Julia Feldman
Encyclopedia
Julia Feldman is an Israeli jazz
vocalist, composer and educator. Her singing combines elements of multiple jazz genres, free improvisation
and modern classical music.
to Israel
in 1990. The family resided in Jerusalem, where she continued her classical piano studies with Anatoly Tartakovsky alongside with jazz improvisation studies with the composer and a saxophone player Stephen Horenstein in the music department of the High School Of Arts in Jerusalem.
In the last year of her high school studies Feldman became interested in jazz singing, and in 1997 she began studying voice technique and jazz improvisation with Israeli jazz vocalist Iris Portugaly alongside with intensive studies of jazz with the saxophonist Arnie Lawrence
at the International Music Center of Jerusalem. At the Center, Julia had the opportunity to study and perform with known Americal jazz musicians, such as Evelyn Blakey, Larry Goldings
, Armen Donelian
, Bob Meyer, Sheila Jordan
, Judi Silvano
and the composer Allen Gershwin, to name a few. Feldman was also invited to perform Allen Gershwin's composition "Walk in the wilderness" on a tribute concert dedicated to his father, the known composer George Gershwin
.
Between 1998-1999 she continued studying vocal jazz with Iris Portugaly at the Rimon School Of Jazz And Contemporary Music, and in 2003 she graduated the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
, where she studied voice technique with the opera singer Robin Weisel-Capsouto, jazz improvisation with jazz vocalist Ataliya Pniel and composition in the class of the composer Vyacheslav Ganelin
.
, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Bob Meyer, Boris Gammer, Ed Schuller
, Eilon Tourgeman, Jerry Garval, Jean Claude Johns, Judy Lewis, Stephen Horenstein, Steve Peskoff, Yitzhak Yedid
and others.
Feldman's groups and projects as a leader: Julia Feldman Ensemble, Julia Feldman Jazz Quartet.
Other projects: lead singer in Musica Ficta
- progressive rock
band by the guitarist Ehud Horev; vocalist in Radical Shlomo - Steve Peskoff's project of arrangements to Shlomo Carlebach
`s songs; pianist, vocalist, co-composer and co-lyricist in Ayulyul with Ayelet Rose Gottlieb; voice-double bass Duo with Eli Magen; collaboration with ethno-core Jerusalem band Shoom, among others.
She has performed in many Israeli jazz clubs and on various festivals, including Shuni Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv International Jazz Festival and the Israel Festival
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
vocalist, composer and educator. Her singing combines elements of multiple jazz genres, free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
and modern classical music.
Early life and education
Feldman was born in Samara into a family with a large musical background- her grandfather, Solomon Feldman, was an accomplished conductor and a leader of the city philharmonic orchestra and her father, Ilya Feldman, while being a jewellery designer, also plays jazz piano. She had been classically trained by studying the piano from the age of 5 till the family's immigrationImmigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1990. The family resided in Jerusalem, where she continued her classical piano studies with Anatoly Tartakovsky alongside with jazz improvisation studies with the composer and a saxophone player Stephen Horenstein in the music department of the High School Of Arts in Jerusalem.
In the last year of her high school studies Feldman became interested in jazz singing, and in 1997 she began studying voice technique and jazz improvisation with Israeli jazz vocalist Iris Portugaly alongside with intensive studies of jazz with the saxophonist Arnie Lawrence
Arnie Lawrence
Arnold Lawrence Finkelstein, better known as Arnie Lawrence was an American jazz saxophonist....
at the International Music Center of Jerusalem. At the Center, Julia had the opportunity to study and perform with known Americal jazz musicians, such as Evelyn Blakey, Larry Goldings
Larry Goldings
-Life and career:Goldings was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father was a classical music enthusiast, and Larry studied classical piano until the age of twelve. While in high school at Concord Academy, he attended a program at the Eastman School of Music. During this period Erroll Garner,...
, Armen Donelian
Armen Donelian
Armen Donelian is a jazz pianist who was a member of the Jazz fusion group Cosmology. He has performed since 1975 as a member of a group or as a solo act...
, Bob Meyer, Sheila Jordan
Sheila Jordan
Sheila Jordan is an American jazz singer and songwriter. Jordan has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to a notable solo career....
, Judi Silvano
Judi Silvano
Judi Silvano, born 1951, is a jazz singer and composer. A native of Philadelphia, her singing style bears similarity to Norwegian jazz singer Karin Krog. She is a scholar of Sheila Jordan and of Jeanne Lee. Her husband is tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano....
and the composer Allen Gershwin, to name a few. Feldman was also invited to perform Allen Gershwin's composition "Walk in the wilderness" on a tribute concert dedicated to his father, the known composer George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
.
Between 1998-1999 she continued studying vocal jazz with Iris Portugaly at the Rimon School Of Jazz And Contemporary Music, and in 2003 she graduated the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance , founded in 1958 as the Rubin Academy of Music, is located on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.-History:...
