Tal Yahalom: Jazz guitarist and composer

Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman

03/09/25

•

86m

About

Comments

Featured In

Tal Yahalom is an award-winning jazz guitarist and composer and you’ll be getting a preview of his compelling quintet album Mirror Image with refreshingly unique instrumentation: violin, cello, percussion, sax and flute and both nylon-string and electric guitar. You’ll be hearing excerpts from the album and hear about Tal’s creative process and collaborators including percussioninst Rogerio Boccato and David Leon on sax and flute. Tal told me about some great advice he got from Pat Metheny, whom he met when Tal won the Detroit Jazz Festival National Guitar Competition, and the invaluable guidance of key mentors throughout his education and career. Tal recently came back from musically immersive travels in Brazil and Argentina, and it was inspiring to hear about his experiences their as well as hear about several of his collaborators, including his band KADAWA, and we’re featuring a track from their new album as well. Towards the end of this interview, Tal shared some personal reflections on his new duo with vocalist Danielle Wertz, and some very wise insights into student-centered learning, which I think apply quite broadly, not just to music. Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/tal-yahalom

Tal Yahalom Website Mirror Image Album (pre-order link; releasing March 21, 2025)

KADAWA band

Buy me a coffee? Original Merch Newsletter

Other episodes you'll like:

Marc van Vugt Ariel Bart Gilad Weiss Edison Herbert

Roddy Ellias Daniel Ramjattan

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(02:49) album Mirror Image

(07:00) clip of KIM from Mirror Image

(07:29) about Prelude, use of strings

(09:30) clip of Prelude from Mirror Image

(11:13) album set list, listening parties

(14:01)Argentian grandfather, trip to Brazil and Argentina, Vardan Ovsepian

(17:26) Rogerio Boccato, Brazil trip, Gian Correa

(22:43) clip from Chorinho for Tati from Mirror Image

(23:28) Brazil trip

(25:43) creative process, about Hymn for Tomorrow

(28:56) excerpt from Hymn for Tomorrow

(30:22) album art Linnea Lieth, Tal’s creative process

(35:09) other episodes linked to this one and different ways to support this series

(36:04) Tal’s creative process

(40:26) percussionist Rogerio Boccato

(43:50) clip of Dusk on Landwehr Canal

(45:10) David Leon sax and flute player

(47:39) story of Sophianic Mess

(51:04) clip of Sophianic Mess

(51:47) band KADAWA Almog Sharvit, Ben Silashi

(55:58) KADAWA Salhov Syndrome from Post Graduation Fees

(01:02:11) Tal’s experience of student-led education, guitar teacher Shai Chen

(01:05:36) the

Previous Episode

Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield

March 2, 2025

•

62m

Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield are wonderfully inventive musicians who have formed a duo. This podcast episode is shining a light on their recently released album “Speaking in Tongues”and you’ll hear some of this textured and dynamic music that really pushes the boundaries of a duo, along with insights into their creative process and their varied career paths.

John Hadfield is a phenomenal percussionist, drummer, and composer, for many years based in New York and now based in Paris. He’s collaborated on over 100 recordings including Grammy-award winning albums. He talked to me about performing with Kenny Werner, with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble, as well as John’s Paris Quartet.

Rachel Eckroth was nominated for a GRAMMY for her album “The Garden” and she is very active as a keyboardist, vocalist, composer, producer and arranger. She tours currently with St. Vincent, and she talked to me about her keyboards, and some of her formative experiences.

Both Rachel and John love to explore new sound colours both acoustically and with electronic instruments and this album is a powerful, inventive and immersive listening experience. You’ll find this project linked in the show notes, and hopefully some of you can attend their live shows on one of their tours.

Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website

Speaking in Tongues album Rachel Eckroth website John Hadfield website

Can you buy this independent podcaster a coffee? ⁠Thanks!

Merch store

Complete Catalog of Episodes

Newsletter sign-up

I wanted to let you know about some other episodes I’ve linked directly to this one, which I think may interest you, with:

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(02:45) duo project, Speaking in Tongues album

(07:45) clip from Speaking in Tongues

(08:27) Gamelan strips, John’s Gamelan studies in Indonesia

(10:50) Phase and Libration Part 1 from album Speaking in Tongues

(14:18) formative experiences Rachel and John

(19:54) God Particle, creative process of the album

(22:13) clip from God Particle

(23:24) Rachel’s album One improvised piano music, her creative practice and challenges of touring

(26:35) Light Sleeper from Rachel Eckroth’s album One

(28:59) Paris, Dennis Rowland, Rachel’s keyboards, John’s collaborations Sara Caswell

(34:17) other linked episodes you’ll like and ways to support this series

(35:06) John’s Drum of Stories album, Collin Walcott, John’s use of electronics with acoustic

(38:25) Rachel’s touring career

(41:20) Kenny Werner, different performance experiences

(44:10) Women’s March 2017, life-changing opportunities

(48:19) clip from Andromeda from Speaking in Tongues

(49:53) New York City early career

(52:34)Silkroad ensemble, Yo-Yo Ma

(55:35) projects toge

Next Episode

Tasha Warren: Grammy-Nominated Clarinetist on Collaboration, Balance & New Music

March 16, 2025

•

76m

Tasha Warren is an acclaimed clarinetist who has premiered over one hundred solo clarinet and chamber works. In this podcast you’ll hear excerpts from her album “Ourself Behind Ourself, Concealed” a fantastic collaboration with cellist Dave Eggar of newly commissioned and premiered Bass Clarinet and Cello works, which earned two Grammy nominations. If you listened to my episode with Meg Okura last year, you heard a bit about this project, and Meg’s episode is linked in the show notes if you missed it. Dr. Warren is Assistant Professor of Chamber Music at Michigan State University and the principal clarinet faculty of Mostly Modern Festival and you’ll hear her valuable and candid perspectives on a life as an educator, concert presenter and also the challenges of balancing such a full professional life with that of being a mom. You’ll also hear about her unique musical trip to India sponsored by Pitch Pipe organized by Jennifer Heemstra, among several inspiring projects in this wide-ranging episode. In this episode you’ll be hearing music by Nathalie Joachim, Paquito D’rivera, Martha Redbone Pascal Le Boeuf and Cornelius Boots. One of the wonderful surprises for me as a podcaster has been getting to know composers new to me and I encourage you to listen to Tasha and Dave’s recording which is linked for you below.

Like all my episodes, you can also watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website

Tasha Warren Website

Ourself Behind Ourself Concealed album

It’s a joy to be able to bring these meaningful conversations to you, but this project costs me quite a bit of money and lots of time; please support this series through either my merchandise store or buy me a coffee on my Ko-fi page

Newsletter sign-up

Some other episodes I’ve linked directly to this one, which I think may interest you, with:

Sarah Jeffery of Team Recorder

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(02:14) champion of new music, “Ourself Behind Ourself, Concealed” album with Dave Eggar

(09:05) Pascal Le Boeuf

(13:19) clip from Snapshots by Pascal Le Boeuf