Efrat Alony
— A kit for mending thoughts —

11.07.14

 

1. Radio Berlin 88.8 FM 14:08

10.07.14

 

03.07.14

i finally managed

to upload 2 videos from one of the concerts with the wonderful Childo Thomás.  

better late then never- right? :-)  

 

Enjoy! 

 

Efrat Alony 

11.05.14

I am an atheist jew, yet devout.

(it's very conflicted and VERY jewish…) I believe in something that i can not prove exists- I believe in music, its power, the inspiration it beholds. 

I would like to thank the academy of German composers for the Jazz composition prize. It strengthens me in the notion that although we live in times of stimulus satiation, there are still people out there , who seriously grapple with music.  

Thank you for the beautiful laudation held by Wolf Kampmann and Frank Wingold.  

 

The award ceremony at the Berlin Ritz Carlton offered a lovely opportunity to meet new faces and discover new music. 

It was heartwarming to realize, that across the musical board, regardless the style- the passion for music is vast.  

 

all the best and a lovely spring, 

 

Efrat Alony 

29.04.14

A friend, who i haven't seen for a while now,

asked me if everything was ok- He had noticed that i haven't written anything on my blog for a while….at first i had to smile, but i guess he is right. In this day and age if you don't constantly report what you do it's almost as if you weren't doing anything. What did people do "back in the days" (ha ha ha) - the pre- internet days- pre- self-promo-days? they were artist around that were busy being creative and productive. I like to indulge in the illusion that they could concentrate on the "doing" and less on the "spreading the word" part of things- wow! that sounds GREAT!!! Information is great but sooooo much information is, well- too much! so i guess i'm definitely not a Y generation :-)  

 

I am actually doing great. I received a nomination from the Deutscher Musikautorenpreis for Jazz composition- which is really exciting. There will be a big ceremony at the Berlin Ritz Carlton on 8.5.14- i will keep you posted. 

The new CD with "waves"recieved really great reviews . Here is a short film shown on the BR TV (bavarian television). we have quite a few concerts lined up, starting on may 24th on the Elbjazz festivalin Hamburg. (Waves tour dates) . Uwe Steinmetz and Daniel Stickan are wonderful people and GREAT musicians- playing with them always reminds me WHY it is I have chosen this crazy path (I'm referring to me being a jazz musician- in case there were more than one crazy path that i'm on……:-)) Sometimes I do forget why. It's a choice one needs to make every day anew- and on some days it's clearer than on others. BUT then I'll listen to a piece of music I almost forgot and it'll be so beautiful that it will all make sense again. (it happened to me last week , listening to Minuanofrom the truely great Pat Metheny)  

I have been working on a live dance and music project with a wonderful israeli choreographer, Idan Cohen. I'll be writing and singing music to poems written by one of Israel's most renowned poets, Jehuda Amichai. Idan and I are really interested in Identities, their cultural suitcases that we carry, as we clash against or maybe clash with each other in this global world. It also gives me a chance to work with video installations (by Frank Hellenkamp) - i've been wanting to explore it on stage for a while now. If all goes well, this project will come to life next year. 

 

i hope to see you in one of the upcoming concerts and wish you a lovely springtime, 

 

Efrat Alony 

 

01.10.13

The CD release tour-bus

is fully packed with music from our CD "A kit for mending thoughts" as well as (very) new songs - we'll be on our way- this time to Switzerland  

we'll be happy to see you at one of the venues: 

 

16.10.13 Bird's Eye Jazz Club, Basel | 17.10.13 Bird's Eye Jazz Club, Basel 

 

our Listening Manual-  

to get you in the right "head-space" :-)  

 

Preparation  

1. Retreat into the room, you feel most comfortable in  

2. a) If it‘s cold outside: Make yourself a hot tea  

b) If it‘s warm outside: Refresh yourself with a cold beverage  

3. a) Use the best audio equipment available  

b) Use good headphones  

 

Listening  

1. Take your time  

2. Close your eyes and let the music sink in  

3. Listen to every song at least twice  

4. Take the day off and listen to every song again  

5. Let it grow on you  

6. Hear yourself think  

 

In time  

1. Tell your friends  

 

Enjoy!  

