Biography
for Ohad Talmor
Performer
Ohad Talmor started his musical career as a pianist and switched to
saxophone at the age of 18 while on an exchange student year in south
Florida.
Prior to his moving to New York, Ohad Talmor lived in Geneva,
Switzerland, playing in numerous musical projects throughout
Europe. His own projects included his 4tet or 5tet, (with
trombonist Glenn Ferris), the group "Zounds" (with trombonist
Ed Neumeister) and his "Suite for Lee Konitz" (written for Lee
Konitz and String 4tet, 5 horns and rhythm section). In 1995, this
project was taken on a European tour sponsored by the EJN (European Jazz
Network). Co-founder in 1994 of the "Zounds Collective"
with Swiss trumpet player Carlos Baumann. The collective played
every week in a Geneva club, using their platform as a laboratory for
experiment from theatrical free music to straight ahead standards. The
Zounds Collective represented Switzerland for the CRPLF (French Speaking
Radio Music Award) contest, 1995: received first place Award.
Another direct result of the Zounds Collective experiments was the group
"MuseS" with electric bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Mike
Sarin which toured Europe twice in 1995 and 1997. He played with
several big-bands including the "Lausanne Big Band" and the
Jerôme Thomas Big Band featuring trombonist Ray Anderson.
He performed regularly with many of the leading European jazz musicians
including pianist Joachim Kuhn and Vienna Art Orchestra musicians such
as trumpet player Matthieu Michel.
Ohad Talmor moved to New York in 1995 to attend the Manhattan School of
Music from which he graduated in 1997 with a BA in Composition.
Since moving to NYC, he is leading many projects which feature his
combined interests in contemporary writing and modern Jazz playing.
Most recently, Talmor has collaborated with living jazz
legend Lee Konitz to create "larger ensemble" contexts for Konitz
that spotlight his underrecognized skills as a composer and his playing prowess — even
after 50 years on the jazz scene (!). These projects include the Lee
Konitz-Ohad Talmor String Project (featuring the Spring String Quartet),
the Lee Konitz New Nonet (directed
by Ohad Talmor), and the Lee Konitz-Ohad
Talmor Big Band (featuring the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos). World
debut recordings of all three ensembles are available on OmniTone titled,
respectively, Inventions, New Nonet, and Portology.
Two other OmniTone CD spotlight Talmor's work as a player, improviser
and composer with the collaborative MOB Trio: Loose and Quite Live in Brooklyn.
Other projects Talmor is involved with include:
- "The
Other Quartet" (Russ Johnson-trumpet, Jim Hershman-Guitar &
Mark Ferber-drums)
- "Ohad
Talmor "7 Deja Vus" feat. Lee Konitz" (a 7tet with
Russ Johnson-trumpet, Jacob Garchik- trombone, Jim
- Hershman-guitar,
John Silverman-bass & Mike Sarin-drums)
- "M.O.B.
Trio" (Bob Bowen-bass & Matt Wilson-drums)
- "Scent
of the Morning Dew" (Rob Thomas-violin, Jacob Sacks-Piano &
Dan Weiss-Tablas)
- Co-founder with
trombonist Christophe Schweizer of the "Jazz Wave
Collective." Their first project included a European tour
in 1998 featuring the Ohad Talmor 7tet with Lee Konitz and the
Christophe Schweizer 7tet with Billy Hart. Their second
project, a European tour with the Schweizer 7tet and the MOB Trio is
scheduled for November 2000.
As a sideman with:
- Christophe
Schweizer's "Full Circle Rainbow" featuring drummer
Billy Hart and organists George Colligan or Jason Moran
- Roy Nathanson
Dark Star Lounge Big Band
Has also performed
with Chris Potter, Dave Douglas, Chris Speed, Jim Black, Joel Frahm,
Michael and Randy Brecker, Bob Dorough, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Dave
Kikosky, Blondie's singer Debbie Harry, etc.
Composer -
Arranger
Jazz and
Improvised music
- For Big Bands:
Brecker Brothers (with MSM Big Band), Lausanne Big
Band-Switzerland.
- "Suite
for Lee Konitz" written for Lee Konitz, String4tet, 5 Horns,
bass and drums). Commissioned by the Geneva Jazz Festival in 1994.
- Composed and
arranged the music for Lee Konitz and the Axis String 4tet
recording on Palmetto Records: "French Music form the Turn of
the XXth Century".
Classical
and Contemporary Music
- Music for
leading classical musicians including legendary pianist Martha
Argerich (Piano Sonata), Cellist Faissal Hussein (3 Solo Cello
Pieces), trombonist Dave Taylor (Statement for 2 bass bones &
percussion) as well as different ensembles including the Lucerne
String 4tet and the "Wet Ink Collective" - New York.
- Was commissioned
an extensive piece based on the Dante's Divine Comedy by the
"Arte Multi Visione" - Europe's largest multi media
Festival /Rieti, Italy. The music includes work for a septet
featuring jazz musicians such as Ron Horton and Brad Shepik.
- Scoring of
several films including award winning movie "Pazam"
broadcasted on the European "ARTE" TV Channel.
- Music for the
"Seeing Ear Theatre" program, part of USA network's
SciFi Channel. The music was written for radio dramas including
"Sorry, Wrong Number" and "Niagara Falls"
feat. actress Clair Bloom and "The Jaguar Hunter"
featuring actors Lou Diamond Philipps and Chita Rivera. The
next project schedueled is a live production of "The
Metamorphosis" featuing actor Steve Buscemi and a 5tet with
Ohad Talmor, Dave Douglas and Joey Baron. It will take place
at the Knitting Factory in December 2000.
Awards
- 1994 European Jazz
Network - Composition Award (for the Project "Suite for Lee
Konitz," composed for String 5tet, winds, percussions and Lee
Konitz )
- 1994 Dubaï/Montreux
Jazz Festival Award for Talent Deserving Wider Recognition.
- 1995 French
Speaking Radios Music Contest (CRPLF) Award.
Education
- 1985-1989 Diploma
(Music Section), High School, Collège Claparède, Geneva
- 1987-1988 Diploma,
South Plantation High School, Florida. (exchange student year)
- 1989-1992
University of Geneva, First Degree in Liberal Arts studies:
Philosophy, Musicology and History
Musical Education
- 1976-1990 - Geneva
Conservatory, Piano and Theory Diploma
- 1988 - Private
Studies in saxophone with Bruce Miller, Florida. "Audit"
at the University of Miami School of Music in theory with Gary
Campbell.
- 1989-1990 - Geneva
Association for Improvised Music (AMR). Studies in
improvisation and saxophone.
- 1990-1995 -
Private studies with classical composer Alexandre Rabinovitch.
- 1995-1997 - BA in
Composition, Manhattan School of Music (studies with Ludmila Ulhela,
Nils Vigeland, Manny Albam)
- Saxophone studies
with Joe Lovano, Dewey Redman and Dick Oatts
Teaching
- 1992-1995 - Geneva
Association for Improvised Music (AMR): Saxophone and Theory
- 1992-1995 -
Lausanne Conservatory - Contemporary and Jazz division (EJMA):
Saxophone and Theory
- 1995 - City of
Lausanne and Association "# 11" summer course: Theory and
Improvisation
- 1995-1996 - Guest
lecturer at the University of Fribourg and University of Geneva,
Department of Liberal Arts
- 1998 - Guest
lecturer at the Geneva Conservatory, Theory and Composition
Department
- 1998-2000 -
Woodbridge Academy of Music, NJ
- 1999 - Jazz
improvisation and ensemble, Queens College Preparatory Division
[Visit Ohad Talmor's website at www.ohad-talmor.com.]