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Oded Tzur

Described by Downbeat Magazine as “A Volcano on the Ocean Floor“, Oded Tzur’s flair for mystery and narrative captivates audiences worldwide. Based in New York, the saxophonist’s work draws influence from the art of storytelling and explores relationships between ancient and modern musical traditions. His two albums on Enja Records (2015 & 2017) have earned his music the title: “A new type of Swing”, and won extraordinary critical acclaim in Europe, South Africa, Japan, South America, Russia and the US. Tzur’s unique language of improvisation takes the listener on a journey many describe as “musical storytelling”, and evokes deep contrasts between silent passages and dramatic crescendos.

Coming from the Tel Aviv jazz scene of the 2000’s, Oded Tzur’s background consisted of rigorous training in a number of musical styles. His curiosity for improvised music led him to discover the ancient art of Indian classical music, which had set him on the path to become what Downbeat Magazine later called “an explorer of the microtonal”.

In order to pursue the rare undertaking of playing Indian music, a style heavily based on microtonality, on a western instrument such as the saxophone, Tzur embarked on a decade-long research to construct a new saxophone technique — A Middle Path — as it was later named. The technique enables the saxophone to slide between the notes and highlight specific microtones, and departures from traditional saxophone playing so distinctly that the Indian grandmaster Hariprasad Chaurasia once summed it up by saying: “If a curtain were to be drawn in front of him, no one could tell which instrument was being played”.

In 2007 Tzur became the first saxophonist to learn from the legendary Indian flutist. Chaurasia’s elegant phrasing, spiritual depth and rhythmic mastery have had a profound influence on the saxophonist’s music. The work process consisted of countless sessions in which Chaurasia would play a melody on the Bansuri – the Indian flute – and Tzur would then have to translate it onto the saxophone. Following the flutist’s intricate style has refined Tzur’s technique to the point where it started attracting attention from the international saxophone community.

Saxophonists from Sydney to San Fransisco have been learning about Tzur’s technique and its possible implications. He was also invited to lecture on the subject at a number of key institutions, such as Trinity College of Music, London, the Copenhagen Conservatory, the Amsterdam Conservatory and more. “For a subject that started as a solitary practice and was deemed impossible at first, it’s humbling to see the attention and interest the technique has received during the past few years”, says the saxophonist.

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6
Catching Up With

Rhythms Meet Algorithms: Sparks Fly When Jazz Musician Oded Tzur Partners With Engineer Vansh Makh

Read "Rhythms Meet Algorithms: Sparks Fly When Jazz Musician Oded Tzur Partners With Engineer Vansh Makh" reviewed by David Bruggink


Jazz and mobile apps may not be typically mentioned in the same breath, but saxophonist Oded Tzur, celebrated by All About Jazz for a string of albums merging jazz with Indian classical music, is changing that perception. Vansh Makh, a Bay area-based engineer, joined forces with Tzur to create Timeseer, described as “the first and only HiFi Indian classical music app." Timeseer offers a distinctly visual approach to rhythm, portraying complex musical patterns through accessible geometric designs. Devotees ...

49
Year in Review

Chris May's Best Albums Of 2022

Read "Chris May's Best Albums Of 2022" reviewed by Chris May


It was a good year for jazz, as the world recovered from The Great Pause and bands got together once more for real-time live recordings. Twelve of 2022's absolute top albums are presented here, half of them new recordings, the other half reissues or previously unreleased archive items. Number One Best New Album Of 2022 Oded TzurIsabela ECM Records Oded Tzur's 2020 album, Here Be Dragons, the Israeli-born, New York-based tenor ...

Album Review

Oded Tzur: Isabela

Read "Isabela" reviewed by Mario Calvitti


A due anni di distanza dall'eccellente disco di esordio su ECM Here Be Dragons, preceduto da due CD pubblicati per Enja, che aveva sollevato lodi sperticate da parte di un po' tutta la critica, il sassofonista israeliano (ma basato a New York) Oded Tzur prova a bissarne il successo e non fallisce. Il nuovo lavoro ribadisce in pieno l'ottima impressione suscitata dall'album precedente e conferma il sassofonista come uno dei più interessanti tra gli astri nascenti del nuovo jazz internazionale. ...

