My favorite inspirational stories often entail immigrant life maps detailing a person’s courage to uproot and exit geographical comfort zones, all while pursuing passions and utilizing talents that ultimately create a better world, for themselves, for others.
This is Our world: Your world: My world: Everyone’s world!
Let me tell you about Pavel’s world.
A University of Arkansas grad, Pavel also earned a masters from Eastern Kentucky University and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the background, saxophonist Rich Cohen. (Photo by Larry Goshen)
Pavel, as in Carmel resident Pavel Polanco-Safadit; as in international jazz musician, Pavel; as in Pavel, executive director at Amigos, the Richmond Latino Center, a champion of inclusion, diversity, and cross-cultural education; as in Pavel, the travel, food, and culture host for WISH-TV’s Pavel’s World segment. Pavel, as in … well, you get the point. I could fill a page of Pavel purpose. He is a person of many “as ins.”
I first became aware of Pavel earlier this year while watching him perform alongside his musical compadres, Direct Contact, at The Jazz Kitchen in Broad Ripple.
Pavel and the venue are a harmonious match made in heaven, one of the reasons live music was invented – and quite possibly why he was born. Pavel’s a showman through and through. Gregarious. A keyboard-wide smile.
Lost in tropical song zones, he’s a whirling dervish of Latin rhythms and tempos; a kinetic force at the keys, a flurry of ivory strikes (occasionally, he raises and bends his elbow with a flourish, as if adding an exclamation point to the moment); a glissando here, a glissando there; a herky-jerky livewire act with legs back-kicking dangerously close to his sedate, super cool bass player, the Pink Panther-sly Steve Dokken, hidden mere inches behind him on the cramped stage (maybe that’s why they are called Direct Contact); trumpet, sax, and trombone bursts assaulting the crab cake/asiago frites/etouffee aromatic airspace, like the explosion of a musical pinata with mercy, a poked hornet’s nest of samba, salsa, cha-cha-cha; “Come on, shake your body, baby, do the conga …”
Tell us about memories of your homeland.
I grew up in San Francisco de Macoris. When you don’t know what’s out there, and you don’t know how other people live, you think you’re on top of the world. I had a wonderful family. What I remember is I hardly wore shoes. I had one pair for school. I got a basketball from somewhere and created my own hoop. We played on a dirt court. We didn’t have much money, but I had a really beautiful childhood.
Music came at an early age. You created drums and guitars from whatever materials were handy, but it was the piano that was life-changing.
I was 11. A missionary at the Episcopal Church gave me a quick lesson. We didn’t own a piano. The next day, I practiced from memory for almost three hours at mom’s table. I just imagined the keys. Within a month, I was playing “The Entertainer.”
Pavel Polanco-Safadit (far left) leads Latin jazz band Direct Contact during a recent gig at The Jazz Kitchen. “I’ve known Pavel for almost 10 years, and he’s changed my life. I have had quite the journey over the last seven years performing with him. I am learning so much. I am very lucky to be in Pavel’s world,” says singer Leah Crane (center). Playing percussion are Gerardo Becerra (congas) and Matt McGraw (drums). (Photo by Scott Saalman)
Impressed, you were given a key to practice after hours?
My grandfather walked with me to the church at 2:30 a.m. every day. He’d hold my hand and, and for protection, he’d also hold a machete. I’d practice till 7 a.m. – seven days a week. My grandfather never complained. He woke up, and he took me there. That was his gift, an eternal gift to me. I knew exactly what I wanted. That’s when it began, the wanting to do music, to create my own world.
You earned a music scholarship in the States. How’d that happen?
I basically had a 1 percent chance. I practiced like crazy, working even harder. Close to 100 students auditioned, and I won a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. It was my one shot. I gave it my all.
The scholarship didn’t exactly put you on Easy Street, correct?
I knew zero English, not even “thank you.” I studied for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), which you had to pass to enter college. The times I took it, I didn’t make enough points. It was really hard! It was too big of a monster for me.
I saw all my dreams crashing. I bought a plane ticket for home, but the night before my flight, I got a phone call from a woman who tutored me. She and her husband had worked behind the scenes, resulting in the university allowing me to stay. I had a lot of people helping me out, man. I couldn’t do it alone.
Part of Direct Contact’s magic is ensuring that the audience can’t help but assault the dance floor. (Photo provided)
Music Ed Fest raises thousands of dollars and helps hundreds of aspiring musicians in the Dominican Republic. Why is this important to your legacy?
I don’t come from money, but I learned from my parents that you have to help other people. It doesn’t matter what situation in life you are in, there are always ways to help. I haven’t forgotten that.
My grandparents had a little farm, and several times a year I was part of filling bags – like 300 bags – with fruit and vegetables and giving them to people in need. Now, when I go back, I sit down with the kids, teach them how to read music, and help them study to get into the National Conservatory of Music. Not only have some studied there, some now work there. It’s just beautiful. One student is entering the University of Miami.
It’s just beautiful to be part of helping make somebody else’s dream come true.
A quarter century has passed since leaving the DR. Do you feel a sense of belonging in Indiana?
I do. Indiana is where I have lived the longest in my life. This is my home. My friends are here. This is where I developed as a person and as a musician, in many ways. Yeah, this is my home. I’m not moving.
To book a show, contact Pavel & Direct Contact at linktr.ee/pavel.directcontact.
Email Scott at scottsaalman@gmail.com.