Oded Lev-Ari: About

Listening: Wham

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go was playing at Bradly’s wedding, and the speakers were really bass heavy. This song has a really interesting, grooving, inventive bass part. Who knew? especially the “I wanna hit that high…” part. If you know who played it – send me a note.

Listening: Ullmann

When first introduced to Viktor Ullmann’s piano music I had a feeling that I could have written these – a very strong sense of common language, concept of the piano, and a strong connection to the overall aesthetic. Subsequent listening made this almost freaky. His personal story is remarkable and sad, but the music is moving and meaningful without it.

Oded Lev-Ari

6 September 2006

Composer, Arranger, Conductor and Pianist Oded Lev–Ari was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He attended the Thelma Yelin High School for the Arts and served in the Israeli Defense Force Orchestra. From 1993 to 1996 Oded held the position of house arranger for the Dan Shilon – Live! television talk show. He has written over 400 arrangements and compositions for chamber ensemble, jazz big band, Wind and Symphony orchestra. Mr. Lev-Ari is a recipient of the America Israel Cultural Fund scholarship, and graduated with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with renowned Composer and Trombone player Bob Brookmeyer.

Most recently Oded collaborated with Emmy award winning performer Theodore Bikel on a variety of live performance and recording projects. Oded is currently working on arrangements for the ANZIC orchestra featuring Anat Cohen on Clarinet and Saxophones.

Oded’s compositions have been performed on stages in Israel and the United States, and include chamber, vocal and orchestral works, as well as compositions for Jazz combos and larger ensembles.

As a pianist, Mr. Lev-Ari has appeared in Mexico, Canada, Russia, France, the Netherlands and the United States, and on stages such as Jordan Hall in Boston and the Mann Auditorium in Tel-Aviv and New York Jazz clubs such as The Stone and Cornelia Street Cafe.

Mr. Lev-Ari also produced a number of recordings including an upcoming release by vocal group Monday Off, and a debut solo CD by singer Amy Cervini.

Oded has been very active in education for aspiring musicians and people of all ages. Some of Oded’s research work has been featured in the Harvard Graduate School of Education news. Mr. Lev-Ari has been working on developing and researching improvisation and composition for children, teenagers and adults and is currently developing a composition and improvisation workshop curriculum for non-musicians.

From The Press

13 March 2007

“Early reviews of “Noir” suggest that it will be one of the finest jazz records of the year, thanks in large part to the arrangements by [...] Oded Lev-Ari, which alternate from lush Gil Evans harmonies to hard-charging bebop to a laconic beauty that could accompany a moody European film. ”
–Washington Post, May 2007

“Lev-Ari’s arrangements are outstanding”
–Billboard Magazine, April 2007

”...Ingênuo…and La Comparsa are the most buoyant of Lev-Ari’s Gil Evans-worthy transformations”
–Village Voice, May 2007

“Lev-Ari’s arrangements and the band’s interpretations…are virtually beyond criticism”
–Jazz Times, May 2007

“Oded Lev-Ari…seems able to adapt any style from Brazilian to ballad, bop to pop, and make it lustrous and engaging.”
–AllAboutJazz.com, April 2007

”...the arrangements by Oded Le[v]-Ari are all first rate and do not call attention to themselves but rather enhance the music. They all sound like that is the way they are supposed to be; one can’t imagine that they should be otherwise. ”
–Morton Gold, November 2006