Amit Golan (1964 - 2010) (Hebrew: עמית גולן) was an Israeli pianist, composer, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

educator. Born in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropoli ...

and educated first at the

Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance ( he, האקדמיה למוסיקה ולמחול בירושלים), is a school for the music and the performing arts in Jerusalem. It is located on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerus ...

and then at

The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music School of Jazz and Contemporary Music is the second conservatory of The New School. It is located on West 13th Street in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood. It was known as The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music before it w ...

in New York, he returned to Israel in the 1990s to teach the style. He was the founder of the Center for Jazz Studies at the Israel Conservatory of Music in Tel Aviv and performed with the Amit Golan Jazz Quintet.Israel Conservatory of Music
The Center for Jazz Studies
Retrieved 24 April 2015.Shalev, Ben (6 December 2010)
"Jazz great - and gone"
''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner ...

''. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

Life and career

Golan received his initial music education at The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance where he studied classical music and composition. After he finished his classical studies, he went to New York City where he discovered his passion for jazz. He was influenced by

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

's playing, but decided that to understand Evans's technique he had to learn what influenced Evans himself. He then attended The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York and studied privately with "old school" players like

Walter Bishop, Jr. Walter Bishop Jr. (October 4, 1927 – January 24, 1998) was an American jazz pianist. Early life Bishop was born in New York City on October 4, 1927.Greene, Philip; Kernfeld, Barr"Bishop, Walter Jr." ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd ed ...

Reggie Workman Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey. Career Early in his career, Workman work ...

Billy Harper Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biography ''AllMusi ...

, Jim Hall,

Kenny Werner Kenny Werner (born November 19, 1951) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and author. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 1951 and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island, Werner began playing and performing at a young ...

, and

Barry Harris Barry Doyle Harris (December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was an exponent of the bebop style. Life and career Harris was born in Detroit, Michigan, on December ...

. He focused his studies on Jazz History, studying with

Phil Schaap Philip van Noorden Schaap (April 8, 1951September 7, 2021) was an American radio host, who specialized in jazz as a broadcaster, historian, archivist, and producer. He began presenting jazz shows on Columbia University's WKCR in 1970, and hoste ...

and

Ira Gitler Ira Gitler (December 18, 1928 – February 23, 2019) was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of ...

. When Golan returned to Israel in the 1990s, he thought of working as a film composer. This plan was never accomplished because he immediately received an offer from The Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts to teach the Jazz History course and direct small ensembles. His course program spread over four years, covering the roots of jazz, moving on to Swing, Be Bop, and Hard Bop. While he was teaching at Thelma Yellin, Golan also taught at other schools. In 2001, he formed The Center for Jazz Studies at the Israel Conservatory of Music, Tel Aviv. Soon after, he collaborated with the New School to create a program where students could study for two years at the Conservatory, and finish their degrees in New York. Between 2004 – 2007, he was the music director of many jazz workshops, and he promoted jazz throughout Israel. In 2007, he directed the jazz series "Home" at Beit Avi Chai, Jerusalem, which held eight concerts featuring Israeli jazz musicians playing pieces he composed himself. Golan died on December 3, 2010, from a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

after collapsing during a basketball game with his music students. He was 46.

Recordings

In 2007, Golan released his first CD, the

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gosp ...

album ''I Decided!'' which contained six original pieces by Golan and one cover of a Gershwin jazz standard and featured some of his old students: Asaf Yuria on tenor sax, Gilad Abro on double bass, Doron Tirosh on drums, and a special guest from New York,

Joe Magnarelli Joseph Anthony Magnarelli (born January 19, 1960) is an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist. Early life and education Magnarelli was born in Syracuse, New York. He received a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Fr ...

on trumpet.

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

"Minton Records Releases ''I Decided!'' - The Amit Golan Quintet Featuring Joe Magnarelli
Retrieved 24 April 2015. His second album, that was already composed, was planned to be recorded in 2011, but his sudden death in 2010 interrupted the plan. His friends decided to produce the album in his memory. Recorded in 2011 and released the following year, ''Eddie Henderson & Friends: The Music of Amit Golan'' features Eddie Henderson on trumpet, and eight more Israeli musicians, all friends, some of whom were also his past students.Joyce, Mike (29 September 2012)
"Review: ''Eddie Henderson & Friends, The Music of Amit Golan''"
''

Jazz Times ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

''. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Golan, Amit Israeli jazz pianists Israeli composers Israeli music educators 1964 births 2010 deaths 20th-century pianists 20th-century Israeli educators 20th-century Israeli male musicians