Noam Lemish – Jazz Pianist, Composer, Improvisor, Educator

Lemish explained, “My musical vocabulary and my affinity for lyricism and my harmonic vocabulary have been shaped by the songs I grew up with in Israel – specifically the pop music of the 1980s and early 1990s by composers/songwriters like Sasha Argov, Matti Caspi and Yoni Rechter, and the songs we sang in school, belonging to the Shirei Eretz Israel canon. These influences left a mark initially unconsciously and later when I was living in the US during my 20s, I became more consciously interested in this music from my childhood.”

Another of his influences came from his long-time collaboration with Amos Hoffman, the notable Israeli jazz guitarist and oudist. 

“We work together to create jazz arrangements of melodies derived from various Jewish communities in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe. That has definitely deeply influenced my music more broadly, even beyond our own collaborative efforts.” In late 2023, they’ll release a new album Red Sky, with teaching and other initiatives on the 2024 horizon for Lemish.

He is part of a wave of Israeli jazz musicians who over the past 20 years have invigorated the North American jazz scene.  In 2002, he settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, studying at Sonoma State and becoming a North Bay jazz scene mainstay. Learning from musical elders – pianist/composer Will Johnson, drummer/composer George Marsh and pianist/composer W.A. Mathieu, he also studied with bassist Mel Graves and classical pianist Marilyn Thompson. His bio notes he has “performed with heavyweight improvisors such as Sheila Jordan, John Handy, James Newton, Billy Hart, Julian Lage, and Dayna Stephens.”

His discography is impressive. Since 2008, Lemish has released nine  albums with various collaborators including Hoffman, Johnson, bassist Jim Kerwin, Marsh, and Mathieu – with sideman gigs on other artists’ albums.

He continues to play concerts and festivals around the world. Looking back, there is a curiously noteworthy gig which was a commissioned performance of his original suite celebrating the King of Bhutan’s 30th birthday. This was a cross-cultural suite for traditional Bhutanese instruments and piano. 

Lemish explained that recording, The People’s King, “happened in Thimphu with an ensemble of Bhutanese musicians playing traditional instruments including the dramnyen (lute), pchewang (two-stringed bowed cello), yangchen (zither) and lim (flute).  The piece also  incorporates the Amitayus mantra of Limitless Life chanted by the young monks of the Dechen Phodrang Monastery.” 

Needless to say, the King was pleased.