Ohad Talmor (born 1970) is an American/Swiss jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, conductor and arranger.

Life and work

Early years

Talmor grew up in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Switzerland, where he began piano lessons at the age of 5 at the local conservatory. He met virtuoso pianist

Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; ; born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argerich gave her debut concert at the age of eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won sev ...

in his teens who exposed him to a world of music and musicians which helped shape his musical upbringing both as an instrumentalist and as a composer.
Talmor discovered the saxophone while attending high school in the US in 1987. Back in Switzerland, he devoted himself to this instrument while briefly studying musicology and philosophy at the University of Geneva. He also studied composition with Russian pianist and composer Alexander Rabinovitch.
In 1989, he met alto saxophonist

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

at a recording session. Lee Konitz would prove pivotal in Ohad Talmor's career, mentoring him closely for years to come. Eventually Talmor became one of Lee Konitz's privileged musical partner, resulting in 8 records and over 200 concerts worldwide. From 1990 to 1995, Talmor was deeply involved in the European Jazz scene, leading his own quartet or quintet which featured American trombonist

Glenn Ferris Glenn Arthur Ferris (born June 27, 1950) is an American jazz trombonist who has also worked in other fields. Outside of jazz he has played for Frank Zappa, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, and Duran Duran. He studied classical music from 1958 to 196 ...

. During this time, he collaborated with many of Europe's leading musicians including

Joachim Kühn Joachim Kurt Kühn (born 15 March 1944) is a German jazz pianist. Biography Kühn was born in Leipzig, Germany. He was a musical prodigy and made his debut as a concert pianist, having studied classical piano and composition, with Arthur Schmidt-E ...

, Matthieu Michel, Benoit Delbecq.
In 1994 and 1995 he toured Europe with Lee Konitz,

Steve Swallow Steve Swallow (born October 4, 1940) is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar. ...

and different large ensembles (including string quartet ) featuring music he had composed. Talmor eventually moved to New York in 1995 getting a Composition degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1997.

Present day

Talmor lives in Brooklyn, New York.
As a leader, his own projects include: "''Back to the Land''", a group featuring Chris Tordini and Eric McPherson with guests pianists

Leo Genovese Leonardo Genovese (born 1979) is an Argentine jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer. He has played with The Mars Volta. Life and career Genovese was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, in 1979. He began playing the piano at the age of 5 or 6, bu ...

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or vibraphonist Joel Ross.
"''Newsreel''", a Sextet featuring Dan Weiss,

Jacob Sacks Jacob Sacks is an American jazz pianist and composer. Life and career Sacks is originally from Michigan.Ratliff, Ben (October 19, 1999) "A Contest Befitting Monk". ''The New York Times''. pp. E1, E4. He met drummer Dan Weiss at the Manhattan Sc ...

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and Matt Pavolka.
"''Trio''", with

and Dan Weiss.
Talmor's other projects include:

/Ohad Talmor/

Adam Nussbaum Adam Nussbaum (born November 29, 1955) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Nussbaum was born in New York City on November 29, 1955. He grew up in Norwalk (Connecticut), Norwalk, Connecticut, and first played the drums at the age of four. Aft ...

Trio and
"''Mass Transformation''", a Nonet focusing on the Music of Anton Bruckner and featuring Austria's Spring String 4tet, singer Judith Berkson, Pete McCann, Shane Endsley, Mark Ferber.
Since 2004, he has been a devoted student of Hindustani music, playing the bansuri under the guidance of virtuoso flutist

Steve Gorn Steve Gorn (born 1944) in New York City) is a bamboo flautist and saxophone player.Allmusic/ref> Gorn has performed Indian classical music, jazz and new American music on the bansuri bamboo flute and soprano saxophone in concerts and festivals th ...

.
Talmor is involved with the bustling Brooklyn jazz scene, performing regularly with Jason Moran,

Joshua Redman Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006). Life and career Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman a ...

, Gregoire Maret,

Fred Hersh Fred Hersch (born October 21, 1955) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and a 17-time Grammy nominée. He was the first person to play weeklong engagements as a solo pianist at the Village Vanguard in New York City. He has recorded more than ...