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Interview

Oded Tzur: A Thrilling New Saxophone Colossus

Read "Oded Tzur: A Thrilling New Saxophone Colossus" reviewed by Chris May


Oded Tzur's 2020 album, Here Be Dragons, the Tel Aviv born, New York based tenor saxophonist's first release on ECM, triggered an eruption of purple prose. Critics competed to see who could convey the most enthusiasm. A few even suggested that the Tzur quartet was the inheritor of the mantle of the classic John Coltrane quartet. That might have been a little over the top and was certainly premature. Here Be Dragons was, after all, only Tzur's third album in ...

10
Album Review

Oded Tzur: Isabela

Read "Isabela" reviewed by David Bruggink


Saxophonist Oded Tzur burst onto the jazz scene in 2012 with a remarkable approach to his instrument that drew upon his studies with Hariprasad Chaurasia, a master of Hindustani Classical music. Joining pianist Shai Maestro, bassist Petros Klampanis, and drummer Ziv Ravitz, he formed a New York-based quartet that began performing locally and ultimately released a debut album, Like a Great River (Yellowbird), in 2015. On that thrilling recording, the wider world was exposed to Tzur's unique mélange of Indian ragas, ...

23
Album Review

Oded Tzur: Isabela

Read "Isabela" reviewed by Chris May


Oded Tzur's 2020 album, Here Be Dragons, the Israeli-born, New York-based tenor saxophonist's first release on ECM, triggered an eruption of purple prose. Critics competed to see who could convey the most enthusiasm. A few even suggested that the Tzur quartet was the inheritor of the mantle of John Coltrane's classic quartet. That might have been over the top, and was certainly premature--Here Be Dragons was only Tzur's third album in a recording career which had begun as recently as ...

6
Album Review

Julian Shore: Where We Started

Read "Where We Started" reviewed by Troy Dostert


A pianist of uncommon sensitivity and graceful temperament, Julian Shore crafts music with atmosphere and feeling, aiming for emotional depth rather than settling for typical jazz devices. On Where We Started, his third release, he offers eight well-honed tracks which are both evocative and nuanced; while they might not win over the uninitiated in a crowded club, they offer plenty of introspective delights to listeners prepared to settle in with the music. Joined by a fine ensemble, Shore ...

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Recording

Saxophonist Oded Tzur's Releases "Translator's Note" on Yellowbird/ENJA

Saxophonist Oded Tzur's Releases "Translator's Note" on Yellowbird/ENJA

Source: Michael Bloom Media Relations

Saxophonist Oded Tzur's latest effort, Translator's Note (Yellowbird/Enja Records) is is now available! Starting in 2012, Oded led a rehearsal in Brooklyn with Shai Maestro, Petros Klampanis and Ziv Ravitz. The immediate connection between the four musicians led to the creation of the Oded Tzur Quartet, an ensemble that explores relationships between the jazz setting and Indian music’s melodic architecture. Oded Tzur is a New York City-based saxophonist, composer and bandleader. His work draws on Indian classical music and Jazz, ...

“Tzur is the first saxophonist I’ve heard to do what I have long thought was possible, but have been unable to successfully achieve myself: that is to bring the science and artistry of saxophone playing to produce the rounded, beautiful and expressive slides of Indian music” – Sandy Evans

“If a curtain were to be drawn in front of him, no one could tell which instrument was being played” – Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia

"A Discovery" - Radio France

“The audience remains in suspense and hardly dares applaud, not to break the magic of the moment.” – Jazzques (Belgium)

“Oded Tzur enters the international Jazz scene as a musical storyteller” – Concerto (Austria)

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Isabela

ECM Records
2022

buy

Here Be Dragons

ECM Records
2020

buy

Where We Started

Tone Rogue Records
2020

buy

Translator's Note

Enja Records
2017

buy

Like a Great River

Enja Records
2015

buy

Videos

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