Tal Yahalom

Tal Yahalom is an award-winning Israeli guitarist, composer and bandleader based in Brooklyn, New York since 2014. Drawing from a wide range of influences – spanning jazz and impressionistic classical music to Brazilian repertoire and South-American guitar traditions - Tal aims to create engaging storytelling, adventurous interplay and a deep sense of groove while expanding on the traditional roles and textural capabilities of the guitar.

Following 3 solo guitar EPs of original and improvised music, Tal released ‘Solo Standards’ in June 2023 - an ambitious and creative take on classic jazz repertoire, arranged to showcase the guitar as a multi-dimensional instrument, playing several roles simultaneously while exploring various techniques and textures.

As a leader, he performs regularly with diverse solo programs, a chamber-jazz quintet (set to release its debut album in 2024), a collective post-rock trio KADAWA, and various trios which have featured Caroline Davis, Dan Weiss, Eivind Opsvik and Rogerio Boccato.
Tal is also an active part in many collaborations and stylistically-diverse projects in the New York and international creative music scene, led by musicians such as Adam O’Farrill, David Leon, Nick Dunston, Lisa Hoppe, and Gabriel Zucker.

Yahalom performed as a semifinalist at the 2019 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Guitar Competition, earned 1st place at the 2015 Detroit Jazz Festival National Guitar Competition, 3rd place at the 2016 Montreux Jazz Festival International Guitar Competition, and received an AICF scholarship award of excellence in 2014-2015.
He has played at acclaimed international festivals and venues such as The Jerusalem Jazz Festival, Jazzwerkstatt Bern (CH), Jazzmeile Thüringen (DE), Teatro CajaGranada (ES), Vortex Jazz Club (UK), The Jazz Bar Edinburgh (UK), unTUBO (IT), Beit Haamudim (ISR), and NYC’s The Jazz Gallery, National Sawdust and Roulette Intermedium.