Adam Ben Ezra

Adam Ben Ezra (Hebrew: אדם בן עזרא‎; born December 18, 1982 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli self-taught multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator, known for his Double Bass performances[1]

Adam Ben Ezra
Denmark 2019
Background information
Born (1982-12-18) 18 December 1982
Tel Aviv, Israel
GenresModern Jazz, World Music, Rock
Occupation(s)Double Bassist, Multi-Instrumentalist, Composer, Educator
InstrumentsDouble Bass, Piano, Oud, Cajon, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Clarinet, Flute.
Years active2000-present
Associated actsAchinoam Nini, Igudesman & Joo, Daniel Casares
Websitehttp://www.adambenezra.com

Early life

Growing up in Tel Aviv, Adam began playing the violin when he was five years old before picking up the guitar when he was nine. Following a stint with the electric bass at 16 he discovered the instrument that would come to be most associated with him when he began studying the Double Bass.[2]

Career

Adam began his musical career performing in jazz clubs and cafes and playing with several local musicians and ensembles. He got his early break in 2008 when his upright bass version of the theme tune for the TV show Seinfeld[3] as well as his rendition of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" gained viral success.[4] This caught the attention of American label CandyRat Records who released the singles "Openland" and "Flamenco" in 2012.[5]

That same year Adam's playing was featured on the Amnesty International 'Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan' album playing on songwriter Oren Lavie's version of the track "4Th Time Around".[6]

2013 was a key year for Adam with solo shows in Europe and the United States including appearances at the International Society Of Bassists convention in Rochester, NY,[7] fr:Gaume Jazz Festival in Belgium, and Musica In Borgo in Termoli, Italy, where he also featured as a guest artist during Sarah Jane Morris' set.[8] In addition he supported the likes of Richard Bona, Mike Stern and Victor Wooten.[9] He also appeared on a cover of the Pearl Jam track 'Jeremy' by the metal band Orphaned Land.[10] A few months later Adam began his ongoing collaboration with internationally renowned singer Achinoam Nini ("Noa"), appearing on her 2014 album Love Medicine[11] as well as joining her on tours in North America and Europe that included a show with George Dalaras and Dulce Pontes at the Acropolis in Athens.[12]

In 2014 Adam joined renowned classical musicians Igudesman & Joo (Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo) for their League Of X-traordinary Musicians Showpiece, performing a New Year's Eve show at the Vienna Konzerthaus alongside a talented multinational ensemble.[13] That same year he also formed the new Adam Ben Ezra Trio which toured Europe including performances at Catania Jazz Festival in Italy.[14] In 2015 Adam crowd-funded his debut album Can’t Stop Running through a PledgeMusic campaign. The cover art for the album, photographed by Ezra Gozo Mansur, was also selected as one of the best photos of 2015 by Communication Arts magazine.[15]

In the summer of 2015 Adam appeared at the Pilsen Festival[16] and Pacovský Poledník Festival[17] as well as a sold-out show at the Jazz Dock Club in Prague as part of his tour in the Czech Republic.[18] Later that year he again joined forces with Igudesman & Joo at the 'Lucerne Festival'[19] in Switzerland, and also performed solo concerts at The Romanian National Opera, in Timișoara, Romania and at the Double Bass Passion Festival[20] in Belgrade, Serbia.

Besides of playing other tours, Adam published the albums "Pin Drop" at Ropeadope Records in 2017 and "Hide and Seek" in 2020.

Youtube

In addition to his live music playing Adam has made a name for himself through his YouTube channel.[21] To date his videos have gained more than 7 million views and his original video for "Can't Stop Running" has generated more than 1 million views. He is well known for his takes on TV theme songs such as 'Dexter'[22] and 'Mad Men'.[23]

Influences

Adam has cited Bach, Sting, Debussy, Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez and Jaco Pastorius, Flamenco and Arabic music as his musical inspiration.[24] Adam is considered a pioneer in a new style of playing on the upright bass, in which he plays and drums on his instrument at the same time in order to obtain a rich groove sound.[25]

Instruments

As well as playing the double bass, he is known for incorporating various instruments in his live performances and recordings, including the piano, bass guitar, guitar, clarinet, oud, flute and cajon, and for his use of a loop and effect pedals.[25]

References
  1. Belmaker, Genevieve (19 December 2012). "The Epoch Times". p. 8. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016 – via The Epoch Times – Art & Entertainment.
  2. "Adam Ben Ezra Solo Bass Pioneer". Rawckus Magazine. 2016-04-01. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  3. "Adam Ben Ezra: Seinfeld theme song". No Treble. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  4. "Michael Jackson: the 10 finest video tributes". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  5. "Adam Ben Ezra | CandyRat Records". www.candyrat.com. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  6. "Amnesty International – Chimes of Freedom — Oren Lavie: 4th Time Around". music.amnestyusa.org. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  7. "Interview – Adam Ben Ezra – For Bass Players Only". For Bass Players Only. 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  8. "Termoli – Trionfo di strumenti e voci, piazza stregata. Musica in Borgo debutta tra gli applausi – Primonumero.it". www.primonumero.it. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  9. "Adam Ben Ezra: Live Victor Wooten Concert Performance". No Treble. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  10. "'Pearl Jam' Cover By Members Of 'Orphaned Land' And Friends, Video Available". The Metal Resource – mauce.nl. 2013-11-22. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  11. "Noa – Love Medicine". Discogs. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  12. "George Dalaras to perform at Herodes Atticus Odeon with Dulce Pontes and Noa". en.protothema.gr. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  13. "Wiener Konzerthaus – Programmdetail". konzerthaus.at. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  14. "Adam Ben Ezra Trio – Università di Catania – L'Agenda". www.agenda.unict.it. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  15. "Adam Ben Ezra". Communication Arts. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  16. www.bioport.cz, BioPort. "The Lively Street Festival: Pilsen Meetings | Plzen 2015". www.plzen2015.cz. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  17. "Patnáctý ročník festivalu Pacovský poledník nabídne špičky svého oboru". Deník.cz. 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  18. "Česká republika je jednou z prvních zemí, kterou si kontrabasista Adam Ben Ezra zvolil pro své turné". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  19. (http://www.bestview.ch), Caritas – bestContent 2.0. "KulturLegi – Lucerne Festival – Gratistickets". www.kulturlegi.ch. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  20. "Double bass weekend | BassPassion". www.basspassion.rs. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  21. "TAM. Il 24 luglio a Monte Urano, il grande multi strumentista Adam Ben Ezra – informazione.tv". informazione.tv. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  22. "Truly killer cover of the theme songs from Showtime's "Dexter"". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  23. "Adam Ben Ezra Performs All Bass Cover of The Mad Men Theme Song". Laughing Squid. 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  24. "We ask… ADAM BEN EZRA". Graj Nisko (in Polish). 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  25. Jazz, All About. "Jazz news: Adam Ben Ezra Announces Release Of Debut Album "Can't Stop Running"". News. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
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