We’re thrilled to have Anna Brox (Hickling) curate our EVERYMAN Soundtrack. Melding art consulting and business development, Anna has worked with luxury brands like milliner Vivien Sheriff, whose wonderful hats can be spotted at Ascot or on the heads of Royals. Equally they deserve to adorn an art dealer’s mantlepiece as they are indeed masterpieces in their own right.
Born in Greater Manchester, Anna now lives in Dorset, near the ancient and magical Jurassic coast, home of hand-sized ammonites and massive rock formations sculpted by aeons of wind and wave. “The magic of this landscape drew me” – the natural limestone archway of Durdle Door being a favourite landmark, as featured in Anna’s photograph.
The isthmus that joins the arch to the chalk cliffs is made of a band of Portland limestone, which chimes, of course, with ARgENTUM, as our Notting Hill boutique is located at 119 Portland Road! We like such synchronicity or maybe it’s serendipity. It’s certainly a nice connection, and connection is one of the core energies of the EVERYMAN archetype.
“When I read ARgENTUM’s April New Moon Oracle, I immediately connected the words 'Ships passing. Queen of Night. King of Day.' with my mother and father." Both musicians, her mother is writer and singer Annette Reis and her father was the legendary bluesman Victor Brox, who recorded with the likes of Eric Clapton, Charles Mingus, Muddy Waters, Dr John, Leonard Cohen, Janis Joplin to name a few and was described by Jimi Hendrix as his ‘favourite white blues singer’.
Anna is one of five siblings, all of whom are musical. “Christmas usually is made up of an extended family, numbering around twenty-five of us and there’s always singing and dancing.” Loyalty to family is palpable in Anna’s story and loyalty is one of the characteristics of EVERYMAN.
“Living together in harmony, families at peace, feeling a sense of belonging, feeling included – all of these thoughts, for me, resonate with the Everyman energy.” We have to say here that EVERYMAN, from 15th century morality play origins, includes every woman and everyone who identifies somewhere in between – each a pilgrim on the path of life.
Wang Dang Doodle is sung live by Anna’s youngest sister, Kyla Brox alongside her dad. “You can feel the amazing energy and connection between them, not only as father and daughter but also as vocalists. The performance was completely unrehearsed and improvised, requiring complete trust between each band member. Both Victor and Kyla have incredibly loyal audiences who have supported their live performances and recorded music over decades. They both also have / had the same knack of effortlessly connecting with every kind of people. My Dad was a consummate entertainer, storyteller and teacher who loved an audience whether that was on stage at the infamous 1968 Isle of Wight festival in front of thousands, or in the classroom with a handful of pupils. His Everyman energy certainly lives on, and my sister carries the torch ignited by both my Mum and Dad back in the 1960s.”
Anna also wanted to bring in the Moon (Moondance) and the Sun (It’s a Beautiful Sunrise) in her selection and the element of Water (Water No Get Enemy). “And Magic, as ARgENTUM is quite magical! If It’s Magic is so lyrical and carries a profound message, and I just love the plucking of harp strings on that track.” Anna says she’s been completely true to herself with the Soundtrack which incorporates her music and dance passions, evokes family memories, everyday moments of joy, as well as snippets of accompaniment for pivotal times in her life.
“I wanted it to be uplifting and have included a variety of genres, music in different languages and some tracks with long instrumental sections so that it crosses the divide of language. Music is a universal language. These are all tracks that have informed my spiritual and personal growth, and they still resonate. They always will. Ultimately, we all need to find a belief in ourselves. Music and dance are inextricably linked for me. Having a multi-instrumentalist blues musician father, plus a mother and grandmother (on my dad’s side) who were both dance teachers, my love of both music and dance was pretty much born into me. I’ve tried to include at least something for everyone, so I hope they similarly resonate with the listener and make for an inspiring soundtrack to enjoy, reflect upon, and ponder”.
Amongst this inclusiveness is the dance music track To Be In Love. She extolled the joys of being able to create music on computers with programmes like Cubase and Logic, a process she likened to building with Lego. But for her, live performance, whether at a concert or performing in the same place, as with Aretha Franklin’s sublime Angel with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, are unbeatable. “The sonic frequencies and sense of connection at live performance are so powerful. Go, go go…whenever the chance arises!”
Anna feels it would be unfair to pick her favourite song from the Soundtrack as each one of them has been a favourite at different times in her life. Instead of picking a favourite, she has selected those tracks that best resonate with the EVERYMAN energies of connection, trust and loyalty.
Her concluding choice is Optimistic by gospel collective Sounds of Blackness and the overall sense of this Soundtrack is one of optimism and joy. “This track has a simple uplifting message which I think speaks to everyone. It is sung by a chorus of beautiful voices that are sonically connected through the stunning harmonies. Then there’s different individual voices singing different lines in turns, delivered authentically, with passion and feeling. The dance of life is peppered with highs and lows. The lyrics reflect this, conveying belief in yourself and trusting things will work out, no matter how tough life can be at times. Ultimately, love conquers all!” A beautiful message on the path of EVERYMAN.
