Zohar Fresco

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Zohar Fresco is an Israeli percussionist and composer, born in 1969, who specialises in the frame drum. He is known for a technique of his own on this instrument, in which he combines different styles. In the 1990s he played in Bustan Abraham, an Israeli world music band that existed from 1991 to 2003. With them he made albums such as Bustan Abraham (1992), Fanar (1997) with Zakir Hussain and Hariprasad Chaurasia, Hamsa and Ashra (2000). He also played in the Ziryab Trio, which made the album Mashreq Classics in 1997.

Music and breakthrough

Since the beginning of this century he has been a member of the jazz trio of the Polish pianist Leszek Możdżer and the Swedish bassist Lars Danielsson. Together they made, among others, The Time (2005), Between Us and the Light (2006), Live (2007) and Polska (2013). He also played with the jazz drummer Hamid Drake, the violinist Taiseer Elias, the saxophonist Daniel Zamir and the oud player Ara Dinkjian, among others, and toured with the American composer Philip Glass. Later releases include Tof Miriam (2015) and Tarab (2018).

Influence

The frame drum is one of the oldest instruments in the world and occurs in music from the Middle East to Europe. Fresco uses it not only as rhythmic accompaniment but also as a melodic and sonorous instrument, with many tone colours from fingers, palm and rim. In this way he brings the rhythms of the Middle East into a jazz trio and shows that ancient percussion instruments have a place in contemporary music.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2005The Time
• 2006Between Us and the Light
• 2013Polska
• 2015Tof Miriam
• 2018Tarab
• 2021Just ignore it
• 2025Beamo