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Albert Beger
Albert's eclectic tastes are evident in his own compositions. Listening to his energetic, soulful pieces one hears a confluence of styles. A "World Music" that the term "world music" simply doesn't do justice to - bebop, hard bop and free jazz, contemporary classical and ethnic music, progressive rock and electronica - delivered in an indefinable style that is pure Albert Beger. And of course there's that sound: free of border or limitations…a spark reaching beyond to grasp the fire of the Divine …a fearless, joyful noise that embraces experimentalism and tradition, and lyricism and frenzy, with equal passion, love and respect.
Albert has spent years wood-shedding his instrument, a reflection of his penchant for self-discipline and auto-didactic study and an uncanny love for the saxophone and its seemingly endless aural possibilities. His formal education consists of a BA earned in Composition and Performance from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and a Masters in Music from the Rubin Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem. He currently holds teaching positions at the Rubin Academy and Haifa University and heads the Instrument and Performance Department at Muzik - School of Creation and Production in Tel Aviv.
Albert Beger has recorded eight albums of original compositions since launching his professional career in 1991. He has also collaborated on numerous projects with both local and internationally acclaimed jazz musicians, playing in a wide range of challenging improvisational settings. The long list of musicians with whom he has traded riffs both on stage and in the studio include master instrumentalists such as William Parker and Hammid Drake; Harold Rubin, Asaf Sirkis and Gabriel Meyer; John Bostock, Hagi Fershtman, and Joelle Leandre; James Newton and Roman Kontzman; and composer Eric Shapira.
Albert is the recipient of the Landau Award for Performing Arts (2005) and Israel's highest honor for musicians, the prestigious Prime Minister's Award for Composers (2009).
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Albert Beger / Ziv Taubenfeld / Shay Hazan / Hamid Drake: Cosmic Waves
by Glenn Astarita
Cosmic Wave is a stellar collaboration between tenor saxophonist Albert Beger, bass clarinetist Ziv Taubenfeld, bassist Shay Hazan and drummer Hamid Drake. The quartet, drawing from their diverse backgrounds and rich musical experiences, delivers an album that merges free jazz, avant-garde and spiritual music into a charismatic sonic journey. With roots spanning Israel and the United States, these musicians bring an eclectic mix of influences to the table, resulting in a sound as vast and varied as the cosmos itself. ...
Continue ReadingAlbert Beger, Matthew Ottignon & Sinaptrico
by Maurice Hogue
Another of those One Man's Jazz where the selections come from various geographical locations around the globe and cover a lot of miles: from the Middle East a pair of tunes from Israeli saxophonist Albert Beger; from the Pacific you'll hear new releases from Japan (a Tokyo club first-meeting jam featuring saxophonist Kenzo Ogino & two from Australia--saxophonist Matthew Ottignon and the band Jiem); Finland's Superposition supplies the Scandinavian vibes, while Germany's well-known reed player Rudi Mahall chips in with ...
Continue ReadingAlbert Beger Trio: The Way To Go
by Eyal Hareuveni
Israeli sax hero Albert Beger's new album presents this restless composer and ambitious improviser in two, schizophrenic forms. On one hand, The Way to Go features some of Beger's most impressive compositions, mostly written after his beloved mother's death, showing Beger as a restless musician who seeks to expand his compositional ideas and vocabulary as an improviser. On the other hand, he opts for the classic trio format he used on Hevel Havalim (Earsay's Jazz, 2003), and later with the ...
Continue ReadingAlbert Beger / Gerry Hemingway: There’s Nothing Better To Do
by Eyal Hareuveni
This live album documents the first musical meeting between Israeli sax hero Albert Beger and master drummer Gerry Hemingway. The two met in November, 2011 in Tel Aviv's Levontin 7 club. They did not exchange any notes before their gig, or even sketch a loose road map for the improvisations to follow. Instead, both trusted their musical intuition and instincts--and they were absolutely right. There's Nothing Better To Do captures a rare, immediate musical affinity, a breadth of shared musical ...
Continue ReadingAlbert Beger Electroacoustic Band: Peacemaker
by Eyal Hareuveni
Peacemaker, from Albert Beger, marks a new beginning for the innovative Israeli saxophonist. Beger introduces a new quintet that adds, for the first time, live electronics to his fiery-spirited palette of sounds, and a new approach to composition and playing that stresses thematic structure. He is also recording for a new local label that is identified with alternative music. Like on his previous Big Mother (Jazzear, 2008), which dealt with the damage that humans are inflicting upon ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Albert Beger
by AAJ Staff
Meet Albert Beger:Albert Beger, the free-jazz pioneer and innovator, with his ninth album Peacemaker. Accompanied by his new electro-acoustic band, combining acoustic instruments and noise/glitches laptop works. Albert brings his music to a new level of creation and band dynamic. Following his critically acclaimed Big Mother, Peacemaker returns to a more personal, introspective observation of the inner self, and merges delicacy and aggression in one of the most unique jazz records of recent times. Instrument(s):
Continue ReadingThe New Albert Beger Quartet: Big Mother
by Eyal Hareuveni
The cover of Israeli saxophonist Albert Beger's Big Mother captures your attention immediately. Yinon Tubi's photos of an anonymous, depressing rubbish dump frame Beger's love cry on behalf of all mothers, a conceptual six-part suite that calls us to action before it's too late.
The new work challenges Beger, who usually opts for shorter compositions that emphasize his abilities as an improviser and his close interplay with his partners. Most noteworthy, these have included bassist William Parker and ...
Continue ReadingEarth Day 2011 Special: Jazz Musician Albert Beger Gives Away His Album Big Mother For Free!
Source:
Yair Yona
Israeli saxophonist Albert Beger had released his album Big Mother in 2008. The album, is a six piece suit dedicated to the environmental issue, the danger that planet earth is in, the damage the humans causes the great gift of them all—our one global home, our big mother. Albert is also an activist. He helps clean the beach near his house from garbage left by people, take an active part in protests and also led a civilian battle against a ...
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Albert Beger Releases His Ninth Album 'Peacemaker' in September
Source:
Michael Ricci
Peacemaker is the name of Albert Beger's new creation. It is also a way of life for the experienced, innovative, free-jazz cult hero. The new album is an open invitation, a possibility for an individual to take a deep, thorough look inside and have a self examination. It is an opportunity to restart, and make the little amendments in the world, using the big values of men. 51 Years old Beger, is conceived as one of the most respected and ...
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Shay Hazan
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From: PeacemakerBy Albert Beger
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