Daniel Zamir

Daniel Zamir
Background information
Born 1982
Petah Tikva (Peh-tah Teek-Qwah), Israel
Genres Jazz
Klezmer
Jewish
Labels Tzadik, Hatav Hashmini
Associated acts Satlah

Daniel Zamir (born 1982 in Petah Tikva) is an Israeli religious Jewish saxophonist and singer. Having started on alto saxophone, Zamir is mainly known for his soprano playing.[1]

Background

Zamir was born to a secular family and started playing the saxophone at the age of eleven. He is a graduate of Thelma Yellin high school of arts in Israel. After he finished his studies he left for New York City, where he began showing interest in Jewish, Hasidic and East European music as well as West Indian rhythmic approaches. He completed his studies at New School in 2002. He moved back to Israel in 2006 where he recorded his debut album in Israel, Amen'.

Zamir's album Amen created a revolution in Israeli listening habits. It was the most selling jazz album in Israel ever. Zamir was able to get jazz into the mainstreet listener and in that sense he created the path for the entire Israeli jazz scene for the first time to connected with a wider audience.

Zamir became a well-known Israeli artist within the finest of Israel's musicians enabling to connect vast audiences to jazz for the first time. Zamir collaborated with Israel's finest musicians of all genres from Rock n Roll to Middle Eastern traditions.

As an ultra orthodox Torah-observing Jew, Zamir is the only Ultra Orthodox Chassidic Jazz artist in history ever. He is the first and only "Charedi" Jew to be playing jazz professionally that we know of.

Zamir released 12 albums that we know of.

With John Zorn

In New York he was discovered by the Jewish composer-saxophonist John Zorn, who signed him to a contract in his recording label "Tzadik".[2]

Under the "Tzadik" label, Zamir recorded three albums with his band, Satlah, with Zorn as a sideman. They recorded two studio albums called Children of Israel and Satlah, as well as a live performance called "Exodus". Satlah and Exodus contain original materials written by Zamir himself, while Children of Israel contains original jazz variations of known traditional Israeli and Jewish compositions. In all three albums, Zamir performs as soloist together with a rhythm section, which includes bass and drums, accompanied by an ensemble of brass instruments.

In 2007 Zamir recorded I Believe for Zorn's label with the killing rhythm section of Zorn, including Joey Baron on drums, Uri Caine on piano and Greg Cohen on double bass.

In 2015 Zamir released Redemption Songs on Tzadik, featuring another killing band including Mark Guiliana on drums, Shai Maestro on piano and more great Israeli musicians.

In Israel

While staying in New York, Zamir got closer to the Jewish religion and finally decided to go back to live in Israel. In 2006 he recorded his fifth album, Amen, under the Israeli label "Hatav Hashmini", with Omer Avital on bass, Daniel Friedman on drums and Omri Mor on piano. Avishai Cohen plays trumpet on one of the tracks.

In 2009, Zamir released a second album on the "Hatav Hashmini" label titled Echad (One).[3][4] Zamir featured percussionist virtuosso Zohar Fresco and Israeli RocknRoll ledgend Berry Sakharoff on vocals and electric guitar.

Music festivals

Zamir appeared in many festivals, including "Krakow Jewish Cultutre Festival" in Poland, "Red Sea Jazz Festival" in Eilat, Israel; Jarassum Festival in Korea, Ottawa International Jazz Festival in Canada; Melbourne International Jazz Festival in Australia; Saulkrasty Festival in Latvia; Warsaw "Singer" Festival in Poland, Neurnberg NueJazz Festival in Germany, Vienna's Klez Festival in Austria, more festivals in Japan, USA, and performances in almost every country on the globe.

Zamir is a steady resident at Israel's jazz festivals. In April 2013, Zamir was one of the musicians who represented Israeli Jazz at Jazzahead, the annual European Jazz Fair at Bremen. Zamir's show was captured on tape and is a viral video amongst jazz fans.

Awards

Zamir received the asteemed prime minister award for composers in 2010 for outstanding jazz compositions.

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Alternative Jewish Music: Great Artists, October 18, 2009. Jewish Music Report blog.
  2. ↑ Blind Janitor music review, Lior Avraham, October 10, 2006
  3. ↑ , Jerusalem.com
  4. ↑ Ben Bresky, Israel National News
  5. ↑

External links

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