 

Efrat Alony  

 

 

17.06.13

I've been so tied up

with writing music, traveling, playing and teaching as well as planning new projects that I have completely lost track of time- and it's June again. Life is moving fast, new doors open, and as things go, sometimes everything seems to happen at the same time- which is right about now.... 

- I am VERY excited about the new duo project with the incredible electric bassist from Mozabique Childo Thomás. We were very fortunate to meet during a jazz festival last summer (Childo was on tour with the renouned pianist Omar Sosa). We will have our premier concert on July 5th, at the Gedächtnis-Kirche in Berlin-  

here a little sound-appetizer:  

1. childo's song/ E.Alony1:59

and as good things often come in pairs, a new Big-Band projecet that I am also REALLY happy about with swiss composer and bassist Martin Streule. Martin wrote a BEAUTIFUL arrangement to an Israeli Poem by Lea Goldberg (music by Gili Dor). we managed to record it in a 20 min. long rehearsal ( the shortest playdown in my history) so there is still a LOT to work on but just to give you an idea how high this music could fly:  

 

1. She/ L.Goldberg, G.Dor5:58

I wish you all a peaceful summer. 

 

Efrat Alony 

18.01.13

I finally gave in,

and created a band facebook account- i was so strong for so long....  

I won't be writing about my parties and wine (ha ha ha) but will just let everyone know when and where we'll be playing. 

 

The Alony/Leicht/Wingold tour in December was lovely!  

The new CD is nominated for the German LP review award for "grenzgänge"-which could translate into " crossing musical boarder"- I will keep you posted!  

 

I am very much looking forward to the upcoming concerts : 

21.1.13 NL, Eindhoven, Cafe Wilhaelmina | 27.2.13 AT, Innsbruck, Treibhaus | 28.2.13 DE, Erlangen, E-Werk | 1.3.13 AT, Wien, Progy& Bess 

 

i hope to see you there, 

 

Efrat Alony 

27.11.12

The CD release tour-bus

is fully packed and on its way! 

we'll be happy to see you at one of the venues: 

29.11.2012 Berlin-Grüner Salon | 30.11.2012 Erfurt-Jazzclub | 1.12.2012 Nürnberg-DB Museum | 2.12.2012 Rüsselsheim-Das Rind| 3.12.2012 Köln-Stadtgarten | 6.12.2012 Zürich CH, Moods | 

 

good health and a peaceful end of the year, 

 

Efrat Alony 

 

18.11.12

This time

Only in german. 

12.11.12

Just in time for the CD release,

a lovely spot on RBB TV-Stilbruch magazin. Enjoy! 

 

21.09.12

A kit for mending thoughts

will be released on 9.11.2012 and I couldn't be happier about the music and the inspiration. I am full of gratitude for the support from Radio Barlin-Brandenburg (Ulf Drechsel), from ENJA records (Werner Aldinger) and especially from the people surrounding me, who support my crazy idees investing incredible amount of thought, time and energy into making this music happen. ( while many others have been writing  

obituary-notices for jazz...:-)) 

 

With Oliver Leicht and Frank Wingold on our CD release tour- we'll be happy to see you on one of the upcoming concerts: 

 

29.11.2012 Berlin-Grüner Salon | 30.11.2012 Erfurt-Jazzclub | 1.12.2012 Nürnberg-DB Museum | 2.12.2012 Rüsselsheim-Jazzfabrik | 3.12.2012 Köln-Stadtgarten | 6.12.2012 Zürich CH, Moods | 21.1.2013 Eindhoven NL, cafe Wilhelmina |26.2.2013 München-Unterfahrt tbc | 27.2.2013 Innsbruck, Treibhaus |28.2.2013 Erlangen- E-Werk | 1.3.2013 Wien- Porgy & Bess |  

 

The tour is partly supported by the israeli embassy in Berlin. 

 

A little appetizer- the digi-booklet as a PDF, the press-release and sound-bites from the the CD. 

 

Peace, ( never has it felt further away...) 

