Focusing The Spotlight: A Little Bit More About Oscar Feldman

Our latest Spotlight Artist, saxophonist Oscar Feldman shares a lot about his life, community, and influences through the music on his latest album Oscar e Familia. He reveals a good deal of respect for his musical mentors, both alive and past, that tells a lot about his musical concept. From a tribute to straight-ahead jazz saxophone master Lee Konitz to an original piece from the great Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal dedicated to Feldman, the saxophonist shows how these musicians effected his life. Feldman creates a connection to his Argentinean heritage on several pieces, paying his respects to his cultural foundation. A sensitive arrangement of Astor Piazzolla’s “Triunfal” show Feldman’s connection to the traditional while Guillermo Klein’s bluesy “El Minotauro” places Feldman’s concept of Argentinean music in the present. Feldman also proves that he sits firmly within the contemporary jazz community as well, tackling several fusion-esqe pieces with style and ease. Wayne Shorter’s “Children of The Night” finds Feldman charging through a classic with a boppish intensity while his own funky piece “Mrs. Tangoholic” allows the saxophonist to push his band into a furious climax through his passion fueled improvisation skills. All these different musical angles combine into an exciting and engaging collection of performances, painting a defined and interesting picture of Feldman and his musical communities.

If you’re curious and you want to know Feldman, you’re in luck – there’s plenty of places to learn about Feldman and hear his music online. His website seems a bit out of date, but you can still get some good information about his discography, check out some audio, and more – find it HERE. There’s some nice streaming music, pictures, videos, and info on Feldman’s MySpace, so go add him as a friend HERE. Feldman keeps an active presence on Facebook, so head on over, send him a friend request, and write on his wall HERE. Feldman’s new release is out on the Sunnyside Records label, and the label is giving him some good support – check out their page for him HERE. There’s a lot of great opportunities out there to check out Feldman and his work, so don’t hesitate – there’s some good music waiting to be heard.

Feldman offers a personal view of his life and music on Oscar e Familia, with a broad Latin Jazz concept that includes Argentinean music, fusion, and more; it’s definitely worth a listen. In order to help you get to know Feldman a little better, I’ve included some bio information below from Feldman’s website. Keep on scrolling down and you’ll find a couple of videos – one featuring Feldman performing alongside Cuban saxophone great Paquito D’Rivera and another clip with Feldman’s quartet, featuring Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, playing one of his original compositions, “Chachablu.” Enjoy!

———-
Oscar Feldman created quite an uproar by the end of the nineties with his impressive recording debut as a leader with El Angel.

Known for his splendid tonalities and melodically outstanding charts, the Argentinian native demonstrates his superb skills on alto, tenor and soprano saxes, while employing a wide range of Panamerican references, from straight ahead to tango to candombe to samba to mambo.

Feldman has extensive performance and recording experience, that ranges from straight ahead jazz, Brazilian, pop to fusion.

Mr.Feldman won the Outstanding Performance Award as the Best Soloist in fusion in Buenos Aires, 1986 and in 1992 the Achievement Scholarship Award from Berklee College of Music, where he graduated cum laude in 1995 with a Major in Professional Music.

Oscar has recorded and toured internationally as a lead alto with Paquito D’Rivera’s United Nations Orchestra, once led by the legendary Dizzy Gillespie.

In 1999 Oscar recorded the album Tropicana Nights, with a Big Band conducted by Paquito D’Rivera which received the Latin Grammy Award 2000 for “Best Latin Jazz Album“.

In 2000 he recorded the album he Grande Passion with guitar legend Al Di Meola and recently toured Europe and South Africa with Grammy winner and top producer/arranger Eumir Deodato.

Oscar has recorded and toured internationally with notable artists such as guitar legend Al Di Meola, Grammy winner and top producer/arranger Eumir Deodato, Jeff Tain Watts, Avantango, Paquito D’Rivera’s United Nations Orchestra, Alex Acuna at prestigious venues such as the Opera Vienna House, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Town Hall in New York, Park La Villette in Paris, the Blue Note as well as many International Jazz Festivals in Europe, the Americas and Africa.

Oscar toured in Spain with Bebo Valdes and His All Star Latin Jazz Band and most recently he performed in Greece.with his own band featuring Horacio “Negro” Hernandez. He recorded for the soundtrack of Ang Lee’s new movie Lust, Caution. Oscar toured Europe with Fusion Revolution together with Alex Acuna , Tom Kennedy and Otmaro Ruiz.

——–
Oscar Feldman Performing With Paquito D’Rivera