Born: September 14, 1973 Primary Instrument: Saxophone
Saxophonist and composer Jerome Sabbagh was born in Paris and has been living in New York since 1995. He has recorded five albums as a leader, the upcoming “Plugged In”, “I Will Follow You”, “One Two Three”, “Pogo” and “North”.
Jerome Sabbagh has played with Paul Motian (with whom he played at the Village Vanguard for a week with the drummer's New Trio with Ben Monder), Victor Lewis, Bill Stewart, Billy Drummond, Eliot Zigmund, Andrew Cyrille, Damion Reid, Reggie Workman, Matt Penman, Joe Sanders, Lage Lund, Guillermo Klein, Laurent Coq and Jean-Michel Pilc.
The Jerome Sabbagh Quartet, as heard on “North” (Fresh Sound New Talent) and “Pogo” (Sunnyside) features Ben Monder, Joe Martin and Ted Poor. It focuses on original compositions. The Jerome Sabbagh Trio, as heard on “One Two Three” (Bee Jazz) features Ben Street and Rodney Green. It focuses on standards. “I Will Follow You” (Bee Jazz) is a freer project featuring European drum legend Daniel Humair and Ben Monder. Jerome Sabbagh also performs duet with Danny Grissett. As a sideman, Jerome has been involved most notably with pianist Laurent Coq's quartet and Guillermo Klein's Los Guachos.
Jerome Sabbagh's newest band is a collaboration with keyboardist Jozef Dumoulin, electric bassist Patrice Blanchard and drummer Rudy Royston. Their new record “Plugged In” is coming out on Bee Jazz in 2012.
Awards:
2008: CMA/FACE grant for French-American jazz projects for a new trio project with Ben Street and Rodney Green
2005: "choc de l'année" (CD of the year) for North from the readers of French monthly Jazzman
“Mr. Sabbagh played with untroubled self-assurance, and his songs had a sleek and sturdy appeal. Just as crucially, his colleagues strove for the unexpected, individually and as an ensemble. [...] Mr. Sabbagh avoided direct allusions to the the saxophone totems. What he is working toward, simply and effectively, is a sincerely personal vocabulary.” (Nate Chinen, New York Times)
“Sabbagh shows his weight throughout with wonderful tone and harmonic genius. Chris Potter and Mark Turner better watch out, this Frenchman is set to tear up the scene any moment now.” (allaboutjazz.com)
“The French tenor player has a tune called “Indian Song” that steadily trickles towards several interesting areas with a voluptuousness and a sense of ritual that recall Keith Jarrett's American quartet. He's a comer who hangs in the right circles; it's not everyone who can corral guitarist Ben Monder to their stand.” (Village Voice)
“Jerome Sabbagh shines on reeds with impeccable technique, loads of heart and soul, and loaded lines of thought.” (allaboutjazz.com)
I Will Follow You, Bee Jazz, 2010, with Ben
Monder and
Daniel Humair
One Two Three, Bee Jazz, 2009, with Ben
Street and
Rodney Green
Pogo, Sunnyside, 2007, with Ben Monder, Joe
Martin and
Ted Poor
North, Fresh Sound New Talent, 2004, with
Ben Monder,
Joe Martin and Ted Poor
As a co-leader:
Flipside, Naxos Jazz, 1998, with Greg
Tuohey, Matt Penman
and Darren Beckett
As a sideman:
Laurent Coq Quartet, Eight Fragments of
Summer, 88
Trees, 2009
Guilherme Monteiro, Air, BJU Records, 2009
Joel Harrison, Urban Myths, HighNote, 2009
Laurent Coq Quartet, Like A Tree In The City,
Sunnyside,
2003
Pablo Ablanedo Octet, Alegria, Fresh Sound
New Talent,
2003
Pablo Ablanedo Octet, From Down There,
Fresh Sound New
Talent, 2001 Disclaimer: All About Jazz is not responsible for the accuracy of the discographical data at the website(s) provided. If a link is no longer valid, please contact discography@allaboutjazz.com. Thank you.
