The musicians Art Garfunkel wanted to be compared to: “In that world of a real artist”
It’s no surprise that The Singer – a collection of Simon and Garfunkel classics alongside new and previously unreleased songs – was the very first release Art Garfunkel returned with as soon as he recovered from vocal paresis. Long before the vocalist had his most cherished instrument threatened with the injury, he had garnered a deep love for the singing voice – what it can represent, express and its ability to connect with listeners.
Faced with the risk of losing such a prized possession, Garfunkel’s appreciation for his voice only intensified and showed no signs of fading as he entered his seventh decade.
“To me, the act of singing is an expression of love. You form it in the vocal chords when you love your song, and you lose yourself into the song. It’s very tough to analyse the act of singing,” Garfunkel reflected in an interview with NPR ahead of the release of the 2012 compilation.
A passion like this will often and naturally extend to a desire for improvement, evolution, and mastery that reaches new heights of recognition. Garfunkel wanted to be a virtuoso. “I wanted to be a singer in the same way that Bill Evans is a piano player, [where] the instrument that you play has a chance to stretch out and be very good. My instrument is the vocal, and it’s tough to name many singers who are treating their vocals as a virtuoso instrument. But I want people to go from song to song and listen to the sequencing of the songs, and end up going, ‘The singer can sing.’”
1964 saw the arrival of Simon and Garfunkel, marked by the release of the duo’s debut album Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, which featured the standout classic, ‘The Sound of Silence’. Both are 21 years old, and the pair created a sound in this one composition that exhibited maturity far beyond their years.
It was ten years prior that Garfunkel first met Paul Simon. Reminiscing upon the experience of singing with his spiritual partner on the track, Garfunkel comments, “When I work with Paul, I go into that dome – that invisible, small-circumferenced dome – and revisit that place. And it’s apart from life on earth.”
Whether Garfunkel is discussing his relationship with the voice or displaying his own prowess through each song sung, you can feel and hear that the experience transcends to a higher celestial place. Of course, this isn’t something unusual or massively groundbreaking if you think of the artists that move you, those that create music that offers a space for you to move, even escape to – but it is something that we all know and cherish when it comes along. And with that comes a profound respect.
“Sometimes I look at Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison – artists that win their respect after years and decades of hanging in, and then you finally say, ‘Well, this is a devoted guy. Joe Cocker is a musician through the ages.’ I wondered if I was being seen that way.” Garfunkel continued when asked how he’d like to be remembered, “I want to be in that world of a real artist.”
It was in 2012 when Garfunkel made this reflection. At the age of 70, it seems he was still seeking that revered recognition as a vocalist. At this point, I and I think many others may discover and harbour a new-found level of respect for the artist – this life-long, unwavering love for one’s craft can only be admired and credited.
