Metisse Music

Yaron Herman

New compositions, new music, this trio has toured together for the last 2 years, no need to say it is a very mature trio and an amazing project ! Yaron also invited the wonderful string quartet “Quatuor Ebene” one of the most innovative string quartets. The album will be mixed in November, and will be released worldwide on March 9th (16 countries on La Borie Jazz – Naïve). An impressive series of concerts in Europe is already confirmed to present this new cd ! Yaron has won"Victoires du Jazz", revelation of the year 2008 last September. The New album will be released on March 9th 2009 (La Borie Jazz – Naïve) The Belgrade Concert (Oct 26th) will broadcasted live on Mezzo Tv in 39 countries ! A 52 minutes long-documentary about Yaron will be released in 2009. Almost 20 000 copies sold worldwide, 100 upcoming gigs, The buzz is growing !

TIME TO MEET

Time is the key in Yaron Herman’s career. He was born on 12th July 1981 and only began playing the piano at the age of 16 after a basketball accident put an end to the high hopes pinned on him in international sporting circles. The young prodigy didn’t look back. He learned to play piano under the masterful guidance of Opher Brayer, following a revolutionary method based on philosophy, mathematics, psychology, etc. The results are certainly unique in the history of music and piano playing; such an amazing revelation and rapid ascension, the fruits of the precocious intelligence of a gifted child. Yaron started to give concerts in the the most prestigious venues in Israel. When asked for his impressions of the young prodigy, Georges Avakian, producer of the legendary " Kind of Blue " session by Miles Davis and the first recordings by Keith Jarrett, answered " Yaron is the real thing " : short and to the point!
Success was not long in coming, with concert tours in Europe, South America, China (he was the first jazz pianist to give a concert in the Forbidden City in Beijing) and in the United States. Each concert was met with the same amazement, his charisma, his spirit, his lyricism left his audiences deeply moved. Few musicians are capable of arousing such emotion so young and so early in their career. Not only did being elected " Talent Jazz Adami 2007 " mark recognition for his accomplishments but it also meant that he was invited to the Festival de Jazz de Montréal, the Nice Jazz Festival, the Festival de la Villette and to the London Jazz Festival.

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING, THE NEW OPUS AS A TRIO, TIME FOR A TRIO

After performing more than a hundred solo concerts around the world, Yaron decided it was time to record his next album, his first as a trio. He took great care in choosing the partners who would join him. He again chose to make the recording while in residence at the Château de La Borie, which gave him the time to get to know his musicians, living alongside them before going into the recording studio. It gave them time for talking things over, changing things round, discovering each other, trying things out and playing. It just gave them time! The choice of Gerald Cleaver is interesting. The young drummer from Detroit (Michigan) has travelled around the world playing with dozens of musicians including Miroslav Vitous, Matthew Shipp or Jacky Terrason. With his extensive range from be-bop to free jazz, Gerald Cleaver is an experienced and accomplished drummer and percussionist. His range, his poly-rhythmic sense, his spacial awareness, his strong ferocious groove make him the perfect partner for this trio. Matthew Brewer is of the same generation as the others and though still little-known on this side of the Atlantic is on his way up. Favoured by Jef Tain Watts, Greg Osby or Gonzalo Rubalcaba for his ample, sure, precise drive, this musician has good references for someone who is not yet 25.

A TIME FOR CHANGE

The trio format (piano, bass and drums – the favourite formula) is an incredible challenge for young artists. It’s not easy for them to make their own place in the well-written history of this style of music, to make something original, new and personal next to such trios as Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea or Brad Meldhau and E.S.T. for more contemporary references. The real challenge being to avoid falling into either of the common pitfalls that await young trios: producing an imitation of what has been done before and inevitably falling short of the mark or alternatively, aiming for originality at any cost. This trio quite unashamedly takes its inspiration from the spirit of the times. This album is neither jazz nor pop, it neither belongs, nor wishes to belong to any specific genre except that of the three musicians, witnesses of their own times and possessing a full knowledge of where their music comes from.
A cross between Scriabine and Bjork, a classic like " in the wee small hours " and " Hallelujah " by Jeff Buckley, " Toxic " by Britney Spears and the traditional " Layla Layla ", Police’s " message in a bottle " and the very Monkish " Monkey Paradise ", taking on collective compositions like MMM or the obsessive " Paluszki ". That’s the challenge that this trio has pulled off. In the most uncomplexed, natural, creative and cheerful way they have reinvented the trio, swing and groove. The raging energy, the lunar lyricism, the tension, the perpetual invention of formats, a few light touches in post-production (under the supervision of Jean- Pierre Taleb) make this an album unlike any other. Welcome to the personal universe of Yaron Herman and his trio, a place where there is time for everything. The famous quote by Miles Davis " You live in a modern house. You drive a modern car. You watch modern television. Why make music that is antiquated? " takes on a new meaning after listening to " A Time for Everything ".

Albums

Variations

Label: Laborie Jazz - LJ01
Distribution in France: Naïve
Release date: April 04, 2009

Following a residence of several weeks at the La Borie castle in the South West of France, Yaron finished recording his first solo piano work “Variations”, representing his concept of themes and variations. Each melody, each theme is the point of departure for joyful and creative re-creation, for improvisation and for invention. His originality and his lyrical talent are quite overwhelming. He will debark on a very filled concert schedule as soloist and sideman, which will take him across Europe, to Israel and on to China, for a unique solo concert at the great concert hall of the Forbidden City of Peking. A promising start for what looks like it will be an exceptional career.

Muse

Label: La Borie
Release date: March 10, 2009

Yaron Herman, best new instrumentalist in the French « Victoires du Jazz » in 2008, brings us his new album «Muse» with his trio and the guest appearance of the string quartet « Quatuor Ebène », on the La Borie-Jazz label (distributed by Naïve). After two intense years on tour, the trio (composed of Matt Brewer on double bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums) continue the success story of their highly acclaimed first album « A Time for Everything » (« choc jazzman » of the year in 2007 and « disque d’émoi 2007» in Jazz Magazine).
The three partners, now closer than ever, take us on a journey which covers jazz, pop and improvisation. They are supported to great effect on several tracks by the extremely creative Ebony Quartet, a revelation from the classical music scene.

A Time For Everything

Label: LaBorie Jazz
Distribution in France: Harmonia Mundi
Release date: October 01, 2007

Judging by the success of his first solo album ” Variations ” (LABORIE Jazz label), and his recent nomination for the ” Talent Jazz Adami 2007 ” award, Yaron Herman is surely the most impressive pianist of the new generation. On his new album he is accompanied by the tremendous drummer, Gerald Cleaver (who plays with Miroslav Vitous, Matthew Shipp, Jacky Terrasson) and the young but no less talented bass player, Matt Brewer (who gave remarkable performances with Greg Osby and in Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s new quintet). The famous quote by Miles Davis ” You live in a modern house. You drive a modern car. You watch modern television. Why make music that is antiquated? ” takes on a new meaning listening to ” A Time for Everything ”.

On Tour