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, Chris Cheek,

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, Carla Bley,

Joe Lovano Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born December 29, 1952)"Joe Lovano." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 13. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 1994. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, May 5, 2017. is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist. T ...

, Chris Potter,

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...

.

As a Composer and Arranger, Talmor is equally involved in writing for jazz and classical idioms. He leads his "Grand Ensemble" project which last played at the New York Jazz Winter Festival and focused on a series of Virtuosic Études.
He has composed, arranged and conducted music for large ensembles, and for soloists including

/ Mark Turner/Chris Cheek, Gregoire Maret,

, Chris Potter or the late

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

.
His music has been performed by jazz ensembles around the world, including Germany's

WDR Big Band WDR Big Band is the jazz big band of German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in Cologne, Germany. History Origins After World War II, the ''Kölner Rundfunk-Tanzorchester'' (''Cologne Radio Dance Orchestra'') was active from ...

, Portugal's OJM Big Band, Switzerland's Big Band de Lausanne, Lucerne Jazz Orchestra and DKSJ All Stars, Brazil's SoundScape Orquestra, Belgium's Bruxelles Jazz Orchestra, and NYC's MSM Big Band with the Brecker Brothers. His contributions to the classical idiom include music for pianist Martha Argerich, São Paulo's Symphonic Band, the Spring String Quartet from Austria or Portugal National Orchestra. Talmor's large-form compositions include "Layas", his concerto for piano, drums and double orchestras, which premiered in February 2010 by the Porto National Orchestra, with the OJM Big Band with Jason Moran and Dan Weiss as featured soloists.

Other activities

Talmor is actively involved as a composer for films and radio plays.
His latest score is for the movie "

Low Down ''Low Down'' is a 2014 American biopic directed by Jeff Preiss and based on the memoirs written by Amy-Jo Albany (portrayed by Elle Fanning) about her father, famed jazz pianist Joe Albany (portrayed by John Hawkes), and his struggles with dru ...

" featuring John Hawkes,

Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her works include both independent films and blockbusters, and her accolades include a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and ...

Glenn Close Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...

and musician

Flea Flea, the common name for the order (biology), order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by hematophagy, ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult f ...

. The movie was primed at the Sundance and Karlovy Vary (Czech Rep) Film Festivals in 2014.
He has contributed numerous scores to Sci-Fi's Radio Drama Channel

Seeing Ear Theater ''Seeing Ear Theater'' was an internet based drama/re-enactment troupe attempting to capture the feel of older scifi radio plays. The content was originally maintained on the SciFi.com website and ran from 1997 to 2001. Episodes can be retrieved ...

including the

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

audio series Talmor is a Professor of Composition and Arranging at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. He is also an adjunct professor at the New School and Queens College CUNY in New York City. In 2011 Talmor founded the Performance Spac
SEEDS::Brooklyn
located in Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, NY. In 2012 he was awarded the Jazz prize from Switzerland's SUISA Foundation for Music for his "innovative and creative jazz work". In 2015 Talmor was awarded the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) Award for European Jazz Composer of the year.

Discography

(discography partially complete)
The Other Quartet "13 pieces" (with Russ Johnson, Jim Hershman, Mike Sarin) (Knitting Factory, 1998)
The Other Quartet "Sound Stains" (with Russ Johnson, Pete McCann, Mark Ferber) (Knitting Factory, 2001)
MOB Trio "Loose" and "Quite Live in Brooklyn" (with Matt Wilson, Bob Bowen) (Omnitone, 1999)

, Ohad Talmor & Axis Quartet Plays French Impressionist Music of the 20th Century (Palmetto, 2000)
BlueSeven "Dexter" (with Daniel D'Alcántara, Denis Lee, David Richards, Ricardo Castellanos, Bob Bowen, Matt Wilson, Rogerio Boccato) (BSR, 2002)
Christophe Schweizer "Full Circle Rainbow" (with Jason Moran,

