New Jazz Release: Pianist Roy Assif | “Respect – Vol. 1” – Avail Now

A pianist with dazzling technique and a composer who expertly weaves jazz harmonies, Roy was named the ASCAP Foundation’s Young Jazz Composer in 2008. He made his New York Blue Note debut with the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band in 2007, followed by a European tour consisting of 13 cities.

Roy’s other awards include the 31st Downbeat Student Award for Outstanding Performance, 2nd place in the Charlie Palmieri Memorial Piano Competition, Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute Award, America-Israel Cultural Foundation Prize for Young Israeli Musicians and the 30th Downbeat Student Award for Best Jazz Arrangement.

Over the last few years, Roy has performed with Roy Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Joe Lovano, George Garzone, T.S. Monk, Steve Davis, John Lee, Dave Samuels, Claudio Roditi, Victor Mendoza and Giovanni Hidalgo, in addition to such jazz legends as Jimmy Heath, James Moody and Slide Hampton.

Roy is currently also part of the John Lee Quartet, Charlie Christenson Quartet, Alex Terrier Quartet, Chris Dempsey Quartet and Roy Assaf & Eddy Khaimovich Project.

In 2003, after being awarded several scholarships to the Berklee College of Music, Roy moved from Israel to Boston to pursue his undergraduate studies there. While at Berklee, he studied with such distinguished musicians and teachers as Joanne Brackeen, Danilo Perez, Kenny Werner, Michel Camilo, Richie Beirach and Sonny Bravo.
Roy graduated from Berklee in 2005 and was awarded a BA cum laude.

In May of 2005, Roy was invited to perform at the Promising Artist of the 21st Century Performance Series in Costa Rica. Shortly thereafter, he performed with his jazz quartet at the Phoenix Jazz Festival in Kobe, Japan.

In May 2008, Roy graduated from a two-year program at the Manhattan School of Music, earning a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance. He was fortunate to be mentored by pianists Kenny Barron, Jason Moran and Phil Markowitz, and great saxophonist Dave Liebman.

Roy was born in Israel in 1982, and started his formal classical training at the Tel Aviv Conservatory. In 1999, he graduated from the three-year jazz program of Thelma Yellin – Israel’s premier high school of the arts – and won the International Red Sea Jazz Festival competition for young musicians. The acclaimed jazz musician Opher Brayer served as his mentor during that time.
 
Born and raised in Tel-Aviv, Israel, Yotam started playing guitar at the age of 10, focusing mostly on rock and blues. He was soon after accepted into the prestigious Alon High School for the Arts, where he studied jazz with such great teachers as Walter Blanding and Amit Golan. During his high school years, Yotam won many local competitions and was heralded as a very promising young guitarist. At age 18, he joined the IDF (Israel’s Army) and served as a musical director, arranger and lead guitarist for three years. During his military service he gained recognition and began playing with many of Israel’s top jazz musicians.

At 21, Yotam won the prestigious “Israeli Jazz Player of the Year” competition with his trio and was asked to perform at Italy’s renowned Umbria Jazz Festival. The same year, Yotam released The Arrival on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. The success of his highly acclaimed debut album enabled him to tour extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East.

In August of 2005, Yotam received a scholarship to further his jazz studies at the New School in New York City. Less than a month later, he was selected as one of 10 top guitar players to participate in the semi finals of the distinguished 2005 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition. In 2009, in addition to releasing his second release, he toured with the Sam Yahel Trio, opening for Steely Dan in major concert halls.

Since then he has played in many of the city’s great venues with great jazz artists like James Moody, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Junior Mance, James Spaulding, Pat Martino, Antonio Hart, Slide Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars to name a few.

At age 30, Yotam has already made some significant inroads on the New York jazz scene. He shows great promise for the future, and Resonance is a huge step in the right direction.