 

Efrat Alony 

1. We sail away/ E.Alony4:40

20.09.12

our Listening Manual-

 

to get you in the right "head-space" :-) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation 

1. Retreat into the room, you feel most comfortable in 

2. a) If it‘s cold outside: Make yourself a hot tea 

b) If it‘s warm outside: Refresh yourself with a cold beverage 

3. a) Use the best audio equipment available 

b) Use good headphones 

 

Listening 

1. Take your time  

2. Close your eyes and let the music sink in  

3. Listen to every song at least twice  

4. Take the day off and listen to every song again  

5. Let it grow on you  

6. Hear yourself think 

 

In time 

1. 

Tell your friends 

 

Enjoy! 

 

Efrat Alony 

19.03.12

Finally,

the mix of the new CD with my new trio is ready!!! With Oliver Leichton Clarinets and electronics, Frank Wingold on guitar and Myself- singing, writing, playing keyboards and having my share of electronics-fun ( working with loops, with effects, playing around with my sounds...:-))- it is GREAT fun and very inspiring. 

It is strange how some things require a longer breath... but it was worth the wait! The CD " A kit for mending thoughts " will be released on ENJA Records in November 2012.  

 

I am really looking forward to the release and the tour that will follow- hope to see you there! 

 

just so you get a taste: 

1. Shir/E.Ankri04:36
2. If I should lose you/ R.Rainger, L.Robin07:54
3. We sail away/ E.Alony04:59

01.03.12

A little discovery-

a radio station playing only vocal jazz- so much intersting music I didn't know about- it's worth checking out! adorejazz 

15.09.11

Back from the blues and greens

of the canary islands- i thought i should drop a line before the madness begins- again. 

 

The new CD Recording with Alony/Leicht/Wingold at the RBB went really well- it will take a while to work through the material- but i am REALLY happy! i will keep you posted. 

 

I've also had the pleasure of working together with the lovely bass clarinet player Ulrich Drechsler on his new album "Beyond Words" - it will be released in March on Enja Records. we will be going on tour around that time as well- hope to see you there. 

 

With hopes for the sun to hang in there as long as it possibly can, 

 

Efrat Alony 

11.07.11

"Songs for love lost",

the new CD of the Ed Partyka's Jazz Orch. is finally out- as a co-production with the RBB- lovely music - check it out!!! 

At times, it baffles me, how long it takes for a CD to be released- this one took almost 2 years! on the other hand- it allows a bit of perspective, which is always a good thing ...:-) 

 

Another CD production which will take long is the "New Jewish Folk Songs" with the HR Big-band- but i do have some sound-appetizers: 

1. Pines/ L.Goldberg, A.Nini12:06
2. Yesh li sikui/ E.Banai18:40

03.05.11

Spring, sunshine

and my new trio Alony/ Leicht/ Wingold are warming the air. 

We've just had our first concert at the Artheater in Cologne- it was a blast. Oli Leicht pretty much shoved my into the deep waters of software and computers. 

So there I was, with only a computer on stage (for the first time!!!) , afraid it could all go horribly wrong- but it was great! I was trying to sing (:-)) while playing keyboard with the stunning sounds programmed by Mark Reinke. Oli was mastering his computer skills with wonderful sounds of his own and Frank Wingold, nonchalant, no computer, but with crazy guitar-sounds, many pedals to activate and memorable solos- it was MUSIC!!!!  

We have 2 concert coming up in Koblenz on the BUGA and at the Jazz Festival "Jazz and Jewish culture" in Berlin. Come and Join us- if you like! 

 

A little sound-appetizer: 

1. O Do Not Love Too Long6:44

We will be recording a new CD (a co-production with the Radio Berlin-Brandenburg) at the begining of July. I am VERY excited about it and will of course keep you posted on how it all developes. 

 

Peace, 

 

Efrat Alony 

21.03.11

Great News from Bern!

