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Alon Yavnai

I was born & raised in Israel, in a multicultural household. My mother came from Argentina, and my father is from Israel. Although my parents were not professional musicians, my father played accordion, and my mother played the piano. There was always a piano at home, music was always present, and I had a strong support at home to immerse entirely in music. My exposure to music from all corners of the globe is something I have been cultivating since a very early age. I started taking piano lessons when I was 5, and graduated the Thelma Yalin high school for the arts, and the Gyvataim conservatory.

I came to The United States in 1993 at the age of 23, after living two years in Costa Rica, where I had a piano trio, and collaborated with different artists.

Since in the U.S. I have attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, where later on I taught for four years. While living in Boston I have recorded my sextet album, D.S. Al Coda, recorded for film music, and traveled worldwide.

I moved to New York in 2001 and started playing piano regularly with saxophonist & clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera. At the same time I kept recording & performing my own music, and had the opportunity to perform with such artists as Freddie Hubbard, Yo-Yo Ma, Nancy Wilson, Rosa Passos, Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, Regina Carter, Bob Moses, Louis Hayes & the New York Voices.

At about the same time I started recording and performing my original compositions & arrangements with the NDR Bigband, based in Hamburg, Germany. This collaboration became a long term relationship, which produced an album which was released in 2012 and another album coming up this year, featuring singer/songwriter & percussionist Joca Perpignan, my partner in the ALON & JOCA duo project.

Tags

7
Album Review

Alon Yavnai - Jesper Riis: Reconnect

Read "Reconnect" reviewed by Jakob Baekgaard


A first meeting can be something special. Perhaps, a certain chemistry is present. Perhaps, there is feeling of immediate communication. Sometimes these first meetings evolve into long-term friendships and relationships, but other times, people just drift apart again for no particular reason. In a way, being a jazz musician could be characterized as a series of first meetings. In rock music, people often stay together in the same band for many years, but it is different with ...

441
Album Review

Alon Yavnai: Travel Notes

Read "Travel Notes" reviewed by Jakob Baekgaard


Travelling. Travel across space. Finding the notes, finding the place. Where the music speaks, where the music sings. The endless map where time begins.

Three people are making a musical journey. This is Travel Notes by the Israeli pianist Alon Yavnai and his trio consisting of Omer Avital on bass and oud and percussionist Jamey Haddad. Together, they weave a rich tapestry of melodic sounds like a pencil drawing on an ancient piece of paper.

The ...

207
Album Review

Alon Yavnai Trio: Picture This

Read "Picture This" reviewed by Stephen Latessa


Picture This, by the Alon Yavnai Trio, features an intriguing mix of music from different geographical areas as well as historical eras. Backed by Massimo Biolcati on acoustic bass and Take Toriyama on drums (with guest spots by Cuban reed player Paquito D'Rivera), pianist Yavnai tackles Middle Eastern-tinged material, a Bach fugue, as well as some Cuban jazz offerings. Impressively, the band is able to offer dynamic, forward-looking performances, even when they are looking to the past.

Drummer ...

150
Album Review

Alon Yavnai: D. S. al Coda

Read "D. S. al Coda" reviewed by Dave Nathan


This is the initial recording of pianist Alon Yavnai's sextet (plus guests), a group with an international flavor. Yavnai and Avishai Cohen are from Tel Aviv, Massimo Biolcati was raised in Sweden and Italy, Take Toriyama is a rocker from Japan and George Garzone and Dino Govoni are Americans. All have splendid credentials including several jazz awards and competitions. With these pedigrees, the anticipation for this album is high. Yet the results are mixed as they attack a challenging play ...

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34

Recording

Alon Yavnai takes Big Band sound global with "Shir Ahava" CD + NY and Boston concert debuts

Alon Yavnai takes Big Band sound global with "Shir Ahava" CD + NY and Boston concert debuts

Source: Cindy Byram PR

Jazz Pianist/Composer Takes Big Band Sound Global with Influences from North Africa, Cape Verde, Middle East and Peru Credits Include Grammy CDs with Paquito D'Rivera and Yo-Yo Ma NEW YORK CD Release Concert Sunday MARCH 25TH at BIRDLAND Special Guests: Paquito D'Rivera & Malika Zarra BOSTON CD Release Concert Thursday APRIL 19TH at Scullers Israel-born, Brooklyn-based pianist/composer Alon Yavnai has teamed up with Germany's NDR Bigband for Shir Ahava (Hebrew for “A Love Poem"), his first album of music for ...

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Performance / Tour

Berklee Piano Week 2002 To Feature Associate Professor Joanne Brackeen And Visiting Artists Larry Goldings And Alon Yavnai

Berklee Piano Week 2002 To Feature Associate Professor Joanne Brackeen And Visiting Artists Larry Goldings And Alon Yavnai

Source: All About Jazz

BOSTON, February 28, 2002 -- Berklee College of Music will present Piano Week 2002 from Monday, March 4, through Thursday, March 7, 2002. The annual series will feature concerts and clinics by visiting artists, Berklee's world-renowned piano faculty, and some of the college's top student pianists. All events are free except Tuesday and Wednesday night concerts in the wheelchair-accessible Berklee Performance Center. BPC events are $5.00 -- $2.00 for seniors. Tickets are available at the box office, 136 Massachusetts Ave., ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Reconnect

Gateway Music
2016

buy

Travel Notes

ObliqSound
2009

buy

Picture This

Bon Rapport Music
2005

buy

D. S. al Coda

Whaling City Sound
2001

buy

Waltz for Moe

From: Panamericana Suite
By Alon Yavnai

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