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Amos
Hoffan “EVOLUTION” CD
About
the album:
Tel
Aviv-based guitarist and oudist Amos Hoffman started playing guitar
at the age of 6, and oud at a few years later. He studied guitar
privately, and attended the prestigious Rubin Academy of Music in
Jerusalem. His search for new musical experiences led him first to
Amsterdam, and then to New York City, where he performed and recorded
with both legendary jazz musicians such as Denis Charles, Evelyn
Blakey, and Jumma Santos, as well as with emerging jazz artists such
as Jason Linder, Omer Avital, Sam Newsome, Jay Collins, Jorge Rossy,
Duane Eubanks, and Avishai Cohen. He also began a more formal study
of Middle Eastern music with Lebanese oud and ney player, Bassam
Saba.
Hoffman
can be heard on numerous recordings, including Ben Wolfe’s 13
Sketches (1997,) Jay Collins’ Cross Culture (1999,) and Sam
Newsome’s Sam Newsome and Global Unity (1999.) He has worked
with bassist/composer Avishai Cohen for several years, playing both
guitar and oud on Cohen’s Continuo (2006,), Colors (2000,)
Devotion (1999,) and Adama (1998.)
His
long-time association with Cohen resulted in the release of his
newest project, Evolution, on the bassist’s Razdaz Records.
With a lineup that includes Cohen on contrabass, and two of Israel’s
most prominent musicians - ethnic percussionist Ilan Katchka and
flautist Ilan Salem – Evolution is an expressive and
breathtaking compilation of original music. Combining Middle Eastern
inspired melodies played by oud and flute, and African rhythms played
by contrabass and percussion, Hoffman infuses the already exotic mix
with a jazz sensibility that combines the different styles of music,
while remaining true to the essence of each.
Evolution
is Hoffman’s third solo release, following The Dreamer,
released in 1998 on the Spanish label Fresh Sound/New Talent, and
Na’ama, which he released in 2006 on the Israeli label Magada.
Now
back in his homeland of Israel, where he has lived since 1999,
Hoffman’s focus on the oud has expanded beyond playing and
composing to encompass building the fretless instruments; On
Evolution, as on Na’ama, the oud he plays is one he built
himself.
Tracking
list:
01.
Enaiym
02.
Explora
04.
Hasma
05.
Takasim Bayati
06.
I Met You
07.
The Wheel
08.
The Journey
09.
Miss T
10.
Takasim Nahawand
11.
Sweet Eden
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