In 2015, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) awarded Ohad Talmor the Composer of the Year Award.
This distinction came in the form of a commission for a Large Ensemble made of young European musicians under 25 years old. Hence "Diokan Suite" came to life.
The music was written for an unusual 16 pieces ensemble, the European Jazz Orchestra, which also featured live electronics/pre-recorded material.

The Suite was performed live both in Europe and in New York's Jazz Gallery.

The album you are listening to was recorded live during the European portion of the tour.

“Opening” is a study on rhythm, with much of its vocabulary indebted to 2 of my oldest New York musical collaborators and great friends; the drummer Dan Weiss and guitarist Miles Okazaki.
“Tsatsoua” (The Toy) - The music is based on a poem which echoes the feeling of helplessness when one is faced with a destiny treating you as a discardable toy. Simple melodic motives by the Orchestra are framed within a soundscape environment where words and highly charged sounds collide in all sorts of way.
“Isorhythmic” echoes my long lasting fascination for medieval music and the wonderful composing devices used by composers of the time; isorhythm being one of them.
“Tsvaim” (Colors) - is a poem which describes a man’s painting of himself. In the end a dark stain overtakes the canvas.
The music is episodic in its nature and revolves around the use of simple chorals elements alternating with more luminous melodies. An alto saxophones duet (played by the wonderful Joao Guimaraes and Tapiwe Svosve) concludes the last section and brings the music to a lone D minor.
“Guajiro Abakua” as its name indicates, relates to the Cuban Abakua ritual music. I was introduced to it by my close friend, the amazing pianist David Virelles (“Guajiro” !). It is a world whose depth I have only started to investigate.
“Diokan” - (Portrait), is the title for this Suite. In a way the most straight forward piece as it is solely centered around 6 triads, played in the same sequence throughout. It is also the composition which offers a soloist the chance to stretch over a long section (in this case the amazingly talented tenor saxophonist Ze Pedro Coelho). The poem is read 3 times in 3 different language with the orchestra playing a haunting melody under each occurrence.
“Wayne” is an hommage to one of my hero, the great Wayne Shorter; an amazing improviser and a phenomenal composer. He epitomizes what a modern jazz musician can be today, where the written and the improvised are a part of the same universe.
“Shalva” (Quietude) - the ending piece, and the most solemn one. It is based on a poem which talks about a man’s soul finding quietude in death. It consists of 3 simple quarter note based melodies framed by shifting harmonies. The orchestration swells and gradually fades to just a few instruments singing one last prayer together, “Arriving with Every Step”.

Ohad TALMOR: Composition/Electronics - Conducting.
Woodwinds: Tapiwa Swose, Joao Guimaraes, Ze Pedro Coelho, Jan Kyncl, Matic Kuder.
Tumpet: Marius Anderson, Tomi Nikku, Johmathan Ernst
French Horn: Baptiste Germser
Trombones: Odei Al-Magut, Tom Green, Adam Ladanyi
Piano: Viola Hammer
Acoustic Bass: Felisia Westberg, Simon Quinn
Drums: Adriano Berobic