Omar Haddad

Omar Haddad is the bandleader of This, a quartet involving saxophone, guitar, bass, and drums. The band combines jazz, rock, impressionism, Latin, funk, and other styles of music. The name “This” alludes to a few aspects of art: the impossibility to put music in words; the act of surrendering (as "This" implies what comes out of one’s soul); and finally, by the nature of the word, it refers to something specific yet indefinite, both characteristics of our human musicality, which constantly evolves by incorporating new elements and abandoning others. This is plays at The City College of New York featuring Michael Webster on tenor sax, Peter Swanson on bass, and Hironori Momoi on drums. Another of Omar's original music projects is his debut CD Ceremony, a duo with pianist Diego Ruiz. The album was recorded in Buenos Aires and released at Un Lugar en Ortuzar in January of 2012. Omar has two projects as a solo performer: his own repertoire of solo guitar jazz arrangements and the lute works of J. S. Bach, for which he has undertaken the baroque pieces' adaptation to electric guitar. Both projects have been included in the concert series at The City College of New York since the spring of 2011. Omar is a proficient educator, and he taught at Joe's Music Center and Dance Academy in the fall of 2011. Having taught private students in guitar since 1997, violin in 2003 (with the International Suzuki Method), and jazz ensembles in 2003, he has crystallized his experience in A Comprehensive Course for the Guitar Apprentice, his forthcoming book. Omar grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, studying with Alejandro Moro and later with renowned guitar player Pino Marrone. Between 2004 and 2007 he performed for cruise lines, and this job allowed him to take the BFA jazz performance program at The City College of New York, where he studied with John Patitucci and was awarded a full scholarship from the Kaye foundation among other honors. Omar has studied classical guitar with Oren Fader and violin with Rafael Gintoli. Omar has an additional background as a violinist and conductor, which he developed in Buenos Aires. He was appointed first violin in Hurlingham and San Mart�-n Municipal Orchestras between 2001 and 2004, performing in two occasions at Colón Theater, one of the world’s major opera houses. Omar has accompanied Argentinean stars Pimpinela Duo, La Ley, Guillermo Guido, Los Nocheros, and Dani Martin, and he performed as a violinist-actor in the Argentinean film The Dark Camera and in the T.V.

show Los Roldán. As a conductor, Omar led the big band Los Saxópatas, recording Twenty Years, an album of original compositions and arrangements, in 2002. The band participates yearly in the jazz festival Jazz in the City in Buenos Aires since 2001 and was featured as the main act in 2003. Show less