Music:

Member Since: 17/06/2008
Band Website: www.gilad.co.uk
Band Members: Gilad Atzmon : sax, clarinet & electronics Asaf Sirkis: dr Frank Harrison: piano, fender & elec' Yaron Stavi: elec' bass & dbl. bass
Influences: John Coltrane, Bird, Cannonball Adderley, Michael Brecker, Joni Mitchell, jaco pastorius, Elvin Jones, Mccoy Tyner, Astor Piazzolla, Bach, Duke and many others
Sounds Like:

Press Quotes:

"Atzmon's fluid lyricism is in full flow on songbook classics and worldly originals. But as sweet romance morphs to modernist uncertainty, the bittersweet balance and rich emotional palette equally impress." Financial Times ***** March 2009
"Gilad Atzmon, the expat Israeli saxophonist/clarinetist, combines thrilling jazz musicianship with a maverick political intelligence" Guardian ****
"Like the best of albums" Jazzwise **** March 2009
"Atzmon always manages to tell a story" Uncut **** March 2009
"One of the finest alto players around, Gilad pays his respects to Bird i...It's striking how similar Gilad's sweet, open-throated sound is to Parker's, but as you'd expect from the fiery philosopher-turned-Blockhead, this is no tribute album." BBC Music Magazine March 2009
"Maybe because he's such a wild card himself, saxophonist Atzmon plays Charlie Parker with a perfect mix of bluster and vulnerability." The Independent March 2009
"Atzmon is surely the hardest-gigging man in British jazz...the music here is subtle, ambiguous, often beautiful - and features a saxophonist playing deep from the heart." The Times **** March 2009
"An avid Charlie Parker disciple..." Evening Standard March 2009
"This is an outstanding album." Allaboutjazz March 2009
"A genuine expression of love" Scotsman**** March 2009
he fiery Atzmon took his show from a demure chamber-music lilt to a Coltrane-inspired roar and back, and the crowd was right there through it all." Guardian Live Review ****"A delightful evening of artfully crafted music that was rich with emotional complexity." Financial Times March 2009
"Musical genius and comic" Leicester Mercury March 2009
"Atzmon is a loose cannon: a larger than life figure with an almost overpowering musical personality... it's as perfect a jazz marriage as you could wish for" Phil Johnson, independent on Sunday Jazz Critic
REFUGE voted no 10 in the Jazzwise Top Ten Albums of the Year
"...Coltrane for the noughties." Hi-Fi World, December 2007
"All I've got to say about this one is TEN (out of ten)!" REFUGE wins The Jazz's Jazz Jury David Tughan, The Jazz, Jazz Jury
"...this is his band's finest album to date and one that best captures the spirit and vitality of their live shows.” **** Jazzwise Magazine, October 2007
"...The individuality of the music is extraordinary." **** Alan Brownlee, Manchester Evening News, August 07
"..Deeply felt and strongly melodic." **** Mike Hobart, Financial Times, October 2007
"...the OHE is finding its voice in an increasingly subtle blend of East and West, that’s brutal and beautiful." Kathryn Shackleton, BBC Music
“…the OHE is one of the most uncontrivedly versatile and unequivocally entertaining jazz units currently operating in the UK” Chris Parker, The Vortex, September 07
“…Gilad Atzmon has earned a reputation as an original and creative musician and composer, and that is apparent again in the eight new compositions here.” ***The Scotsman, September 07
“…each track on Refuge makes a statement…” **** John L Walters, The Guardian, September 2007

“…The new album is as passion-filled as ever…” Peter Bacon, Birmingham Post, September 2007
“…Atzmon has always been one of the most distinctive saxophonists on the British circuit.” Clive Davis, The Sunday Times, September 07
“…a brilliantly navigated combination of gentle, sensitive lyricism and precisely focused passion.” Chris May, All About Jazz, September 07
“…the album feels tranquil and meditative..” Phil Harrison, Time Out, September 07
“…Atzmon is an astonishing musician.” John Lewis, Metro, September 07
“Exciting stuff.” Roger Trapp, The Independent September 07
LIVE REVIEWS:
"Israeli-born saxophonist Gilad Atzmon's stew of modern jazz discipline, expressionist bluster and Middle Eastern vernacular has rarely sounded better. His slew of recent compositions blends these elements into an organic whole, and sets up the genre-hopping improvisations that are Atzmon's trademark. And, after an extensive UK tour, his band, The Oriental House Ensemble, is on fire with intuition and purpose." **** Mike Hobart, Financial Times, Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho, December 2007
"...truly this was music without frontiers." Roger Elliott, Live Review for This is Salisbury, Huntsman Tavern, Salisbury
“…his phenomenal musical talent has gained him a sizeable and discerning following…The quality of the music was extraordinary… a memorable and thrilling showcase for the talents of a passionate, intensely focused musician - and one which is unlikely to be forgotten in a hurry by those who attended.” Graham Williams, Live Review, Taliesin Arts Centre, South Wales Evening Post, September 07
“…More sophisticated, subtle and varied than anything else I’ve heard them do and … absolutely overwhelming…If you can possibly see them live, do.” Aaron Broadhurst Blog, St Ives gig Review,September 2007
“…He makes a lovely liquid sound and produces beautifully formed rapid roulades with every note clean as a whistle.” Ivan Hewett reviews Gilad Altzmon at Brentwood Theatre, September 07
Record Label: Enja
Type of Label: Indie