We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eitan Avineri a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eitan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Twelve years ago, I approached and commissioned my good friend and colleague, Benny Golbin (RIP) to arrange ten songs of the biggest hits from the most influential band to come out of Jamaica, The Skatalites. Each chart was arranged for a big band (17 musicians) a la Count Basie and Duke Ellington and was created to pay tribute to the band that originated they musical style called ska. This musical style gave birth to both rocksteady and the hugely popular genre called reggae. At the time, I did not know exactly what my plan would be for these arrangements that would have the greatest impact. Would I assemble a group of musicians, record them in a studio, perform them live? It wasn’t totally clear until I met with my good friends Brian Dixon and Brian Wallace. An action plan was devised and we set up our recording session for December 12th, 2011. We curated the the group utilizing the Best in the West to create a super group of epic proportions. We instantly enjoyed international praise and were approached by the manager of The Skatalites themselves, the ex-prime minister of Jamaica, booking agents and promoters from Europe, Brazil and Japan all within the first two weeks of the session. It was exciting that there were others who were as passionate as we were about the project.
These formative events paved way for what has come to be my pride and joy, Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra. It has bridged two musical worlds that have shaped my musical life: straight ahead American Jazz and Jamaican Music. We are currently working on releasing our fourth full length studio album. We have performed and headlined festivals throughout the world in Mexico, Canada, the US, and all over Europe. We have enjoyed international radio airplay and rave reviews from around the globe.
An important part of this journey which adds even more meaning to this project is the fact that my friend, Benny Golbin, tragically died in a senseless car crash at the age of 36 (only 4 years after our initial recording date). Through our recordings, live shows, and written arrangements we keep his musical legacy alive while also paying homage to The Skatalites, the godfathers of this musical treasure we call ska.

Eitan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have found that versatility and adaptability are the most important traits in a successful professional in the music industry. As I approach 50 years of age, it has become very clear to me that one must diversify their portfolio if they want to be successful. The Los Angeles music scene is rich with opportunity but also chock-full of driven and talented professionals. To stand out one must generate and sustain multiple revenue sources. In my personal journey, I have had success not only in performance on my instrument, but also in producing, curating, talent buying, education, and home recording. This diversity in skills and services helped me get ahead. At different points in my career certain skills provided more income at times and less in others. None of them alone could sustain me, but with all of the income streams together made for consistency that would not have existed had I focused on only one particular skill. A great analogy would be the example of trading stocks versus a mutual fund that has diversification inherent in it.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

To be successful in this world, one must be resourceful and resilient. There are inevitable challenges along the way no matter how lucky you may think you are. No matter how well you plan for any and all contingencies, there will always be something that happens that you could not foresee. Throughout the twelve years of being a bandleader of a twenty-piece orchestra there have been pivotal points that could have driven someone to just call it quits. I consider myself a “solution” minded person: one that sees a seemingly unsolvable issue and turns it into an opportunity for growth and improvement. One example of such a scenario was when the band’s sole arranger at the time suddenly passed away in an automobile accident three months before our first tour through Mexico and Europe in 2016. I was devastated both personally and professionally. I had to make some bold decisions regarding the band to keep the train moving as it were. I looked at my team of musicians and found that I was surrounded by others who could pick up the slack. Benny (in blessed memory) not only arranged for the band, but he played lead alto sax and did all of the cuing and conducting. I looked to my band for members that could perform those tasks including myself. I had to grow into some of those roles. I stepped up and began co-arranging, cuing and conducting the band during live shows.
When tragedies or major changes occur, it is important to take step back and assess the damage. The next step is to find a game plan that addresses the issues. In my case, that involved recruiting others to step up their role and also look within for what I could contribute to fill in the gaps and ultimately make the group even stronger.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I’ve had to unlearn a number of times was to not having all of your eggs in one basket. When the orchestra was formed there was a large core of musicians that were regular members. As time went on, some core members moved away, got married, and made career changes. If I would have relied just on them to be available, the band would have stopped right then and there. All of our music is written and recorded so if I need someone to fill in either in town or out of the area, they could learn the music quickly and easily. I found that by curating musicians and increasing the depth of my bench, I could continue booking the band without a hitch, continue recording new materials, and even expand our reach to all corners of the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wstska.com
• Instagram: wstska
• Facebook: westernstandardtime
• Linkedin: wstska
• Twitter: wstska
• Youtube: westernstandardtime
• Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wstska

Image Credits
Farah Sosa