Ohad Talmor

Jazz saxophonist Ohad Talmor entered the world in 1970 in Lyon, France, to Israeli parents and spent his childhood in Geneva, Switzerland, surrounded by nonstop classical music. Piano lessons at the Geneva Conservatory began when he was five. In 1987 he relocated to Florida as an exchange student and switched to saxophone after exposure to the scant jazz he had encountered prior to departing Switzerland. Back in Europe he enrolled in musicology at the University of Geneva while performing locally, yet gigs soon eclipsed academic work as he plunged into the continent’s jazz circles. Alongside his saxophone and clarinet performances, a deepening interest in composition and arranging prompted his 1995 return to the United States, where he attended the Manhattan School of Music on full scholarship. He earned his composition degree in 1997 and has resided in Brooklyn, N.Y., ever since, active as a performer, composer, arranger, and occasional actor across varied projects. Since resettling in New York City he has assembled multiple ensembles, among them the News Reel Quintet, the Other Quartet co-led with trumpeter Russ Johnson, the M.O.B. Trio, the Deja Vus Septet, and Scent of the Morning Dew. Serving as musical director, he created distinctive material for the Lee Konitz Nonet and the Steve Swallow Sextet. Additional performance and recording credits include work with Jason Moran, Dave Douglas, Paul Motian, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Billy Hart, the Carla Bley Big Band, Ray Anderson, Curtis Fowlkes, Jim Black, Bob Dorough, Joachim Kühn, John Hollenbeck, and Franco Ambrosetti. He maintains regular appearances with Roy Nathanson’s Alphabet Lounge Big Band, Yannick Barman ensembles, and the Brazilian Blue Seven Septet. Talmor has also supplied arrangements and compositions for the Brecker Brothers, the Matosinhos Jazz Orchestra, the European Broadcasting Ensemble, classical artists such as pianist Martha Argerich, the Spring String Quartet of Austria, and New York’s Axis String Quartet. His media work encompasses scores for National Public Radio, the SciFi television channel, Random House and Penguin-Putnam audiobook series, and various films.