David Broza wrote “Yihye Tov” (“Everything Will Be Better”) after Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Israel. Broza’s anthem about peace in the Middle East is often heard on Israeli radio stations and during community events. Nearly 50 years later, the artist still looks forward to playing the song.
“I haven’t gotten tired of it.” said Broza, 70. “I sometimes sing it two or three times a day, and every time I play it, it brings the fire to my stomach and my brain and my heart. It’s almost like saying the ‘Shema Yisrael’ in prayer.”
Likewise, audiences look forward to hearing Broza performing the song, as he will during a May 10 appearance at City Winery at City Foundry STL. Broza recently spoke with the Jewish Light about life on the road for a working musician.
Do you feel like the message of “Yihye Tov” has never been more timely?
It is perennial. It has been my mantra on stage. There’s so much animosity out there that we have to believe that things will be better. It’s not only about antisemitism, but also the suspicion that people have toward immigrants of all sorts. The United States is the land of immigrants. Israel is also a land of immigrants. Does it strike me that 50 years after I wrote it, the world is still at odds and there are still wars? No, if you read history, if you know humanity, you realize that there isn’t such a thing as a blissful, peaceful environment. It has to come from within. I’m an optimist. This song helps me transport that feeling onto others. And I hope it does the job.
What are you working on right now?
I have a new project called Broza Jazz, which comes from my first recording with my jazz band from a year ago in Paris. It’s very avant-garde, but it’s based on my songs in Hebrew, English and Spanish.
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What musical style will you be bringing to the St. Louis performance?
I’m entertaining them to take them out of their day-to-day mood and transport them through my energy and through my artistry into a world that they hadn’t met before. When people come into a musical performance, in an intimate situation like City Winery, with wine and music, it’s a nice interaction. There’s an hour and a half where everyone can kind of push that outside stress away and enjoy themselves.
You perform close to 300 shows a year. How do you prepare for a concert?
When I’m on the road, I play four or five hours a day before I get on stage. I’ll sit with my guitar and run through scales, which can be horribly boring. I don’t play actual music until three hours into the exercise just to keep the fingers working. Then, the art comes through. It’s like martial art. I’m so into my own world, when I transform myself physically onto the stage, I have the same routine whether I’m in Tel Aviv or New York.
When you’re performing in U.S. or abroad, do the audiences react differently?
Absolutely. It’s very exciting to play for audiences from different areas in the world, because each place has its own vibe and its own culture. The best show that I can give is my one-man show. [Broza will be performing his solo act in St. Louis.] It sets me apart from most artists. In Spain, certain things I do confuse them because I’ll play a blues lick or folk rock or a rockabilly style, or American fingerpicking. Then I suddenly do some kind of a line which sounds to them like flamenco, and they jump off their seats because it hits them right here [points to his heart].
Concert Information
Who: David Broza
When: May 10 at 7 p.m.
Where: City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way
How Much: Tickets start at $78
More Info: Visit citywinery.com