, where she studied voice technique with the opera singer Robin Weisel-Capsouto, jazz improvisation with jazz vocalist Ataliya Pniel and composition in the class of the composer Vyacheslav Ganelin
Vyacheslav Ganelin
Vyacheslav "Slava" Ganelin is a Lithuanian Jewish jazz musician and composer. Primarily a pianist, he also plays other keyboards as well as bass, guitar, and percussions...
.
Collaborations, projects and performances
Feldman has frequently worked with many jazz artists and music groups. Among those are Arnie LawrenceArnie Lawrence
Arnold Lawrence Finkelstein, better known as Arnie Lawrence was an American jazz saxophonist....
, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Bob Meyer, Boris Gammer, Ed Schuller
Ed Schuller
Edwin G. Schuller is an American jazz bassist and composer.Schuller was born in New York City; his father is Gunther Schuller and his younger brother is drummer George Schuller. Schuller learned clarinet and guitar as a child and switched to bass at age 15; that same year he had his first...
, Eilon Tourgeman, Jerry Garval, Jean Claude Johns, Judy Lewis, Stephen Horenstein, Steve Peskoff, Yitzhak Yedid
Yitzhak Yedid
Yitzhak Yedid is an Israeli Australian composer of classical music and jazz pianist.-Biography:Yitzhak Yedid was born on September 29, 1971 in Jerusalem, Israel. His family immigrated from Syria. He studied at the Rubin Academy of Music and the New England Conservatory in Boston with Ran Blake...
and others.
Feldman's groups and projects as a leader: Julia Feldman Ensemble, Julia Feldman Jazz Quartet.
Feldman's Ensemble is a changing group- its first version consisted of Feldman as a vocalist, the pianist Yitzhak YedidYitzhak YedidYitzhak Yedid is an Israeli Australian composer of classical music and jazz pianist.-Biography:Yitzhak Yedid was born on September 29, 1971 in Jerusalem, Israel. His family immigrated from Syria. He studied at the Rubin Academy of Music and the New England Conservatory in Boston with Ran Blake...
, and contrabass player Ora Boasson Horev. The Enseble's debut album "Words Are Worlds (A Tribute to Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
)" was released in 2006 on a major Israeli label Hed Arzi. The album was inspired by the work and personality of Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
and features arrangements of the known jazz standards that were performed by Holiday, alongside with the band's compositions. All the pieces recorded on the album are connected by a leitmotifLeitmotifA leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
borrowed from Holiday's ballad "God Bless the Child". The CD was mixed and mastered by Udi Koomran.
The Quartet, which she had formed together with the known Israeli guitar player Steve Peskoff, has being active for several years and has performed on multiple Israeli stages and festivals, gaining wide audience and press` recognition. The group performs Feldman's composition and standards` arrangements, influenced by contemporary jazz genres, rock, funk, Brazilian music styles and free improvisation.
In February 2008, Feldman and Peskoff traveled to New York, USA, and recorded the Quartet first album there. The album features Feldman (vocals), Peskoff (guitar), drummer Ferenc Nemeth, bassist Massimo Biolcati, vocalist Ayelet Rose Gottlieb and saxophonist Loren StillmanLoren StillmanLoren Stillman is a jazz saxophonist and composer. He has received two Outstanding Performance Awards and the Rising Star Jazz Artist Award from Down Beat Magazine...
.
Other projects: lead singer in Musica Ficta
Musica ficta
Musica ficta was a term used in European music theory from the late 12th century to about 1600 to describe any pitches, whether notated or to be added by performers in accordance with their training, that lie outside the system of musica recta or musica vera as defined by the hexachord system of...
- progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band by the guitarist Ehud Horev; vocalist in Radical Shlomo - Steve Peskoff's project of arrangements to Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach
Shlomo Carlebach , known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a Jewish rabbi, religious teacher, composer, and singer who was known as "The Singing Rabbi" during his lifetime...
`s songs; pianist, vocalist, co-composer and co-lyricist in Ayulyul with Ayelet Rose Gottlieb; voice-double bass Duo with Eli Magen; collaboration with ethno-core Jerusalem band Shoom, among others.
She has performed in many Israeli jazz clubs and on various festivals, including Shuni Jazz Festival, Tel Aviv International Jazz Festival and the Israel Festival
Israel Festival
The Israel Festival is a multidisciplinary arts festival held every spring in Israel. Its center is Jerusalem.The Israel Festival started in 1961 as a summer festival for classical music in the ancient Roman theater in Caesarea...
.
External links
- Official website
- http://www.myspace.com/julfeldensJulia Feldman`s MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page] - http://www.allaboutjazz.com/juliafeldmanJulia Feldman on All About JazzAll About JazzAll About Jazz is a leading jazz music website for enthusiasts and industry professionals based in Philadelphia in the United States.Founded by Michael Ricci in 1995, the Web-Site is maintained by a volunteer staff of writers, editors, and musicians, and provides coverage of all genres of jazz from...
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