Eldad Tarmu is an American

vibraphonist The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vib ...

, composer, and music educator. Between 2005 and 2009 he was a professor of Jazz Studies at the Richard Oschanitzky Jazz and Pop School of Tibiscus University in

Timișoara Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, where he led the Jazz Department. In 2006, he established a partnership with the American Cultural Center in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, aiming to strengthen cultural ties between Romania and the US and promote jazz as an American art form. He resides in the New York area, where he performs regularly on the jazz and contemporary classical scene.

Early life

Eldad Tarmu was born in Los Angeles, California, shortly after his parents, Yehuda Tarmu and Galya Pillin-Tarmu, graphic artists initially based in Israel, moved to the US. Yehuda Tarmu was a painter and documentary film director of Polish-Jewish origin, while Chicago-born Galya, sister of poet William Pillin, was a painter of Ukrainian-Jewish descent.

Career

After a few years of touring with local bands as a rock drummer, he pursued undergraduate studies at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Upon returning to the US, he started working on his first original jazz records and doing international tours. In 2002, he enrolled in graduate studies, and in 2005 he received a master’s degree in Afro-Latin Music from

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

Los Angeles. Tarmu also holds a Master of Arts in Classical Composition and a doctorate in

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Performance from

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

in New York. Tarmu has worked with

Ron Affif Ronaldo Antunacci Charles Affif (December 30, 1965), known professionally as Ron Affif, is an American jazz guitarist of Lebanese and Italian origin. He is the son of boxer Charley Zivic, who was a jazz fan and encouraged his son. Career Born R ...

, Ray Anderson, Mike Clark,

Billy Higgins Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936 – May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop. Biography Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, be ...

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

Poncho Sanchez Poncho Sánchez (born Ildefonso Sanchez, October 30, 1951) is an American ''conguero'' (conga player), Latin jazz band leader, and salsa singer. In 2000, he and his ensemble won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the ...

Cybill Shepherd Cybill Lynne Shepherd (born February 18, 1950) is an American actress, singer and former model. Her film debut and breakthrough role came as Jacy Farrow in Peter Bogdanovich's coming-of-age drama '' The Last Picture Show'' (1971) alongside Jef ...

, and

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and R&B saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's album '' ...

. He has performed in over twenty-five countries in various festivals and concert tours. His album ''Get Up Close'' was number 20 on the U.S. Jazz radio charts for four weeks. His first chamber music album, ''Songs for the Queen of Bohemia'', released in 2007, while jazz-oriented, features a string quartet from the Timișoara Philharmonic, Romanian bassist Johnny Bota, and British-Israeli drummer Yoni Halevy. The eclectic project crosses

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

Middle Eastern The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

with chamber ensemble arrangements In 2017 he released a second chamber music record, under 4-Tay Records, in the contemporary classical genre, called ''Stained Glass Stories''. A new album of jazz originals, called ''Tarmu Jazz Quartet'', was released in March 2023. His most recent project, titled ''Silver on Aluminum'' is a tribute to Horace Silver, recorded in a trio formula and released in January 2025.

Discography

* ''Aluminum Forest'' (Chartmaker Records, 1998) * ''Get Up Close'' (Rhombus Records, 2001) * ''Visits'' (Fever Pitch, 2003) * ''Exotic Tales'' (Verytall Records, 2005) * ''Songs for the Queen of Bohemia'' (Queen of Bohemia Productions, 2009) * ''Farewell, St. George'' (Queen of Bohemia Productions, 2008) * ''Stained Glass Stories'' (Queen of Bohemia Productions, 2017) * ''Tarmu Jazz Quartet'' (Queen of Bohemia Productions, 2023)

References

External links

* *
Eldad Tarmu's Flying South Latin Jazz Ensemble.(music group)(Artículo breve) - Latin Beat Magazine , HighBeam Research

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarmu, Eldad 1960 births Living people Jazz musicians from Los Angeles American jazz composers American jazz vibraphonists American male jazz composers