Kobi Yakob Arad (Hebrew: קובי ארד; born: October 2, 1981) is an Israeli-born[1] American jazz pianist, composer, and music producer. He is known for being the pianist, vocalist, and bandleader of the Kobi Arad Band.[2] He has won a Hollywood Music in Media (HMMA) Award[3] and an Independent Music Award,[4] both for his work as a solo artist and as part of the Kobi Arad Band.
Kobi Arad | |
|---|---|
 Kobi Arad (right) with Stevie Wonder (left) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kobi Yakob Arad |
| Born | October 2, 1981 Haifa, Israel |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, composer, producer |
| Instruments | Piano, keyboard, synthesizer, vocals |
| Member of | Kobi Arad Band |
He has collaborated with artists such as Stevie Wonder,[5] Cindy and Carlos Santana, Jack DeJohnette, and Roy Ayers.[2]
Early life and education edit
Arad was born on October 2, 1981[6] and raised in Haifa, Israel.[7] He earned his bachelor's degree at Tel Aviv University and became the first musician to earn a doctorate in contemporary improvisation and third stream from the New England Conservatory of Music.[2][7]
Career edit
While living in Israel, Arad participated as a keyboardist in a trio with Asaf Sirkis and Gabriel Mayer in the 1990s.[8] Arad also collaborated with Stevie Wonder and his manager Stephanie Andrews at the Berklee Performance Center in 2005.[9]
Arad released his album Sparks of Understanding in 2009, which featured an appearance from drummer Bob Moses.[10]
Arad collaborated with recording engineer Robert Margouleff on The Experience Project in 2015.[11] In 2015, he also released the albums Webern Re-Visioned, which consisted of re-imaginings of works by Anton Webern, and Superflow, which is a collaboration with Roy Ayers, featuring bassist Jonathan Levy.[9]
He also recorded Ellington Upside Down, a Duke Ellington tribute CD, with the Kobi Arad Band.[5] The album’s mashup of “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “It Ain’t Mean a Thing” was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental at the 17th Independent Music Awards (2019).[4] Arad’s album Segments went on to win Best Jazz Instrumental in the album category at the same event.[4]
At the 2021 Hollywood Music in Media (HMMA) Awards, Arad won the Independent Music Artist award in Best Jazz for his performance of “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk.[3]
Discography (selected) edit
Albums edit
- Sparks of Understanding (2009)[10]
- Ancient Novice (2009)[12]
- Inner Hymns (2012)[11]
- The Experience Project (2015)[11]
- Webern Re-Visioned (2015)
- Superflow (2015)[9]
- Cubism - Hyper-Dimensional Jazz (2016)[13]
- Flux - A Song Cycle for Solo Fender Rhodes (2017)[13]
- Ellington Upside Down (2017)[5]
- Segments (2018)[4]
- Intonations (2019)[14]
- Sketches of Monk (2020)[14]
References edit
- ^ אברבוך, שירה (2012-02-01). "חוקר את סודות המוזיקה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b c "Israel's Kobi Arad Band – Live Jazz at the Blue Note NYC on Jan. 29 - The Jewish Voice". thejewishvoice.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b "HMMA Winners". hmmawards.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b c d "THE 17TH INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". Independent Music Awards. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b c "Kobi Arad Band - 'Ellington Upside Down'". The Music Reviews. 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ "Kobi Arad at All About Jazz". All About Jazz. 2 October 1981. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b אברבוך, שירה (2012-02-01). "חוקר את סודות המוזיקה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ Caplan, Lee (May 2017). JAZZ EDUCATION IN ISRAEL (Master of Arts thesis). Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
- ^ a b c "Jazz Pianist Kobi Arad: A Career Overview". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b "Jazz Reviews: Kobi Arad's 'Ancient Novice' - By Jennis Allujan — JazzTimes". Jazz Times. 2016-06-11. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b c "Insight Into Kobi Arad's Masterful Musicianship". article.wn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ "Kobi Arad Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b "Insight Into Kobi Arad's new CD: 'Cubism – Hyper Dimensional Jazz'". TunedLoud. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ a b "Kobi Arad Band Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-06-15.