) (TCB Records, 2003)
MOB Trio "Quite Live in Brooklyn" (with Matt Wilson, Bob Bowen) (Omnitone, 2004)

-Ohad Talmor 6tet "Bum's Tale" (with Greg Tardy, Russ Johnson, Meg Okura, Jacob Garchik) (Palmetto, 2004)

, Ohad Talmor String Project Inventions (Spring String 4tet) (Omnitone, 2004)
Demian Cabaud "Naranja" (with Phil Grenadier, Leo Genovese, Gerald Cleaver) (FreshSound, 2008)

New Nonet (Directed by Ohad Talmor) (Omnitone, 2005)

/ Ohad Talmor / Adam Nussbaum "Playing in Traffic" (Auand Records, 2008)
TOAP Collectivo in Guimaraes "Vol. IV" (with Bernardo Sassetti, Demian Cabaud, Dan Weiss) (TOAP, 2009)
Ohad Talmor NEWSREEL (with Shane Endsley,

, Jacob Sacks, Matt Pavolka, Dan Weiss; Auand Records 2008/9)
Evaristo Perez Trio feat Ohad Talmor "Why" (with Evaristo Perez, Cédric Gysler, Tobie Langel) (2009)
BlueSeven "Collage" (Daniel D'Alcántara, Denis Lee, Luis Neto, Josué dos Santos, Djalma Lima, R. Castellanos, Sidiel Vieira, C. Teixeira) (BSR, 2010)

and OJM "Our Secret World" (WOM, 2010)
Evaristo Perez Trio feat Ohad Talmor "Suite Paul Klee" (with Evaristo Perez, Cédric Gysler, David Meier) (2012)
Sebastien Ammann "Samadhi" (with Dave Ambrosio, Eric McPherson) (FreshSound, 2013)

/ Ohad Talmor / Adam Nussbaum "Singular Curves" (Auand Records, 2014)
Dan Weiss "Fourteen" (Pi Records, 2014)
Axel Fischbacher 4tet feat Ohad Talmor "Normal" (with Axel Fischbacher, Adam Nussbaum, Johannes Weidenmüller) (Jazzsick Records, 2015)
Justin Mullens Octet "The Cornucopiad" (BJU Records, 2016)
Dan Weiss "Sixteen:Drummers Suite" (Pi Records, 2016)
Ohad Talmor - Christoph Irniger CounterpointS "Subway Lines" (with Baenz Oester, Vinnie Sperrazza) (FreshSounds Records, 2017)

"Lead Belly Project" (with Steve Cardenas, Nate Radley) (Sunnysides Records, 2018)

Nonet "Old Songs New" (Sunnyside Records 2019)
Ohad Talmor NewsReel Sextet "Long Forms" (Intakt Records 2020)

″Lead Belly Reimagined″ (with Steve Cardenas, Nate Radley) (Sunnysides Records, 2020)
Ohad Talmor Trio "Mise en Place" with

, Dan Weiss, (Intakt Records 2021)
Ohad Talmor ″Back to the Land″ with

, Chris Tordini, Eric McPherson, Adam O'Farrill, Shane Endsley, Russ Johnson,

Grégoire Maret Grégoire Maret (born May 13, 1975) is a jazz harmonica player. Background Maret studied at Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, then The New School in New York City. On March 13, 2012 Maret released his first album as a leader. He has worked wi ...

(Intakt, 2023)

External links

Website of Ohad Talmor
Ohad Talmor a
Allmusic
(English)

References

Standard data (Person): LCCN : no2003082409 , VIAF : 73547803 , Wikipedia People Search {{DEFAULTSORT:Talmor, Ohad 1970 births Living people Musicians from Geneva American jazz saxophonists American jazz clarinetists Swiss film score composers American male film score composers Swiss jazz composers American male saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Swiss jazz saxophonists American jazz musicians Swiss jazz clarinetists Swiss clarinetists Swiss jazz pianists American jazz pianists Swiss conductors (music) American conductors (music) Intakt Records artists 21st-century American jazz composers 21st-century Swiss composers