Thoughtful questions from a thoughtful and talented player whose album Truth and Beauty has received much critical acclaim. Featuring ongtime cohorts Joshua Redman and Brian Blade, the record is a testament to Yahel’s original approach to the Hammond organ. On tunes like the title track and “Child Watching,” Yahel coaxes breathing textures from the double manuals, pushing and prodding his bandmates with a constant supply of fresh musical ideas. This is not your everyday organ trio.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Germany, Yahel moved to New York City in 1990, studying jazz piano at the New School for Social Research with noted classmate, pianist Brad Mehldau. “Brad was actually the one that explained to me what it meant to play over chord changes,” he tells me from his home in New York’s Greenwich Village “[He told me] that it wasn’t just about the chord tones, but about the scales and tonalities. That was a revelatory moment for me. Everything just clicked.”
During his second year of studies at The New School, Yahel made a purchase that would change his musical trajectory for good: a portable organ. “And as soon as I bought the organ, the phone started ringing off the hook. People didn’t know how I played, and they didn’t even care! It was like, ‘Do you play organ? Can you make this gig?’ I went from having one gig a week to having eight steady gigs a week. That’s when it really took off for me.”
Yahel hit a creative stride during this period, placing as one of four finalists in the ’99 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition. Soon after, he met and began playing with drummer Blade and saxophonist Redman. Recognizing an immediate chemistry in their collective interplay, the three set out on a musical journey that continues to this day. “There’s definitely a democratic process going on, an emphasis on being organic and in the moment — not trying to have things be pre-conceived,” he says. “Somebody plays something and we all pick up on it.”
Others who have picked up on Yahel’s deft musical vision and have hired him for sideman work include Norah Jones (who was actually Yahel’s piano student at the time she recorded her smash debut Come Away With Me), retro-chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux, and, most recently, Steely Dan, who chose Yahel’s trio as the opening act on their 2007 world tour. “That was an incredible experience,” he says. “Talk about writing — those guys are on a whole other level.”
Yahel will spend much of ’08 returning to his piano roots, releasing a trio record later this year, and taking a break from his rigorous touring schedule to study classical piano. “It’s important to take control of your destiny,” he says. “It’s hard in this world of being a sideman. You’re conditioned to not turn things down. I’m grateful for all those opportunities, but in the meantime, I know there are some things of my own I want to do.”