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His style has been described as: "A saxophonist with an unusual turn
of phrase, a persuasively gentle sound and jazz allegiances, he is at
the same time a distinctive improviser." So far Yaacov excelled the
most in tenor sax, but also loves playing alt sax and flute. He's been
working regularly in New York City Metropolitan Area and despite of
being busy performing he maintains a commitment to teaching and has
been invited to teach at various musical schools.Born and brought up in Moscow City, Russia, Yaacov began playing
professionally in the clubs of his hometown, before relocating first
to Israel in 1992 and then to The United States in 2001. He has
graduated from Rubin Academy in Jerusalem City, Israel, in 2000.His early roots as a musician lie in cello before taking up the
saxophone at the age 14 and hitting the professional circuit just a
year later, when in 1990 he joined the big band "A.O.Canavalov." He
immersed himself in a huge variety of musical genres since then, but
Jazz has been his prime musical passion. He consumed the different
styles of Charley Parker, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, put his
own spin on them and was noted for a highly personal manner.By now, Yaacov has established quite a reputation for himself on the
jazz scene with wide repertoire' and experience from blues to bebop
and to salsa. In Israel, he has played with bands such as Blues Band
J.J. More, has appeared with musicians like Leonid Ptashka and Yitzhak
Yedid, participated in Red Sea Jazz Festival-1998, Jazz Festival in
Jerusalem-2000, and Jazz Festival In Ashdod-2001. In The States, he
has participated in Latino American Festival in New York City-2003 and
worked with bands of Ray Santiago and Rico Tumba, and musicians such
as Avishai Cohen, Valery Ponamarev, Miki Hayama, Paul Brown and Bob
Meyer.On the more commercial side of things, he has toured Philadelphia, PA,
Massachusetts, MA, Atlantic City, NJ. He has led a number of small
groups with young musicians and now is the first choice saxophonist
for many visiting musicians.Being an intelligent and educated musician who likes to experiment
with different variety of music, Yaacov writes his own compositions
that reflect his feelings and gives unique interpretation of the world
around him. He improvises in the endless world that is called MUSIC.
He has participated in the number of records and his own debut CD is
coming soon.
