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Rafi Malkiel

Composer, trombonist and euphonium player Rafi Malkiel, originally from Jerusalem, has shared his talent with audiences around the world, playing Jazz & Latin music in his unique and captivating style. Leading his quintet, Malkiel plays original compositions, as well as unique arrangements fusing Jazz and Latin-American standards with Afro-Caribbean rhythms. The Rafi Malkiel Quintet performs extensively in venues such as the 92 Street Y, The Corcoran Gallery of Arts in Washington, D.C. and The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Small's and more. Rafi was cited in the Recommended Jazz Trombonists list in PBS’ website Jazz, a film by Ken Burns, as well as in The Young Guns of Jazz, trumpeting the best of a new generation, by Chip Deffaa in the New York Post, July 2001.

Rafi Malkiel's debut solo album titled My Island will be released in 2007. The Album also features some of the best Jazz and Latin musicians in New York City, including legendary bassist Andy Gonzalez, percussionist Anthony Carrillo, tuba player Howard Johnson, clarinetist Anat Cohen and many more.

Rafi plays with Willie Colon, Jason Lindner’s Big Band and with Grammy-nominated Colombian singer Toto La Momposina, and he participated in Reggie Workman’s John Coltrane Africa Brass Live project. He has played in New York City in venues such as Madison Square Garden, Radio City, Town Hall, Symphony Space, the Carlyle Hotel with Bobby Short, Sweet Basil, and SOB’s. Rafi has performed in the Broadway shows The Color Purple and in the Tony-award winning musical Urinetown. He has performed in numerous festivals around the world such as the JVC Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Summer Stage, WOMAD festivals in Greece, New Zealand, and Australia, the Sydney Festival in Australia, and the Red Sea International Jazz Festival in Israel.

Malkiel has recorded over forty Jazz, Latin, and Rock albums with notable artists such as Ray Anderson, Salsa Picante, Toto La Momposina, and Loren Schoenberg. He is also featured on several movie and TV theme songs in Israel including “Souvenirs”, winner of first place in Doc-Aviv Festival and the Israeli Oscar for best documentary in 2006. Rafi also composes for other groups, he wrote an original score for the music and dance collaboration at the Construction Company in NYC. Rafi holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the New School in New York City and a Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He was the recipient of the American-Israeli Cultural Foundation music scholarships in 1985 through 1997.

Tags

7
Album Review

Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble: Dreaming In Lions

Read "Dreaming In Lions" reviewed by Chris May


Music for dance comes in a variety of forms. At one end of the spectrum are abstract soundscapes composed without reference to the choreography with which they share the stage; an example being John Cage's work with the choreographer Merce Cunningham. At the other end of the spectrum is music written in close collaboration with the choreographer; an example being Igor Stravinsky's work for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, which reached its peak in 1910 with The Firebird, jointly realized by ...

13
Album Review

Arturo O'Farrill: Virtual Birdland

Read "Virtual Birdland" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Whenever an obstacle presents itself--even one as devastating and disruptive as a global pandemic--it's a sure bet that musicians will find a way around it, a way to keep making music even in the most grievous circumstances. Jazz musicians have been especially creative during the Covid-19 scourge, using social media, the internet and any other means at their disposal to share their music with the world. True, the paychecks aren't as large or as regular as once they were, but ...

5
Album Review

Arturo O'Farrill: Four Questions

Read "Four Questions" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Surprisingly this set marks the first time Arturo O'Farrill has recorded a set of solely his own compositions. It was worth the wait because this music, played by his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, really demonstrates the cinematic sweep and variety of his writing. The set is constructed around two topical extended works. The first, “Four Questions," is based on four questions about the struggle for human rights and personal dignity first posed by African-American author W.E.B. DuBois in ...

4
Album Review

Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra: Four Questions

Read "Four Questions" reviewed by Jack Bowers


The Four Questions addressed by composer / pianist Arturo O'Farrill's Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra on its latest album were first posed in 1903 by W.E.B. DuBois in his book The Souls of Black Folk and are answered herein by the esteemed educator / historian / social activist Dr. Cornel West. For the record, the questions are “what does integrity do in the face of adversity and oppression, what does honesty do in the face of lies and deception, what does ...

225
Album Review

Rafi Malkiel: My Island

Read "My Island" reviewed by Chip Boaz


Latin jazz artists faces important choices when shaping their debut album. First-time leaders write original music or interpret standards--the resultant repertoire and musical expressions display wisely chosen risks or lack of judgment. Musicians invite guest artists to perform, adding a sense of cohesion or confusion to the album's overall sound. The musical direction deserves careful consideration; the recording represents the musical identity that will follow their name. Trombonist and euphonium player Rafi Malkiel offers a broad range of Latin styles ...

201
Album Review

Rafi Malkiel: My Island

Read "My Island" reviewed by Laurel Gross


Will My Island change the course of jazz? As the Gershwin song goes, “Who Cares. We're having too much fun swaying along to dreamy orchestrations and anticipating what may happen next in this world trombonist Rafi Malkiel has conjured out of thin air and musical prowess to worry about such things. His creation could be Cuba, a place of memory or some other port of call. But you can hear it in all its liveliness. The aural ...

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139

Performance / Tour

The Rafi Malkiel Quintet at the 92nd Street Y, Manhattan Fri, Feb 23, 2007, 2:00PM

The Rafi Malkiel Quintet at the 92nd Street Y, Manhattan Fri, Feb 23, 2007, 2:00PM

Source: All About Jazz

Composer and trombonist Rafi Malkiel, originally from Israel, is an active musician in both the Jazz and Latin scenes in New York City. Leading his quintet, Rafi plays original compositions, as well as unique arrangements fusing Jazz and Latin-American standards with Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

The Rafi Malkiel Quintet will be playing selections from Rafi's debut solo album titled My Island, to be released in March 2007. The album features him as a composer, arranger, band leader, trombone and euphonium player. It ...

86

Performance / Tour

The Rafi Malkiel Quintet at the Jazz Cafe @ Israel Non Stop 2007

The Rafi Malkiel Quintet at the Jazz Cafe @ Israel Non Stop 2007

Source: All About Jazz

Sun, Feb 25, 2007 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM The JCC in Manhattan 334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th St New York, NY Israeli jazz musicians are making their mark on the NYC jazz scene and many of them are America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship alumni. Get a taste of an array of these talented groups and enjoy a light bite from a special festival menu offered by the JCC's own Cafe 76. The afternoon's lineup ...

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Event

Rafi Malkiel Quintet With Special Guest: Bobby Sanabria @ Trinity Church Thursday June 8th 2006, 1 PM

Rafi Malkiel Quintet With Special Guest: Bobby Sanabria @ Trinity Church Thursday June 8th 2006, 1 PM

Source: All About Jazz

Rafi Malkiel Quintet:

Rafi Malkiel - trombone Chris Karlic - saxophones Alon Yavnai - piano Dave Hertzberg - bass Henry Cole- drums With Special Guest: Bobby Sanabria - Percussion

Performing at: Trinity Church, Concerts at One on Thursday June 8th 2006, 1 PM General admission $2 suggested contribution

The concert will feature Jazz standards and original compositions by Malkiel all in different Latin -American ...

Primary Instrument

Trombone

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Mr. Malkiel currently teaches at the Harlem School of the Arts, the 92nd Street Y, and at the Bloomingdale School of Music.

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Virtual Birdland

Zoho Music
2021

buy

Dreaming In Lions

Blue Note Records
2021

buy

Four Questions

Zoho Music
2020

buy

My Island

Raftone
2007

buy

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