| Russel Walder | |
|---|---|
Russel Walder Live at Westpac Sports Stadium 2005 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 9, 1959 |
| Origin | Deerfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | World, Chamber jazz, Ambient, Soundtrack, Contemporary Classical |
| Instruments | Oboe, Duduk, Wood Flute, Electronic keyboards, Percussion |
| Years active | 1982 - present |
| Labels | Nomad Soul Records |
| Website | Nomad Soul Records |
Russel Walder (born February 9, 1959) is an American Jazz oboist. He is the founder of Nomad Soul Records and one of the top contemporary oboists in the world, composing, recording, touring and furthering the possibilities of the oboe.
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Walder was born and raised in Deerfield, Illinois. Following his graduation from Deerfield High School, he briefly attended the University of Arizona in Tucson Arizona.
He then also attended The Boston Conservatory of Music, and The California Institute of the Arts.[1] He also studied privately with teachers at The New England Conservatory of Music. At age 17 he toured Europe and North American with the United States Youth Symphony appearing in Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall among many notable venues. Walder came onto the contemporary jazz instrumental scene quickly in 1982, at the age of 19, after joining Windham Hill Records and then recording Elements with pianist Ira Stein. The pair met at Naropa Institute while studying with the jazz fusion group Oregon. Walder also studied with Oregon Jazz legend Paul McCandles. After the success of Elements, Walders next recording, 1986's Transit, again with Stein, also included performances by Bruce Hornsby and mixing by Mark Isham. Walder then signed to Narada Records releasing Under The Eye again with Stein. The recording also featured Marc Anderson, the percussionist from the Steve Tibbetts Group. The duo toured Europe and Spain numerous times with an expanded lineup of side musicians and also performed with Kurt Wortman. The pair headlined at the Spain Expo of 1992 in Seville.
Walder went on with his solo career by recording with California label Real Music with his release Pure Joy[2] which went on to claim the number one spot on several US radio charts.[3] In 2006 after moving to New Zealand to appear as lead actor in the award winning feature film The Lunatics Ball, Walder launched his own music label, Nomad Soul Records.[1] His first release RISE was launched in March 2007.[1]
Russel Walder also released notable side projects and duets, trios and quartets with musicians such as Will Ackerman,[4] Suzanne Ciani. Michael Gettel, Balafon Marimba Ensemble, Andrew White, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and many others. Russel Walder has also contributed as a composer and performer to many compilations including The Windham Hill Sampler 1986, Comfort Music, Meditation, Windham Hill, The First Ten years, Sanctuary, Dreamscape, Sonia Gaia Collection One, Freedom To Love, and Winters Solstice. His work on Winters Solstice earned him a Grammy Nomination for Best Instrumental Album in 1988 [5] and went on to also earn him 2 gold records and a Platinum sales award.
Russel Walder has been touring for more than 20 years and has written over 60 pieces and continues to push limits in both his composition and performance.
Russel Walder launched Nomad Soul Records in 2006 from his state of the art recording studios in Auckland New Zealand. He has ventured in Feature Film Soundtracks and has scored several soundtracks for the Discovery Channel. RISE was the first CD from Nomad Soul Records and featured Walder arranging, producing, recording, mixing, composing, and performing all of the instruments on the CD including the middle eastern sounding Duduk. Walder also played all keyboards, percussion, drumming, and piano on RISE as well as extending the use of complex mixing and sampling technologies. He has been in demand as a soundtrack composer and producer.
In 2005 he produced and co-composed 'Kura Huna' with New Zealand singer, WhiriMako Black.[6] Kura Huna was based around stories from the Tuhoe Tribe that were hundreds of years old. These laments were highly poetic and mournful. In 2011 he again Produced another album for Whirimako for Ode Records called, "The Late Night Plays" her first all english album of classic jazz and blues related material.
Walder has developed a unique signature style of improvisation. This musical language is a combination of jazz, north African chant, Arabic melisma, contemporary European Classicism, ancient Hebrew psalms and modal scales. He has called it 'Nomad Soul Style'.
Continuing the tradition of borrowing tones and techniques from a wide array of musical sources, Walder has made alterations to the oboe tone palette. His sound is a complex combination of sophisticated mixing filters, custom designed room reverbs, and oboe reed designs. Walders oboe reeds are a step forward in reed design having studied the vibrational patterns that oboe cane possesses.
Duets
Trios
Symphonic Projects and Soundtracks
Collaborations
With Female Vocalists
Compilations