Omer Avital Qantar
Omer Avital bass, Eden Ladin piano, Asaf Yuria saxophones, Alexander Levin tenor saxophone, Ofri Nehemya drums
Qantar is the new name of the quintet of composer and double bassist Omer Avital. He’s known to lead his bands with such fervor that Downbeat has already compared him to his legendary colleague Charles Mingus.
In his music Omer Avital refers to his half Jewish and half Arabic heritage. The result is an urban mixture of cultural influences, from eastern melodies to intoxicating North African desert blues.
Omer Avital is part of a close-knit group of Israeli jazz musicians making waves in the clubs of New York, such as trumpeter Avishai Cohen and pianist Aaron Goldberg. One week prior to this performance he will release the first album under the Qantar name on his new label Zamzama.
‘Avital is one of the most exciting musicians to come onto the jazz scene in the last 20 years. His live shows are pure joy… He’s locked into his music with an intensity and purpose that is rare and beautiful… This is hard-driving jazz with a new soul for a new era’ (Downbeat).