The concert at the Jazzwerstatt Festival was so much fun- there is a little video: www.jazzwerkstatt.ch/ and as things momentarily stand, I will be spending more time in Bern- I have been teaching at the Jazz department of the HKB College of music and arts for a while now- but as of September the wonderful singer Andreas Schaerer and I will be leading the vocal department. I am very excited about it. New places, new people, new encounters, new luck- 

 

Efrat Alony 

10.03.11

Back from a very rewarding ALONY tour,

I find it mesmerizing to experience the reactions of people in the audience, who somehow, maybe even by chance, found their way to one of our concerts or of people who happen to hear us live for the first time. Some concerts are obviously more intense than others but the new faces seem always surprised, pensive, very concentrated, happy-sad and touched. It is very special and very hard to describe. On occasion, someone may leave the concert, but I feel that if i manage to bring about some sort of an emotion , even if it is not a positive one, I moved something- I was heard. I have little regard for music that leaves you indifferent! 

We will be playing a last concert in Berlin on March 30th- it would be LOVELY if you came. 

 

peace, 

 

Efrat Alony 

 

10.01.11

I finally managed

to upload 4 new ALONY videos from the BMW award.- better late then never- right? :-) 

 

 

Efrat Alony 

05.01.11

Without wanting to sound cliché,

time flys, or better yet, disappears on me- without me even noticing.  

2011 is here- and i am not ready- but I guess nobody's asking me- so I might as well get with the program...:-) but a week (or two or three...:-) in a deserted island would have been great! 

 

Non the less, i am really looking forward to the upcoming ALONY tour in January and Febuary- we will be playing in 10 different cities in Germany- it would be LOVELY if you managed to catch one of the concerts.  

 

I am also really looking forward to a special concert on Feb. 20th with the Jazzwerkstatt Bern, Switzerland. I was told I could work with as many musicians as I wished to- dangerous....:-) I've been meaning to put together a 10 piece band for a while now (piano, bass, drums, precussion, guitar and a string quartet)- so here we are.... I am VERY excited. In case you are in town- come and join us- it will be a wonderful 3-day Festival (18.-20.2.2011) with inspiring musicians and projects that have been put together especially for this occasion. 

 

With best wishes for a healthy, happy and inspiring 2011. 

 

Efrat Alony 

12.10.10

On the Bass2010

last weekend, I had the great pleasure and the honour to get to know and to play with the WONDERFUL bassist and composer Riccardo Del Fra. Some players have the amazing quality of sounding like an entire band just by playing their own instrument- with such beauty and depth- wow! 

The concert was a part of the Bass2010 - an international bass convention, this year taking place in Berlin.  

As you can imagine- there were hundreds of bass players there, running around between master classes, concerts and the bar ...:-)  

 

Efrat Alony 

15.09.10

I just came back

from a wonderful vacation in Greece (on the island of Corfu), with lots of sun and sea, free time, no train rides, no flights- a hotel- but the same one for 3 weeks straight- basically the opposite of my life in the past 2 years :-)  

So it's fine if everything will get all crazed up again.... bring it on :-) 

 

The University year is starting. I will be teaching at the HKB Bern, Switzerland and at the music college in Osnabrueck , Germany. so trains, planes and hotels- here I come...:-) I already mentioned wha a great experience it is for me to be guiding jazz-interested souls in the sometimes jazz-uninterested world......:-) but some of the students are so special that it all makes sense again!  

 

Efrat Alony 

01.09.10

The Ed Partyka Jazz Orchestra's

recording is finally finished and will be released in the begining of next year, with a little tour attached. To get a little taste of it you could listen to:  

1. Shir9:57
2. You Go to my Head6:35

Efrat Alony 

19.07.10

With much joy,

Oliver Leicht and I , finally recorded some tracks for our nameless Duo- we got to try out some of the new songs during our concert at the Gedächtniskirche in Berlin. It was at least 40 degrees in the church- it was madness but great fun. It is most inspiring, fun and extremly uncomplicated to work with Oli! what a treat!  

 

You can listen to some of the tracks:  

1. Night Vision3:38
2. Johnsburg5:43
3. Raise5:40

Efrat Alony 

03.06.10

The live broadcast

of the Duo concert with Julie Sassoon last weekend was exciting. We tried to capture what is the "Jewish spice" in our music- if there is such a thing. You could listen to one of the songs, which somehow summerizes it for me: 

1. Nigunim4:45

Efrat Alony 

09.03.10

After being away for a long time,

I will be visiting Israel again, and will be giving a concert on 17.3.2010 with a very good friend of mine and a wonderful guitarist, Yaniv Kerem and his band. We will be playing at the "Hasimta theater" in old Jaffa- so in case you happend to be in town- be sure to come. 

