About Me
Harel started studying classical piano when he was eight years old, but he quickly developed a deeper interest in improvisation and composition. A few years later when he switched to the Alto Saxophone, Harel discovered in Jazz, Blues and Middle Eastren music a natural vehicle for his emerging voice.When he studied with the Saxophone player Albert Piamenta, Harel was exposed to the art of Middle-Eastern music, learning the system of maqams and quarter tones from one of the masters of this music on the Saxophone.Later Harel Deepened his Studied in Middle Eastern Music also with masters such as Souren Baronian and Hassan Ishakkut.Harel also studied music with Opher Brayer, focusing on continuity in improvisation.At the same time, Harel studied composition at the "Rimon" school for Jazz and Contemporary music in Israel.Harel performed and recorded with some of the best musicians in the Jazz and World music scene in Israel. He also composed the music for several theatre productions and theatre-movement shows and wrote scores for a variety of movies and television programs.In 1998 Harel released his first solo record, Various, just before he moved to New York.In New York, Harel continued his composition studies with Edward Green and later enrolled in the New School Jazz and Contemporary Program where he got his B.F.A in Jazz Performance, studying on scholarship with teachers such as Jane Ira Bloom, Jim Snidero, Billy Harper, George Garzone, Jamey Haddad and Steve Wilson. While continuing his studies, Harel joined the band, Hypnotica, and performed with his Middle Eastern Jazz trio. He also played for the theatre production "No Exit" by Jean Paul Sartre, and performed on the score for the feature film "First We Take Manhattan."In 2001, Harel Joined the Kokolo Afro Beat Orchestra and became the Musical Director for their debut Album Fuss and Fight. One of Harel's compositions for the band, "Jerusalem," was released in Europe on a compilation CD for "Big Daddy" Magazine.In the spring of 2002 Harel formed his own band, ANISTAR. His vision was to reimagine traditional Middle Eastern music by infusing it with harmonic and formal elements of Jazz.These days Harel is a sought-after recording and performing artist, composer and arranger. Performing on the Alto saxophone, the G Clarinet (Turkish Clarinet), the Zurna and the Ney. Harel has forged a singular and unique voice from the diversity of his experience and influences.Harel takes his inspiration from the foremost iconoclasts and innovators in each idiom he has explored-- from Jazz and Be-Bop to Klezmer, Gypsy, Mediterranean, North African and Middle-Eastern music; from Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy and Henry Thredgill to Samir Srour (the Egyptian saxophonist) and the great Turkish clarinetists, Mustafa Kandirali, Sukru Tunar and Selim Sesler. Other inspirations are his own teacher, Souren Baronian, the great G-Clarinet player.Harel incorporates quarter tones and Middle Eastern mellisma into his approach to the saxophone and the Clarinet with a fluidity that demonstrates the depth of his exploration of the style. The freedom and driving sense of narrative in his improvisations evince an equal command of the Jazz aesthetic.Harel Shachal is a faculty member at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he is the Director of the World Music/Middle Eastern Ensemble.Harel also performs Workshops on the subjects of "The Art of Taqsim on the Saxophone" and "The Music of the Middle East from a Jazz Perspective" and "The Rhythms of the Middle East and the Mediterranean."Harel is recording and performing regularly with many bands and artists in New York, including his Jazz Trio, The MEJ Trio, Klezska, the Cardamon Quartet and his own Middle Eastern Jazz Orchestra, ANISTAR. He performs regularly in venues such as Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, Tichman Hall, Tonic, The Knitting Factory, Satalla, The NJPAC, The J.C.C. The Players club, Makor and The Cutting Room, just to name a few.Recently, Harel was featured on the Film score for the movie Pretty persuasion Directed by Marcus Siega featuring James Wood & Selma Blair. Harel also recorded and composed recently few more scores for short films, Continuing to explore the fusion between east & west.Profile modified by: The CricketSoda Myspace Profile Editor
........ .. ..........
