This month: Omer Klein
Growing up in the Israeli resort of Netanya in the 1980s, on a diet of pop radio and improvising in his bedroom on an electronic keyboard, Omer Klein started early priming himself for a life in jazz. Today, with three albums in the bag for Warner Music, his trio with bassist Haggai Cohen Milo and drummer Amir Bresler is in huge demand around Europe’s major concert hall circuit.
He discovered jazz aged 14 through an Oscar Peterson and
Ella Fitzgerald record: ‘In Peterson you can hear virtuosity, the joy of playing and spontaneity. That set me on my journey.’ After training at the New England Conservatory under Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez and then moving to New York, Klein, based in Frankfurt since 2009, has developed a signature sound that is hip, urbane – and cosmopolitan. He belongs to a generation of highprofile young Israelis putting their mark on the global jazz scene. ‘Israel’s society and culture is young and developing still: it’s not like Brazil with this bedrock of music tradition. So Israeli musicians like me look outside their border to grab what they can to create.’
A new studio album, Personal Belongings, includes six solo piano pieces spawned by the long period of introspection Klein experienced in lockdown. Four contrasting trio numbers capture the release of energy experienced when his group was reunited: ‘The uncertainty created by the pandemic added a lot of vibrancy and there are several first takes as a result.’
Projects in the pipeline include collaborating with BBC New Generation Artists Aris Quartet for a classical crossover, albeit working with original compositions: ‘I was waiting for the right string quartet to come along and in Frankfurt I met one with a rock band mentality.’ Klein is also looking to reignite a big band project with Germany’s adventurous NDR Radio Orchestra. He’s already played two concerts with them and wants to work on a big canvas again, live and in the studio. In a return to his roots, Klein’s also collaborating with his good friend the Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital on a concert programme and ultimately a recording. ‘So I’ve got a lot on my mind,’ he says happily. Garry Booth
‘The uncertainty created by the pandemic added a lot of vibrancy to our sessions’