Sunday, November 21, 2010

Shauli Einav's Opus One at iTunes

Israeli Saxophonist-Composer Shauli Einav Makes
Impressive Debut with Opus One on Plus Loin Music
Stateside release on French label due out on January 11, 2011
and currently available at iTunes

Catch Shauli Einav Quartet at Small’s Dec 3


Opus One marks the emergence of a promising new talent on the jazz scene, saxophonist-composer-arranger and bandleader Shauli Einav. On his startling debut, to be released on the French Plus Loin Music label on January 11th, the gifted young musician is accompanied by a stellar crew that includes pianist Shai Maestro, trombonist Andy Hunter, bassist Joseph Lepore and drummer Johnathan Blake. Together they interpret this richly rewarding music with rare chemistry and a collective sense of purpose that elevates the proceedings to some lofty peaks. “I was really trying to make something meaningful and full of essence,” says Einav. “And while some of the tunes remind me of my homeland, I don’t see this as an Israeli album, it’s just music per se.”

The CD is currently available on iTunes and the saxophonist and his quartet will be performing music from the release at Small's in NYC on Dec 3rd at 7:30pm.

Born in Israel on July 1, 1982, Einav started studying violin at age four and remained with that instrument for six or seven years before switching to drums and recorders for two years. At age 13, he switched to alto saxophone and played it for seven years until switching to tenor sax at age 20. After receiving his bachelors degree from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and a masters degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, Einav moved to New York City in the summer of 2008 and began making a dent on the jazz scene. Through fellow Israeli musicians who had already had a strong foothold in the Big Apple, like bassists Omer Avital and Avishai Cohen, and by performing and hanging at jazz clubs like Small’s and Fat Cat, Shauli made invaluable connections that led to innumerable gigs. “This is actually the second recording that I have made,” he explains. “My first was a self-produced CD that was distributed mostly in Israel and a little bit in upstate New York in the area around Eastman. It served as a kind of calling card and got me to a few places, like the Tel Aviv Jazz Festival and Red Sea Jazz Festival in 2008. But it wasn’t big-time at all. I call this second recording Opus One because I do believe that it’s my first major work. And I think it reflects the progress that I’ve made since finishing school and finding my way in such a competitive and hard place such as New York City.”

While the music on Opus One is marked by sophisticated compositions full of intricate time-shifting and rich harmonies, the tunes are ultimately catchy. As Einav explains, “Composition was a big deal at Eastman. I did a lot of playing in the big band there conducted by Bill Dobbins, so I learned a lot about harmony and voicings there and I bring that quality to my own writing. But I hope that the compositions are also catchy and memorable. My sax teacher, Walt Weiskoff, always said that a good jazz composition also has to be memorable. That’s why we all remember ‘Mr. P.C.’ and ‘Ornithology’ or a Pat Metheny tune or all the tunes by Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons. So I tried on this album to have sophisticated compositions but also to make them as melodic and memorable as I could.”

Catch Shauli Einav on the road in early 2011 and around NYC in the coming months.

SHAULI EINAV QUARTET

12/03 – SMALL’S – 7:30pm - $20
183 W. 10th St. NY, NY

-- 2011 --

2/12 – cd release party – MILES CAFÉ – 9:30pm - $10
212 E. 52nd Street, NY, NY

2/16 – TEL AVIV JAZZ FESTIVAL

2/18, 19 – Le DUC des LOMBARDS, PARIS, FRANCE


SHAULI EINAV – OPUS ONE – Plus Loin Music
International release date: January 11, 2011
Now available on iTunes


www.shaulimusic.com



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