Issi Rozen () is an Israeli-born

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 ...

guitarist currently residing in

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri, a village * Brookline, New Hampshire, a town * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookl ...

, Massachusetts. He has been recognized for mixing traditional middle-eastern and straight jazz elements into his music. In 2002, Rozen began teaching guitar and music theory at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

Early life

Issi Rozen was born in

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, 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 metropolitan area i ...

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 ...

on April 20, 1967 and moved to

Tel-Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

during his childhood. As Rozen recalls in an All About Jazz interview, "my earliest musical memories are the lullabies my mother used to sing. They were mostly in minor keys as are most traditional Israeli songs." He began playing guitar at age 10, and as a teenager, Rozen was practicing several hours a day. In 1991, after completing his service in the Israeli Defense Forces, Rozen moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music.

Musical career

After finishing his studies at Berklee, Rozen settled in the Boston suburb of Brookline. In 1998, he released his first album, ''Red Sea'' under Brownstone Records. A year later, Rozen released ''Homeland Blues'' under the same label, which was named one of the top 20 CDs by WBEZ radio in Chicago. In 2003 he released his third album titled ''Dark Beauty'' on his own label, New Step Music. Clearly influenced by jazz guitarists

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

and Jim Hall, Rozen also uses musical components from his native Israel. The opening track on ''Dark Beauty'', "Sheharhoret" (Dark Beauty in Hebrew) is a traditional Hebrew song sung primarily by

Mizrahi ''Mizrachi'' or ''Mizrahi'' () has two meanings. In the literal Hebrew meaning ''eastern'', it may refer to: * Mizrahi Jews, Jews from the Middle East and North Africa * Mizrahi (surname), a Sephardic surname, given to Jews who got to the Iberia ...

Jews. On the same album, Rozen cover's an obscure

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

tune, "Segment". This hybrid of different genres has given Rozen critical acclaim. The other eight tracks on the album are Rozen's own pieces.

Awards and honors

*1999 ''

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

'' Best Jazz Performer *2000 WBEZ Radio Top 20 CDs in 2000 ("Homeland Blues")

Discography

*''Red Sea'' (Brownstone, 1998) *''Homeland Blues'' (Brownstone, 1999) *''Dark Beauty'' (Artist One Stop, 2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rozen, Issi 1967 births Living people Israeli jazz musicians Israeli jazz guitarists Jazz musicians from Boston Berklee College of Music faculty Musicians from Haifa Guitarists from Massachusetts American male guitarists American jazz guitarists 20th-century American guitarists American male jazz musicians 20th-century American male musicians American music educators