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Kobi Arad

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Kobi Arad
קובי ארד
Kobi Arad (right) with Stevie Wonder (left)
Kobi Arad (right) with Stevie Wonder (left)
Background information
Birth nameKobi Yakob Arad
Born (1981-10-02) October 2, 1981 (age 43)
Haifa, Israel
GenresJazz
OccupationsMusician, composer, producer
InstrumentsPiano, keyboard, synthesizer, vocals
Member ofKobi Arad Band

Kobi Yakob Arad (Hebrew: קובי ארד‎; born: October 2, 1981) is an Israeli-born[1] American jazz pianist, composer, and music producer. He is known for being the pianist, vocalist, and bandleader of the Kobi Arad Band.[2] He has won a Hollywood Music in Media (HMMA) Award[3] and an Independent Music Award,[4] both for his work as a solo artist and as part of the Kobi Arad Band. In 2024, he was nominated for a Hollywood Independent Music Award.

He has collaborated with artists such as Stevie Wonder,[5] Cindy and Carlos Santana, Jack DeJohnette, and Roy Ayers.[2]

Early life and education

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Arad was born on October 2, 1981[6] and raised in Haifa, Israel.[7] He earned his bachelor's degree at Tel Aviv University and became the first musician to earn a doctorate in contemporary improvisation and third stream from the New England Conservatory of Music.[2][7]

Career

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Brent Fischer (left), Kobi Arad (middle), Mickey Stevenson (co-founder of Mo--town records on right)
Brent Fischer (left), Kobi Arad (middle), Mickey Stevenson (co-founder of Motown records on right)

While living in Israel, Arad participated as a keyboardist in a trio with Asaf Sirkis and Gabriel Mayer in the 1990s.[8] In 2005 Arad performed at theBerklee Performance Center where he worked with Stevie Wonder and his manager Stephanie Andrews.[9]

In 2009 Arad released Sparks of Understanding in 2009, which featured an appearance from drummer Bob Moses.[10]

In 2015 Arad worked with recording engineer Robert Margouleff on The Experience Project in 2015.[11] In 2015, he also released Webern Re-Visioned, an album reinterpreting works by Anton Webern, and Superflow, a collaboration with Roy Ayers, and bassist Jonathan Levy.[9]

He also recorded Ellington Upside Down, with the Kobi Arad Band a Duke Ellington tribute CD.[5] The album’s mashup of “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “It Ain’t Mean a Thing” was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental at the 17th Independent Music Awards (2019).[4] Arad’s album Segments won Best Jazz Instrumental in the album category at the event. (Removes unnecessary "went on to"[4]

At the 2021 [[Hollywood Music in Media Awards|Hollywood Arad won Best Jazz independent Music Artist for his performance of “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk.[3]

Arad was nominated for the second time for the Hollywood Independent Music Awards on June 12th, 2024, with 'Fields' for Best Jazz Fusion (Best piano solo / collab). This nomination features Victor Wooten, Cindy Blackman Santana, Ricky Kej & Lonnie Park.[12]

Discography (selected)

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Albums

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  • Sparks of Understanding (2009)[10]
  • Ancient Novice (2009)[13]
  • Inner Hymns (2012)[11]
  • The Experience Project (2015)[11]
  • Webern Re-Visioned (2015)
  • Superflow (2015)[9]
  • Cubism - Hyper-Dimensional Jazz (2016)[14]
  • Flux - A Song Cycle for Solo Fender Rhodes (2017)[14]
  • Ellington Upside Down (2017)[5]
  • Segments (2018)[4]
  • Intonations (2019)[15]
  • Sketches of Monk (2020)[15]

Awards

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Year Award Work Nomination Results
2019 17th Independent Music Awards Segments (album) Best Jazz Instrumental Won
2021 Hollywood Music in Media (HMMA) Awards “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk Independent Music Artist award in Best Jazz Won
2022 One Earth Awards “Bemsha Swing” by Thelonious Monk Best Jazz Won[16]
2024 Hollywood Independent Music Awards "Fields" Best piano solo / collab Pending

References

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  1. ^ אברבוך, שירה (2012-02-01). "חוקר את סודות המוזיקה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  2. ^ a b c "Israel's Kobi Arad Band – Live Jazz at the Blue Note NYC on Jan. 29 - The Jewish Voice". thejewishvoice.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  3. ^ a b "HMMA Winners". hmmawards.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  4. ^ a b c d "THE 17TH INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". Independent Music Awards. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  5. ^ a b c "Kobi Arad Band - 'Ellington Upside Down'". The Music Reviews. 2017-07-20. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  6. ^ "Kobi Arad at All About Jazz". All About Jazz. 2 October 1981. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  7. ^ a b אברבוך, שירה (2012-02-01). "חוקר את סודות המוזיקה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  8. ^ Caplan, Lee (May 2017). JAZZ EDUCATION IN ISRAEL (Master of Arts thesis). Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
  9. ^ a b c "Jazz Pianist Kobi Arad: A Career Overview". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  10. ^ a b "Jazz Reviews: Kobi Arad's 'Ancient Novice' - By Jennis Allujan — JazzTimes". Jazz Times. 2016-06-11. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  11. ^ a b c "Insight Into Kobi Arad's Masterful Musicianship". article.wn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  12. ^ "2024 Nominations Table". himawards.com. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  13. ^ "Kobi Arad Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  14. ^ a b "Insight Into Kobi Arad's new CD: 'Cubism – Hyper Dimensional Jazz'". TunedLoud. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  15. ^ a b "Kobi Arad Band Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  16. ^ "Season 7 Winners". One Earth Awards. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
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