Noam Wiesenberg - Roads Diverge (2018) [Hi-Res]

Curiosity and intention-guided nuance pervade Noam Wiesenberg’s expression. The bass

player and composer creates dimension in the spaces he leaves as well as those he fills.

Wiesenberg has spent the past decade collaborating on stage and in the studio, interpreting a range of live music from such diverse artists as Antonio Sanchez, Melissa Aldana, Billy Hart, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Rodney Green, Gilad Hekselman, Lage Lund, Seamus Blake, Ben Wendel, Will Vinson, Joel Frahm, Chano Dominguez, Aaron Goldberg, Shai Maestro and Uri Caine. An orchestral frontiersman, he’s composed critically acclaimed arrangements for Camila Meza’s Ámbar (Sony Masterworks, 2019), Ari Hoenig’s Nonet, and multiple arrangements for the Metropole Orkest.

In 2018, the Tel Aviv native released his long-awaited debut recording Roads Diverge to effusive praise from peers and critics. “Being about the power of choice and making choices, Roads Diverge shows enough assertiveness for us to conclude that Wiesenberg has made the right ones,” says JazzTrail’s Filipe Freitas.

Wiesenberg has performed across the world as a leader and highly sought collaborator, appearing at both cutting-edge venues and mainstay institutions, including the Kennedy Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Jazz Station in Belgium, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Jazz Dock in Prague, Jazz in Marciac, Jazz Standard, Blue Note, Blue Note Tokyo, The Cotton Club Japan, Small’s Jazz Club, Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, Le Poisson Rouge and Joe’s Pub. Festival hits include Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, SFJazz Festival and Vitoria Jazz Festival.

Technical mastery and a sharpening palate for spontaneity-driven composition and orchestration earned Wiesenberg a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where he graduated with a Performance degree in 2010. Since then, artistic peers and collaborators have returned to Wiesenberg again and again for his dual sense of understanding where the music wants to go and creating vessels for interpreting the journey.

"...his way with melody is as fun as his knack for clever arrangements... It all adds up to a very colorful debut full of promise and heart. Whatever roads Noam Wiesenberg chooses in the future, we should have great pleasure in hearing him tell all about them." (All About Jazz)

“Strong and fresh” (Jazz Weekly)

"...Wiesenberg is a strong, assured, and articulate bassist, and his exquisite writing and arranging make the beauty and vitality of his talents shine, providing a platform for the entire ensemble to declare the praises of this timeless music." (Cadence Jazz Magazine)

"...Being about the power of choice and making choices, "Roads Diverge" shows enough assertiveness for us to conclude that Wiesenberg has made the right ones. His upright bass holds down the desirable amount of esprit to make each listening experience a gratifying, fun ride." (JazzTrail)

“Roads Diverge showcases the myriad talents of a musician with a bright future.” (AJNEWS.COM)

As an arranger:

"Elegant orchestration and direct emotional address find common purpose in Ámbar... The delicate drift of percussion and strings, in both arco and pizzicato modes, is the handiwork of bassist and arranger Noam Wiesenberg, who coleads the Nectar Orchestra with Meza." (Nat Chinen, WBGO)

"The string arrangements, by bassist Noam Wiesenberg, leverage contrapuntal interplay between vocalist, orchestra and rhythm section, and are utterly outstanding. They offer many textural beauties…” (All About Jazz)

01. Noam Wiesenberg - Prelude (1:48)
02. Noam Wiesenberg - Resfeber (9:08)
03. Noam Wiesenberg - Shir Le'shir (5:45)
04. Noam Wiesenberg - Where Do We Go from Here (5:02)
05. Noam Wiesenberg - Roads Diverge (6:05)
06. Noam Wiesenberg - Capricorn Lady (4:07)
07. Noam Wiesenberg - Davka (6:17)
08. Noam Wiesenberg - Melody for Ido (6:12)
09. Noam Wiesenberg - The Tourist (3:47)

Noam Wiesenberg - Bass
Philip Dizack - Trumpet
Immanuel Wilkins - Alto Sax & Clarinet
Shai Maestro - Piano & Fender Rhodes
Kush Abadey - Drums