Omer Avital
Bassist Omer Avital was born in the small Israeli town of Givataim where his formal training began at age 11 when he entered the Givataim Conservatory to study classical guitar. He grew up in Tel Aviv, in a Moroccan-Yemenite family, where evidence of his Middle Eastern and Spanish influences came together with jazz and blues. While enrolled at the Talma Yalin, Israel's leading arts high school, he switched his focus to the acoustic bass, was the leader of the jazz ensemble, and wrote all the arrangements. By his senior year at age 17, he was playing professionally, but then spent less then a year in the Israeli Army. After discharge, Avital moved to New York City playing with Roy Haynes, Jimmy Cobb, Nat Adderley, Walter Bishop, Jr., Al Foster, Kenny Garrett, Steve Grossman, Jimmy Lovelace, and Rashied Ali. But his big break came in 1994, not playing with giants, but leading his own groups and big band during the after-hours sessions at Small's in Greenwich Village, along with pianist and co-collaborator Jason Lindner. Some of their sidemen included Mark Turner, Myron Walden, Gregory Tardy, Joel Frahm, Charles Owens, Grant Stewart, Jay Collins, Jimmy Green, Ali Jackson, Joe Strasser, and Daniel Freedman. In 1997, the Impulse label released Jazz Underground: Live at Smalls, featuring Avital's quartet. He signed to record his debut album Devil Head the following year, but it was never issued. Think with Your Heart and Arrival were the first of many CDs for the Fresh Sound/New Talent or Small's labels, and Avital continued working with an array of musicians including Joshua Redman, Aaron Goldberg, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, Anat Cohen, Marc Miralta, the Israeli/international worldbeat band Third World Love, pianist Yonatan Avishai, Yuval Cohen, Emilio Solá y La Orquestable, Antonio Hart, Bill Saxton, Jeff Ballard, Brad Mehldau, Antonio Hart, Claudia Acuña, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Peter Bernstein, Larry Goldings, Marlon Browden, pianist Omri Mor from Jerusalem, the Ithe Izraeli Magreb Orchestra, the Andalusian Orchestra Ensemble, and the legendary Algerian pianist Morris Al Mdiuni.
© Michael G. Nastos /TiVo
Discography
13 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Avital Meets Avital
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jun 2, 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Abutbul Music
Jazz - Released by Jazz Village on Mar 18, 2016
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
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C'est Clair
Omer Avital, Aaron Goldberg, Ali Jackson
Jazz - Released by Jazz & People on Sep 6, 2019
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Avital Meets Avital
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jun 2, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Think with your heart
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ab Aeterno
Omer Avital, Luisito Quintero, Jason Lindner
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on Dec 19, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Trilingual
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on Jan 1, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dreams
Marc Miralta Quartet, Seamus Blake, Ed Simon, Omer Avital
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on Jan 1, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ancient Art Of Giving
Jazz - Released by Zamzama Records on Mar 27, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -