About
Berlin based and Tel Aviv born Jazz saxophonist Ori Jacobson is known for his
broad compositional style touching upon contemporary Jazz, Arabic and Jewish
influences. He has performed alongside artists like Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Susana Baca, and appeared on major stages including North Sea Jazz Festival and Montreux Jazz Festival.
"The concept of the album is based on my life story - to bridge the worlds of Jazz,
Arabic and Jewish music while finding an authentic voice as a composer and
saxophonist in the current jazz scene." Ori Jacobson
Ori is the grandson of Egyptian and German- Jewish refugees. His Egyptian family
had to go on exile from Alexandria in the 1940’s after being persecuted for being
Jewish and his German family had to escape Manheim during the Second World
War for the same reasons. The artist’s decision to live in Berlin represents for him
the ability to heal the past and move forward into a future of love and understanding
The compositions of the album started as an academic research for his Master’s
thesis at the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute (Boston, USA), as a way to
connect his personal background with his music that was mostly focused on Jazz up
to that point. T o do so, Ori studied Egyptian compositions and improvisation with the
and diشاھین Simon Shaheend research on Jewish melodies in the Egyptian and Ashkenazi (German/ European) traditions. This research is the basis for the compositions “Fading Bridges”, “The Wanderer” and “Returning”. Aside from studying with Simon Shaheen, Ori was mentored closely with important pillars of modern saxophone playing: Joe Lovano, George Garzone and David Liebman. George Garzone: "When I listen to Ori play, he has a sense of command
that attracts attention to the ear of every listener that is checking this fine musician
out”.
The song “Fading Bridges” was written out of sadness and frustration with the unbearable reality that he had to face as an individual growing up in the Middle East, with years of wars and violence. Through this tough reality, Ori is seeking to create a possibility to see the individual trauma, pain and suffering of people on all sides as a way to connect as humans. But the wish is not to connect only through the common pain, but also through the cultural similarities, the love that every human shares and one universal language that is music. “Fading Bridges” is a prayer for coexistence and understanding and a wish for people to see the similarities more than the differences so our hearts can get closer while letting our fears fade away.
