Three tracks, three interpretations of Leonard Cohen’s work by David Brozna creates a beautiful contrast of music that showcases so much about this enigmatic musician and poet. Brozna’s beautiful, rich timbered voice take the pieces into another realm and offers an unforgettable tribute to a man and his music. A man who influenced widely the world of music and has left behind a unique, classic and rich legacy of music that is timeless and beautiful.
Internationally acclaimed Israeli superstar David Brozna, has often been compared to Cohen which made him the perfect choice to create once again the beautiful, soulful, poetic music of a man who put nostalgic poetry to music, with a simple, but unique, flamboyance.
Each track has been released as a stand-alone song: the first one So Long Marianne was released on 21 September 2022, which would have been Cohens 88th birthday. The second Famous Blue Raincoat on 21 October, 2022 and the final track Dance Me to the Ends of Love on 21 November, 2022.
So Long Marianne is an up tempo, foot tapping tribute to long ago love Marianne Jensen which is ageless, and in Cohen style somewhat flamboyant with regret and love at the ending of a relationship. He considered her as his Muse down through the years and attributed many of his poems and songs to her influence.
Famous Blue Raincoat begins with some delicate guitar before the vocals in sung in Hebrew, commence making this simple poem into a song that is once again heart wrenchingly beautiful. This adaption was inspired by the translation of the lyrics by Israeli Poet Yehonatan Geffen, which moves the pathos of the enigmatic song, inspired by the loss of his Burberry rain coat and Marianne, into another realm of delicate emotion.
Dance Me To The End of Love, is once again a deeply moving set of lyrics, inspired by the Holocaust, revisiting the tragedy of violins playing as people entered their final minutes of this life. Cohen also described the words as those of passion and love, as a relationship begins and ends, but ultimately the translation of the lyrics belongs to the listener.
As the work was originally commissioned by the Jewish Arts Collective in Boston as part of an online event, each of the three tracks are on U-Tube as David Brozna Sings Leonard Cohen Live. They are well worth taking the time to enjoy.
David Brozna Sings Leonard Cohen is simply a beautiful, heart-warming and utterly delightful tribute collection. Perfection perhaps channelled by the man himself: Leonard Cohen.
Website        https://www.jewishrenaissance.org.uk/blog/david-broza-sings-leonard-cohen
Released    2022
Artists      David Brozna
Review By Janet MawdesleyÂ