 

Efrat Alony 

23.02.10

The BMW World Jazz Award

has started. Our concert date is set for March 7th, at the BMW Welt in Munich. The competition in going to be hard-  

up against such wonderful singers: Theo Bleckmann, Michael Schiefel, Cécile Verny, Maria de Fatima and Youn Sun Nah. Maybe that's exactly why I am REALLY looking forward to it.  

So if you happen to be in town--- we're counting on your support!!!  

 

Efrat Alony 

27.01.10

A new year has rushed in,

yet I still find myself thinking and writing "2009"- as if I am still in a different time zone- which, I guess, is not so far off... :-) 

On the road with ALONY, the sparks were flying on the JOE Festival in Essen, through a wonderful encounter with the band TYFT (Jim Black, Andrew D'Angelo and Hilmar Jenssen)- WOW! - the 2 sets that we played couldn't have been more different- but they complimented each other beautifully. That was really something!! TYFT!! 

 

Efrat Alony 

20.10.09

I have been a lot

on the road lately, experiencing pretty amazing things musically as well as personally.  

I have just finished a small tour with ALONY which was musically as challenging as it was rewarding. On the concert in Nürnberg (stimmenfang-festival) I received the „International Jazz Prize of th Nürnberger Nachrichten “- it was a short ceremony- but most importantly--- the concert went really well! I have a feeling that some audiences need time to open the door to our music, but once they have opened it- they are grateful and thirsty for more- which is a WONDERFUL feeling! 

 

I was deeply touched to find out that Bob Brookmeyer sent out the „Dismantling Dreams“ CD to some music journalists in the U.S. As a result we received wonderful critics on JazzWax.com and on Artsjournal.com - maybe this will open some new doors- i am keeping my fingers crossed! 

 

The next concert with ALONY on Oktober 30th will take place during the Jazz-Festival at the renowned Schloss Elmau. One of Europe's grand hotels---- i am working on combining the "work" and the "pleasure" parts of my life....:-) 

 

Efrat Alony 

02.10.09

I have started teaching

at the wonderful HKB College of Music and Arts in Bern, Switzerland. This college is the oldest Jazz college in Europe, with wonderful musicians- teachers as well as students- a great experience for me- guiding jazz-interested souls in the sometimes jazz-uninterested world......:-) so we agreed on the term „FREEDOM“ instead of „Jazz“ - and who is not interested in that....:-) Some teachers, including yours truly, will be giving a concert on the 23.11.09 in Bern- so feel free to stop by in case you are in town. 

 

Back in Berlin I found myself in the midst of a new CD Production of the „Ed Partyka Jazz Orch“, as a co-production with the Berlin-Brandenburg Radio. The band sounds absolutely wonderful, a top rhythm section, smashing soloists, and as always, it was a big pleasure being a part of it. Ed's new music is challenging, provoking, beautiful and at times funny. (But we wouldn't want too much of the latter...:-)) I will keep you posted on the developments. 

 

Oli Leicht, one of the smashing soloists in Ed's band and a band leader on his own account, and I, are about to finally record our work in progress. Our duo concerts - or better said - the FUN we had while „working“ made us want to do something „serious“ with it. Just the two of us, clarinet, voice and electronics, playing Oli's as well as my compositions and some cover songs (like Tom Waits, Suzanna Vega), experimenting and enjoying ourselves. Oli has taken upon himself the task of teaching me the secrets of "THE HANG“- as opposed to me thinking i have to take care of my voice, to get enough sleep- well- you get the drift... 

 

I will keep you posted on my learning progress- :-) 

 

Efrat Alony 

02.06.09

Wonderful news!

I just found out that I have been awarded with the "Nürnberger Nachrichten International Jazz Preis" for 2009. The award ceremony in form of a concert with ALONY will take place on October 3rd 2009 as part of the "Stimmenfang Festival" in Nürnberg. I am very much looking forward to it! 

