a New York City native with a background in musical theater and jazz voice as well as a penchant for playing the violin. Ivan is originally from Ukraine, but came to the United States to pursue new musical opportunities, including a Master’s degree in jazz piano. The two met in 2014 while working on a cruise ship—the perfect outlet for musicians wishing to travel the world. By 2017, Arjana and Ivan had officially formed their duo, and have been sharing their music around the world ever since. Arjana and Ivan now frequently perform as Gingersnap Jazz. The band is still usually a duet, but they love to expand their instrumentation to a trio or a larger ensemble whenever the gig permits.

Arjana and Ivan have faced myriad challenges since the outbreak of COVID-19. Not least of which was the fact that the Manhattan-based ensemble was finishing up a six-month residency at the Ritz-Carlton in Osaka, Japan when the crisis began to emerge. The band’s calendar, planned out months in advance, had them getting on a flight back to the US as soon as their residency ended. They were scheduled to check in for another regular gig of theirs as a featured act on a Carnival cruise ship debarking from San Francisco. Even while sitting in the airport during a stopover in Vietnam, however, the couple wasn’t sure if they still had a job to go back to.

While they were trying to catch some shuteye on the long flight across the Pacific Ocean, their fears finally came true when the ship launching out of San Francisco was cancelled. They were stranded at a hotel in San Francisco for three days, waiting for further communication from their boss. When they finally received some communication, it seemed as though their problems were, at least for the moment, solved: Carnival was going to put them on a ship docked in Los Angeles with no passengers. They could spend thirty days on the ship in relative safety with job security and peace of mind.

Cautiously optimistic, Arjana and Ivan booked a flight to LA. After arriving in the city and spending the night in another hotel, they received another update less than 24 hours before they were supposed to board: The plans had changed. They were no longer getting on the ship. As quickly as this blessing had come, it was taken away again, and they were back where they started: without any idea what the future might hold for them. And this was just the beginning of their journey.

In the span of less than a month, Arjana and Ivan have traveled through cities all over the world, including Osaka, Hanoi, Istanbul, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. As I write this article, they are still not fully settled as they make their way to a more permanent home to wait out these trying times. This is an extreme example of just how chaotic life can be for a touring musician, but my friends are not ones to back down or give up when it comes to their life’s passion of performing wonderful music.

But any good jazz musician has to be able to improvise, and that’s exactly what Arjana and Ivan have been doing. They are maximizing every opportunity—even when the situation seems bleak—to further their musical careers. Throughout this process, even in the midst of dealing with landlords, packing boxes, and coordinating schedules, the duo has not given up on their passion. Even now, as they are self-quarantining for two weeks in a friend’s vacant New England apartment, Arjana and Ivan have made a point of finding time to put on their livestreamed happy hour show, performing music for friends and family and the many other fans they’ve made along the way.

The act of playing for an audience is certainly the most exciting part of being a musician, but it is far from the only piece of the puzzle. Now that they are wisely staying indoors to self quarantine, Arjana and Ivan are taking the opportunity to focus on those extra-musical aspects of a musician’s career. This includes building their website and focusing on their online presence, connecting with students as music educators, and building the sort of grassroots support that a band needs in today’s world.

In times like these, the duo’s skills in videography and their familiarity with technology have been an indispensable advantage, allowing them to continue sharing their music with the world while remaining quarantined. You can join their worldwide audience for their regular Happy Hour shows on their Facebook page to enjoy forty-five minutes of fun and relaxing jazz music. Next time you find yourself feeling restless, pour yourself a drink and let Arjana and Ivan transport you to a lively New York City jazz club where you can forget your troubles.