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Roy Assaf

About Me

A pianist with dazzling technique and a composer who expertly weaves jazz harmonies, Roy was named the ASCAP Foundation’s Young Jazz Composer in 2008. He made his New York Blue Note debut with the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band in 2007, followed by a European tour consisting of 13 cities.

Roy’s other awards include the 31st Downbeat Student Award for Outstanding Performance, 2nd place in the Charlie Palmieri Memorial Piano Competition, Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute Award, America- Israel Cultural Foundation Prize for Young Israeli Musicians and the 30th Downbeat Student Award for Best Jazz Arrangement.

Over the last few years, Roy has performed with Wallace Roney, Ron Carter, Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Lewis Nash, Buster Williams, Dr. Billy Taylor, Barry Harris, Randy Brecker, T.S. Monk, Steve Davis, John Lee, Eric Alexander, Claudio Roditi, Winard Harper and Giovanni Hidalgo, in addition to such jazz legends as Jimmy Heath, James Moody and Slide Hampton.

Roy is currently also part of the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band, Winard Harper Sextet, John Lee Quartet, Sharel Cassity Quintet, Alex Terrier Quartet, and Victor Bastidas Project.

In 2003, after being awarded several scholarships to the Berklee College of Music, Roy moved from Israel to Boston to pursue his undergraduate studies there. While at Berklee, he studied with such distinguished musicians and teachers as Joanne Brackeen, Danilo Perez, Kenny Werner, Michel Camilo, Richie Beirach and Sonny Bravo. Roy graduated from Berklee in 2005 and was awarded a BA cum laude.

In May of 2005, Roy was invited to perform at the Promising Artist of the 21st Century Performance Series in Costa Rica. Shortly thereafter, he performed with his jazz quartet at the Phoenix Jazz Festival in Kobe, Japan.

In May 2008, Roy graduated from a two-year program at the Manhattan School of Music, earning a Master's degree in Jazz Performance. He was fortunate to be mentored by pianists Kenny Barron, Jason Moran and Phil Markowitz, and great saxophonist Dave Liebman.

Roy was born in Israel in 1982, and started his formal classical training at the Tel Aviv Conservatory. In 1999, he graduated from the three-year jazz program of Thelma Yellin – Israel’s premier high school of the arts – and won the International Red Sea Jazz Festival competition for young musicians. The acclaimed jazz musician Opher Brayer served as his mentor during that time.