 

Efrat Alony 

30.05.09

Back home in Berlin,

after a wonderful ALONY CD Release Tour in Germany and Austria. The surprise "star of the evening" was the "Lights On/Off" video. It was especially exciting to watch it on the big cinema screen in the gorgeous "Babylon-Mitte" venue in Berlin; a definite night to remember! 

 

In between the ALONY concert-dates , I spent a week with the absolutely marvelous HR Radio Big-Band, recording a new project called "new jewish folk songs". It was as always a pleasure working with Ed Partyka, who conducted and beautifully arranged some 10 israeli songs. It was an incredible experience, singing the songs I grew up with (an entire program in hebrew!! ) with the powerful, warm, at times crazy sound of this orchestra around me, painting the songs in new colours that bewildered everyone- including myself. Such lovely people; such GREAT musicians!  

 

Efrat Alony 

01.05.09

Finally,

we are off to our CD Release Tour!!!  

Frank Hellenkamp, the "superman" responsible for the marvelous artwork, has managed to outmatch himself with this wonderful video to "Lights On/Off" - i hope you'll like it! 

 

 

Efrat Alony 

22.02.09

It's crazy to try and capture

the work of almost a year in to a few sentences, so maybe i'll begin with the end, which is also a beginning- our new CD “Dismantling Dreams”. It will be released on April 17th on ENJA RECORDS. We will be going on a CD Release Tour during April and May 09 and we will be delighted to see you there. 

 

This CD was a co-production with the Bavarian Radio, by the wonderful, inspiring Beate Sampson (Jazz Director, BR and a great singer) who supported this project through thick and thin- in addition to recordings made in Berlin, we were able to use the Radio’s facilities in Nuremberg, which allowed us to be slightly (ha ha) more extravagant than we would normally dare to dream of. This time around using a fair amount of electronics, and unusual synth sounds, beautifully designed by Mark Reinke, prepared drums and fantastic fragments of little hard-to-track-down-sounds on behalf of Christian Thomè and the rich sound of the Kaj:Kaj String Quartet, we dived into this production, knowing where we were starting, but not fully realizing where it could/should/would end :-) The luxury of more studio time harbors the danger of getting lost in the small detail. Over were the days, where we would go into the studio, be inspired and play- this time it was as if we had to work out a giant puzzle, where every piece had to perfectly fit in. With Mark, on the producer chair, we edited, manipulated and rearranged the incredible amount of recorded material. (my deep thank you to the wonderful sound engineer Jörg Surrey for bearing with us:-)) 

I hope you will enjoy what you hear. 

 

I chose to sing a couple of songs in Hebrew again, I ended up writing music to a poem written by one of Israel's most important poets of our time, Dahlia Ravikovich. It was a great privilege. It's always very special for me to sing in Hebrew- and I intend to do it more often. 

 

Efrat Alony 

20.02.09

A wonderful thing coming up

is a project I will be doing in May with the Radio Big-Band Frankfurt (HR Big-Band). we will be recording a CD with Israeli songs that I chose, arranged and conducted by the wonderful composer and a dear friend Ed Partyka. We will be playing one concert in Frankfurt on May 20th 09. Ed had me featured on his wonderful CD called “Overcast” played by the “Sunday Night Orchestra” released Jun. 2008 on Mons Records. We enjoyed working together so much that he has asked me to take part in the recording of his new CD recording, set for Sep.09, which will be a Co-produced by the Berlin-Brandenburg Radio. 

 

Through Ed I got acquainted with an outstanding musician, Oliver Leicht. We have started a duo going. Him beautifully playing the clarinet and so tastefully using electronics. The first concert is set for 10.3.09 in Köln. 

 

another blessing is that I have found two remarkable women, Petra Kremer-Drieß and Marion Hölzcl, to take care of our booking and the PR. I suppose it is difficult for a stranger to understand, but ever since they are around I sleep better and I suddenly have time again :-) 

 

I am very excited to see what this coming year has in store for us. 

 

 

Efrat Alony