Tel Aviv Jazz Festival

January 30th 2011

The Tel Aviv Jazz Festival approacheth! Four days of exquisite, eclectic, and distinguished jazz in Tel Aviv.  February 15-18.

For such a young country as Israel, the jazz festival is an established tradition- this is it’s 22nd year in the making.

It’s got top of the line musicians from around the world performing in it, alongside Israeli stars.

We’re talking Dee Alexander “Queen of Chicago”, the young piano talent from Armenia, Tigran Hamasyan,  the daring, experimental  Nicole Mitchell Trio, and New York City’s rising star saxophonist Jaleel Shaw.

Jazzed up Jewish music will also be floating through the air; Steven Bernsteinand his group specialize in dazzling audiences with their traditional Jewish songs funkified through lively Latino arrangements.

In addition, keep your ears tuned for the  original, Israeli production entitled “Tel Aviv- Paris-New York” to be performed, with singer of the year Efrat Gosh.

This jazz festival is about presenting the gamut of jazz forms to the public, encouraging new and creative works to step forward. You will be sure to get a taste of all different jazz forms, and brave musicians who electrify the air with energetic and improvised jazz delicacies.

Like the State of Israel, jazz is a newer creation- dating to the beginning of the twentieth century. It began in the Southern US, in African American communities, and is a mix of European and African styles . Jazz music is characterized with  a certain swing in its step,  improvisation playing a major role in its unique style.  It’s about the musician’s interacting with the other performers and the audience in the moment, in a type of “call and response style”, so come and be ready to experience art in the making.

Be sure to block off from 8 pm to midnight in your schedule every night when touring in Tel Aviv.  If you can’t make one of the performances, don’t sweat it. There are 20 fabulous performances packed within these four days of fun in Tel Aviv.   To check out what happens when, go to http://www.jazzfest.co.il/english/show.html .