• Avi Avital and Bassist Omer Avital Join Forces for New Album

    Mandolinist Avi Avital and bassist Omer Avital join forces for new album Avital Meets Avital released on Deutsche Grammophon June 2.
    Avital Meets Avital

    New York, NY — Two superb musicians of international stature — classically trained mandolin player Avi Avital and jazz bassist Omer Avital — have combined their creative energy and set out in search of their cultural roots on Avital Meets Avital, set for release on June 2 on Deutsche Grammophon.

    Avi Avital and Omer Avital share no blood relation, though their musical careers have intersected and ultimately were rooted in the same place. Both musicians have parents of Moroccan descent who immigrated to Israel in the 1960s and both went to conservatory, one for jazz, one for classical. This shared heritage, and their divergent musical paths in the conservatory is the story of Avital Meets Avital.

    Avi Avital says, "the basic idea behind this album was the collaboration of two artists, one who focuses mainly on classical music while the other is primarily at home in jazz."

    Avital Meets Avital covers a musical spectrum as varied and exciting as the culture of Israel itself. Lively dance-floor tunes bursting with joie de vivre alternate with slow, melancholy ballads; classically sculpted motifs merge with free improvisation, western jazz harmony, standard compositional technique, Moroccan beats, cantabile melodies and lilting rhythms. It's a musical journey reaching far back to their roots, preserving the legacy of their shared culture while giving it a wholly new and modern guise.

    Today the Israeli mandolin player Avi Avital is one of the most accomplished and best-known masters of his instrument. At his concerts with leading orchestras and musicians he is celebrated by fans and media all over the world for his thrilling renditions of klezmer tunes, baroque compositions and his great love, contemporary art music.

    His decades-long friend, the New York-based composer and bass player Omer Avital, stands in high repute as one of the most adventurous and visionary minds in contemporary jazz. Put them together, and two completely antithetical worlds of music overlap.

    Tracks

    • Zamzama
    • Lonely Girl
    • Ana Maghrebi
    • Avi_s Song
    • Ballad for Eli
    • Prelude
    • Maroc
    • Hijazain
    • The Source and the Sea

    Additional Information


    Avi Avital and bassist Omer Avital Join Forces for New Album
    Comments 4 Comments
    1. JH Murray's Avatar
      JH Murray -
    1. JH Murray's Avatar
      JH Murray -
      These videos have been on Avi Avital's Youtube channel for a few years. glad they are now going to be an album.
    1. gr_store_feet's Avatar
      gr_store_feet -
      wow, that is some great stuff. Can't wait...
    1. JH Murray's Avatar
      JH Murray -
      Available today on Itunes as well. Enjoy!