Eldad Tarmu


Eldad Tarmu is a vibraphonist, composer, and music educator born in 1960 in Los Angeles, California. His parents were graphic artists. Between 2005 and 2009 he was a professor of Jazz Studies at the Richard Oschanitzky Jazz and Pop School of Tibiscus University in Timișoara, Romania, where he led the Jazz Department. In 2006, he established a partnership with the American Cultural Center in Bucharest, aiming to improve cultural ties between Romania and the U.S. and promote American music. He is currently residing in the New York area, where he performs regularly on the jazz and contemporary classical scene.

Biography

Tarmu studied percussion at Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. After a few years of touring with local bands as a rock drummer, he pursued undergraduate studies at Tel Aviv University in Israel. He received a graduate degree in Afro-Latin music from California State University Los Angeles, as well as a Master of Arts in Classical Composition and a doctorate in Jazz Performance from Stony Brook University in New York.

Career

Tarmu has worked with Ron Affif, Ray Anderson, Mike Clark, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Taj Mahal, Frank Morgan, Poncho Sanchez, Cybill Shepherd, and Ernie Watts. He has performed in over twenty-five countries in various festivals and concert tours.
His album Get Up Close was number 20 on the U.S. Jazz radio charts for four weeks. His first chamber music album, Songs for the Queen of Bohemia, while jazz-oriented, features a string quartet from the Timișoara Philharmonic and drummer Yoni Halevy. This eclectic project crosses jazz and Middle Eastern with chamber ensemble arrangements.

Discography