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”.
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Album Review
- Where We Started by Troy Dostert
- Here Be Dragons by Mike Jurkovic
- Here Be Dragons by Karl Ackermann
Radio
Album Review
- Translator's Note by Neri Pollastri
- Translator's Note by Karl Ackermann
- Translator's Note by Dan McClenaghan
“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)
“Themes of heightened melodic beauty, leading to a flowing river of narrative improvisations” – Jazz Thing (Germany)