Radio Paradise

After two years of solo touring, Yaron Herman presents his new album Radio Paradise. He returns with an exceptional ensemble, joining forces with two of the finest saxophonists in the world: María Grand, a rising international star, and Alexandra Grimal, a major figure in improvised music. This album takes us on a quest for lyricism, depth, and sincerity, with elegant melodies and powerful rhythms, in a project that is both spiritual and deeply moving. “When I started working on this album, the first thing that came to my mind was melody. I have been writing a lot over the last few years, mostly in my notebooks, for myself. On the road or at home, anything from long lines to short fragments. With time (and hard work), these ‘motifs’ started to take shape and turn into ‘songs’. While playing them, exploring what they could become, I realized I was looking for a sound that wasn’t ‘just’ the piano. These melodies required another voice. Saxophonists María Grand and Alexandra Grimal have different approaches, yet both have a mysterious, powerful, and lyrical quality that I was looking for. Those qualities, combined with Haggai Cohen Milo’s beautiful tone and rhythmic versatility and the playing and precious ideas throughout the process of my longtime musical brother, Ziv Ravitz, made these songs truly come to life. In the studio, we were fortunate to have the experience and perspective of producer Daniel Yvinec, who encouraged us to push the music further, taking risks. I imagined each composition as a different scenario, a landscape offering a fertile ground from which improvisation could grow. Improvisation: a quest for the sweet spot between freedom and constraint. The playfulness of it all. Providing the tools but not the final edifice, providing the canvas but not dictating what to paint on it. That’s how Radio Paradise happened. We stumbled upon the title in the studio, while discussing how opposites complete each other, and how our role as artists is to try and reconcile that which seems in opposition. To find the space where music flows effortlessly, and from the heart.” YARON HERMAN