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Amos Hoffman

Tel Aviv based guitarist and oudist Amos Hoffman started playing guitar at the age of 6, and oud a few years later. He studied guitar privately, and attended the prestigious Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. His search for new musical experiences led him first to Amsterdam, and then to New York City, where he played jazz with both established musicians like Dennis Charles, Evelyn Blakey and Juma Santos and up and coming talents like Jason Lindler, Omer Avital, Sam Newsome, Jay Collins, bassist Avishai Cohen, Jorge Rossi and Duane Eubanks. He also began a more formal study of Middle Eastern music with Lebanese oud and ney player, Bassam Saba.

In 1998, he recorded his first solo album The Dreamer for the Spanish Label, Fresh Sound/New Talent. He has also contributed to numerous other projects, including Ben Wolfe's 13 Sketches, 1997, Jay Collins' Cross Culture,1999, Sam Newsome 1999 and bassist Avishai Cohen's Aurora 2009, Continuo, 2006, Colors 2000 Devotion, 1999 and Adama, 1998.

After returning home to Israel at the end of 1999, he began to compose the music that would eventually become the tracks on Na'ama, released in 2006 on Magda records. On Na’ama, Hoffman plays homage to the traditions of classical Arabic music - the taqasim (improvisation) and the maqam (scales). All 12 tracks are original compositions, inspired by the great Arab composers of the 20th Century.

Further pursuing his passion for combining jazz with Middle Eastern music, his newest work is Evolution (RazDaz), a ten track exploration of melodies and rhythms that incorporates compositional and improvisational elements common to both musical genres. His long-time friend and musical associate Avishai Cohen, who plays contrabass, piano and contributes vocals, joins Hoffman on Evolution. Rounding out the CD’s line up are two of Israel’s most prominent musicians - ethnic percussionist Ilan Katchka and flute Ilan Salem.

Hoffman’s most recent release, BACK TO THE CITY (2015 follows in the tradition of the great guitarists of the old school – Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell – while bringing a fresh interpretation to the language of jazz guitar. BACK TO THE CITY features both original compositions and standards, with stellar lineup of old friends completing the : bassist Omer Avital, drummer Vince Ector, saxophonist Asaf Yuria, trumpeter Duane Eubanks and special guest Itai Kriss on flute. Now based in Columbia, S.C., Hoffman looks forward to sharing his unique musical worldview with American audiences.

Awards

2014 Recipient of The Landau Prize for Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievement in the field of Jazz.

Gear

Gibson 175 oud - 12 strings, designed and built by Amos Hoffman


Tags

5
Album Review

Amit Friedman: Home at Last

Read "Home at Last" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Once upon a time, jazz, an American creation, was confined for the most part within its borders. But that was once upon a time. Today, any barriers that once kept jazz within a prescribed realm have long since vanished, and the music Americans once embraced as their own has flourished around the world, performed with increasing awareness and dexterity by artists who have built upon the patterns created in the land of its birth to weave colorful and charming tapestries ...

9
Album Review

Amos Hoffman: Back To The City

Read "Back To The City" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Amos Hoffman's story is one of departures and returns. This guitarist-oudist cut his teeth in his native Israel, made his way to Amsterdam, and finally ended up in New York in the '90s as part of what could be considered the first wave of Israeli jazz talent to really make an impact on the Big Apple. And then he left. Hoffman returned to Israel, continuing to play, record on occasion, and mentor up-and-comers who've come stateside, or, no doubt, will. ...

333
Album Review

Amos Hoffman: Carving

Read "Carving" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni


Israeli guitarist and oudist Amos Hoffman reaches a fine balance between his main instruments on this fine recording. The guitar sounds natural and organic in Middle-eastern scales, while the oud fits perfectly in the swinging jazz sensibilities. Hoffman articulates a clear and melodic outline on both instruments, while he crosses genres. Hoffman is backed by veteran Israeli jazz musicians like bassist/producer Ilan Salem, his friend Avishai Cohenand percussionist Ilan Katchka. Promising young players such as percussionist Itamar ...

259
Album Review

Amos Hoffman: Evolution

Read "Evolution" reviewed by Dr. Judith Schlesinger


The oud is the principal instrument in Middle Eastern music: it's an ancient, fretless, short-necked lute with five pairs of strings and a bass string. On Evolution, his third CD as leader, Amos Hoffman plays the oud he made himself, and offers a fascinating combination of Middle Eastern music and jazz.

The Tel Aviv-based Hoffman wrote all the tunes here, providing a mix of composed and improvised music with hypnotic, sensuous, and insistent rhythms. Aside from ...

258
Album Review

Amos Hoffman: Evolution

Read "Evolution" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni


This is the second recording by Israeli guitarist Amos Hoffman that features him as an oud player, following Na'ama (Magda, 2006). Hoffman, who began playing the guitar when he was six years old and the oud a few years later, studied with Lebanese oud and nay player Bassam Saba, while he was living in New York.

For this recording Hoffman recruited good friend and prominent Israeli bassist Avishai Cohen, after playing on Cohen's recent recordings, veteran Israeli percussionist ...

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323

Recording

Razdaz Recordz Releases Amos Hoffman's Carving

Razdaz Recordz Releases Amos Hoffman's Carving

Source: Michael Ricci

Guitar and oud player Amos Hoffman, who has been performing and recording as a member of Avishai Cohen's band for more than two decades, will release his second CD on Cohen's RazDaz Recordz on May 11th.

On Carving, Hoffman makes his musical statement in two languages--guitar and oud. From the up tempo, almost danceable oud featured on Brown Sugar, to the scat influenced guitar on Ras, the tracks on Carving weave between instruments and moods, continuing to explore the boundaries ...

82

Recording

Razdaz Recordz Will Release "Evolution" from Amos Hoffman on March 25

Razdaz Recordz Will Release "Evolution" from Amos Hoffman on March 25

Source: GoMedia PR

New CD from Guitarist and Oudist Blends Jazz and Middle Eastern Influences Guitar and oud player Amos Hoffman, who has been performing and recording as a member of Avishai Cohen's band for more than two decades, will release Evolution, his debut CD on Cohen's Razdaz Recordz, on March 25. Since relocating to his native Israel in 1999 after years on the New York jazz scene, Hoffman has spent the time since the release of his last CD (2006's Na'ama, on ...

“Hoffman brings special depth to his work that catches you off guard and trips you up every time you think you can out think him and know where he’s going next. A satisfying set that gives world jazz a new standard to live up to.”

Chris Spector - midwestrecord.com

Great program by Amos Hoffman and his band! How refreshing to hear someone who has captured the essence and mastery of the great ones. Masterful composing, arranging, and playing is not an easy task to pull off in one package, but it is so well executed here. Whether bop, blues, or ballads, Amos has captured in this recording what makes for great listening, for a long time to come! -Wycliffe Gordon

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Home at Last

Origin Records
2021

buy

Back To The City

Self Produced
2015

buy

Carving

Razdaz Recordz
2010

buy

Evolution

Razdaz Recordz
2008

buy

Sam Newsome & Global...

Columbia Records
1999

buy

Little Pigs

From: Back To The City
By Amos Hoffman

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