Dark Lights
Available Digitally
Dark Lights is the anticipated second album from virtuoso pianist, composer, and bandleader Tom Oren. A modern jazz trio recording shaped by
lyricism, trust, and improvisational risk, the album treats darkness not as atmosphere but as method, resulting in a program that leans into uncertainty. Across seven original compositions—including one co-composed with his mother, Dorly Oren Chazon—and two arrangements drawn from the
American Songbook, Oren frames melody and harmony through a nocturnal lens, where even the most restrained gestures carry edge and intent.
Born in Tel Aviv and trained across classical and jazz traditions, Oren first came to international attention in 2018 when he won first prize at the Thelonious Monk (now Herbie Hancock) Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition. He was judged by a jury that included Herbie Hancock,
Jason Moran, Danilo Pérez, Joanne Brackeen, Cyrus Chestnut, and Renee Rosnes. Following the win, he released his critically acclaimed debut Dorly’s Song on Concord Jazz, praised by JazzTimes as “an impressive debut” from “a formidable player.”
Oren’s playing reflects a deep immersion in the contemporary jazz continuum—rooted in tradition yet shaped by modern rhythmic sensibility, classical refinement, and a cinematic sense of form. His experience spans solo piano, small-group improvisation, and large-scale composition, including award nominated film scores released by Milan Records (Sony), further expanding the scope of his musical language.
On Dark Lights, his debut release for Anzic Records, Oren is joined by bassist Elam Friedlander and drummer Eviatar Slivnik. Together, the trio distills years of collaboration, travel, and listening into a focused statement—music that values collective intuition over display, and treats the unknown not as something to overcome, but as a space in which to play.
Track List
- Fantasy in C-Sharp Minor [06:12]
- Out of Nowhere [03:44]
- Forest Conference [06:11]
- Inner Demon Inner Game [05:27]
- Stella by Starlight [05:46]
- Goodbye Alyosha [05:16]
- Throwing Pebbles [05:49]
- Dark Lights [06:02]
- Dawn of Adventure [09:34]
Credits
Recorded at Bunker Studios, NYC, July 2023 Recorded & Mixed by John Davis Mastered by Alex de Turk Designed by Theo Slivnik Cover Photo by Yossi Zwecker Produced by Tom Oren