Omer Klein Celebrates a Decade of Trio Music

By Bill Milkowski I Jul. 5, 2023

“Writing strong melodies is key for me,” said Klein, shown here with his trio mates Haggai Cohen-Milo and Amir Bresler.
(Photo: Yvonne Schmedemann)

It was 10 years ago that Israeli-born pianist Omer Klein began exploring his intimate, conversational chemistry with bassist Haggai Cohen-Milo and drummer Amir Bresler.

“Haggai and I go way back and have been playing together for 20 years now in different formations,” said Klein, who now lives in Frankfurt, Germany. “We first came together as a trio after having played with Amir for a concert in Paris in October 2013, and I instantly felt we were a right fit. Amir is a perfect combination of ‘grounded’ and ‘flying,’ which is exactly how Haggai and I are trying to play as well. The chemistry developed naturally over time, with lots of touring and recording, and with us trusting each other more and more, leaving each other more and more space.”

On Life & Fire, their fourth Warner Music release together, the three kindred spirits engage in that highly interactive chemistry through nine engaging tracks. From the crystalline purity of the darkly beautiful and introspective opener, “The Ravens,” to the urgently swinging and quirky “Song #2” (with its allusions to Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence”) to the intricate, hypnotic romp “3/4 Mantra,” fueled by Bresler’s precisely percussive playing on the kit, this trio reflects a joyous loose-tight chemistry that is palpable. And the leader revels in melody throughout.

“Writing strong melodies is key for me,” said Klein. “Perhaps not every tune is arranged in such a way that the melody is heard loud and clear from the beginning, but for the album opener it’s usually important for me to start right off with a strong melody. It’s like the beginning of a narrative that has to grab you.”

And while Klein may have been influenced by such iconic role models as Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, he’s proudly forging his own path with this trio. “Naturally, I study everyone who’s great, but I don’t want to play like them. In each of my tracks there is probably some influence that you could easily discern, and an array of others that you might miss. Mr. Jarrett is certainly a model for lyrical expression and richness of sound. But, for example, ‘The Ravens’ is written in a slow 11/8 meter, which I don’t think any of my heroes ever used. And that has an influence on the development of the lines that I play on that song.”

Another piano hero is Thelonious Monk, which Klein hints at on “Song #2.” “I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I called Mr. Monk a musical god,” he said. “The logic, the precision, the swing, the huge spirit, the amazing specificity … it’s all there. And, yes, ‘Song #2’ might well have been born after a Monk appreciation session. It uses, however, a scale that he would never use, I think, in the construction of the melody. I know it from the French composer Olivier Messiaen.”

While the fast 11/8 workout “Niggun” may be a nod to Jewish folk music, the secularly raised Klein said, “To be honest, I’m no expert on traditional Jewish music. When this tune came to me, it sounded to me like a kind of subconscious inheritance from my ancestors, like a tune I wasn’t even supposed to be able to write but it was written nevertheless. So I gave it this title to signify the origin. Later on I learned all kinds of beautiful meanings for the word Niggun. One of my favorites is ‘the release of energy through interpretation.’”

He added, “I certainly feel I’m spiritual. I think it goes hand in hand with music. But as for established religion, that’s not my thing.”

The poignant ballad “Tzuri” is a loving dedication to the pianist’s grandfather, Tzuri Dvash, who was born and raised in Tripoli, Libya. Klein described him as “very deep, very soulful, but in an unpretentious way … sunny, smiling, funny, never showed me anything other than unconditional love. Paying homage is important.”

“One Step At A Time” is another delicate number that reveals Klein’s gift for melody. “I called it ‘One Step At A Time’ because that’s how the melody and harmonic progression go, very patiently, step by step, from a ‘down’ place towards an eventually empowered place. So I felt the tune was a metaphor for getting over an obstacle, and I definitely felt better after writing it.”

“Malchut” has Klein and his crew conversing in a very Bill Evans Trio-esque manner. “The decision we made right before playing this take was a structural one: Instead of stating the melody and then starting to improvise, we’ll just skip the melody and get into it from bar 1. That gives the performance, I think, a fresh, conversational vibe — we are finding the notes together and you can hear us listening and acting.”

Klein began his journey into music as a teenager, discovering and gradually immersing himself in the sounds from the United States and Brazil while also studying the great European classical composers. He later attended the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with pianists and mentors Danilo Pérez and Ran Blake. “Mr. Pérez was very important because, like me, he also grew up outside the U.S. and the local music of his country is very important to him,” he recalled. “He encouraged me greatly to open my ears and learn, while maintaining the strong identity I brought from home. Of course, his stories about the experience of playing in Wayne Shorter’s quartet were also invaluable to me. I learned a lot about freedom, daring and mystery from him.”

Another important mentor during his years in New York City, from 2005 to 2009, was pianist Fred Hersch. “When I was living in New York, I was playing quite a lot as a leader of my own trios at places like the Blue Note, Smalls, The Jazz Gallery and elsewhere. I took about five lessons with Mr. Hersch at the time and they proved to be extremely helpful. He helped me play the whole range of the piano, use a richer sound, be more meticulous about my voicings, and use poliphony. It was also invaluable to just stand by the piano and watch him play. This music can’t be 100% taught. It should be rubbed on you, you should experience it.” DB