Born in
Jerusalem and raised in Buenos-Aires and Tel-Aviv, bassist, composer and bandleader,
and first-call sideman for the likes of Ari Hoenig,
Jean-Michel Pilc, Leon Parker, Aaron Goldberg, Sam Yahel, Yotam Silberstein,
Camila Meza, Dida Pelled, Nitai Hershkovits, Cyrille Aimee and many others, Or
Bareket has established himself as one of the most versatile and sought-after
bassists on the NYC scene. Winner of the 1st prize at the International Society
of Bassists' jazz competition in 2011, Bareket's multiculturalism informs his
unmistakable sound.
Bareket's
approach to improvisation and composition, magnificently displayed on his debut
album, OB1, is informed by Mediterranean, South American and North African
folklores, all interpreted through his deep knowledge and appreciation of the
American Jazz tradition. However these traditions took time to connect and
conspire. Bareket found a missing part of his musical DNA in 2014, when he
embarked on his first trip back to Buenos Aires as an adult, to perform at The
Buenos Aires Jazz Festival. Bareket explains, "for me, that experience of
being in Buenos Aires affirmed and brought to light the source of a lot of my
musical choices - rhythmically, melodically and texturally - aesthetics that I
felt attracted to but didn't know their origin, so I just chalked them up as
being idiosyncratic. Being in Buenos Aires caused me to realized where they had
come from and it was a very strong affirmation of my musical instincts and
intuition. This opened up a process through which I could just write - for the
first time in my life I could just let the music come out and just let it be
what it is. Amazingly, after I had a body of work ready to go, the band pretty
much presented itself." The result is the compelling music on his debut
recording, OB1.
The process
of writing OB1 started with the realization for Bareket that as an artist you
can create your own folklore, tell your own story, with whatever life puts at
your disposal. After years of playing as a sideman with many of his musical
heroes and mentors, he felt that it was time to start developing his own
musical world, where he feels perfectly at home, and all of his intuitiveness
as a bassist are in alignment with the way the music is written.
Bareket
elaborates, "throughout 2014-2015 I started collecting musical ideas from
different parts of my life- daydreams, emotions too subtle or ambiguous for
words, folkloric rhythms and forms from my grandparents' homelands of Morocco,
Iraq, Israel and Argentina. I let those ideas grow into songs and gradually
started playing them with my friends and peers. I finally decided to record
this music when I found the right band for it - Shahar Elnatan-guitar, Gadi
Lehavi-piano and Ziv Ravitz-drums/mixing & mastering, had the perfect
sensibility for my compositions-they are all deeply intuitive and soulful
musicians. Beyond their ability to resonate with the way I hear rhythm and
harmony and bring my ideas to life, they also added new colors and dimensions
to the music-ones I couldn't have imagined when I wrote it. The same goes for
the special guests on the recording, Keita Ogawa-percussion and Victor
Gonçalves-accordion."
Music has
always been a physical, primal experience for Bareket, more than an
intellectual or even an emotional one. Growing up between different places, and
with a mixed cultural heritage, the bassist/composer has become comfortable
moving, adapting to new situations and flowing with the changes life brings.
"I have never really felt completely at home anywhere, never had a
distinct sense of what my own roots are. The only place where I always felt a
complete sense of belonging was while being immersed in music, or more
specifically, in rhythm. First as a child listening and later as a musician
performing. That moment of being fully present, connected, vibrant and still at
the same time, is where I feel most at home. The music on this album, OB1,
comes from this place, and was written with the intention of sharing it with
the performers and listeners," Or Bareket.
Bareket
started playing the electric bass at age 16 after hearing Jaco Pastorius. At 18
he took up the double bass and began studying with Teddy Kling (principal bass
at the Israeli philharmonic), and later with Professor Michael Klinghoffer
(former assistant to maestro Gary Karr). Simultaneously Bareket began working
extensively on the Israel jazz scene and studying with bassist Avishai Cohen,
among others. Bareket was the winner of the 1st prize at the International
Society of Bassists' jazz competition in 2011
Since moving
to New York, Bareket has performed, recorded, and toured with a wide array of
artists all over the world. Notable names include Ari Hoenig, Jean-Michel Pilc,
Leon Parker, Aaron Goldberg, Sam Yahel, Yotam Silberstein, Camila Meza, Dida
Pelled, Nitai Hershkovits and Cyrille Aimee. He has also worked with Gilad
Hekselman, Peter Bernstein, Hamilton De Holanda, Banda Magda, Eli Degibri,
Chris Potter, Mike Moreno, Billy Hart, Victor Lewis, Don Friedman, Elliot
Zigmund and others.
Or is a
multiple-time recipient of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship
for outstanding performers and the Eubie Blake Fellowship. He has participated
in Betty Carter's "Jazz Ahead" at the Kennedy center, The Steans
Institute Ravinia Workshop, and the Banff Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music.
This album
is dedicated to my father, Ofer Bareket (1954-2016) - thank you for raising me
to be the man and the musician I am, and for teaching me that only a broken
heart can be an open heart - Or Bareket, New York City, 2017.
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