Israeli double bass player and jazz bandleader Omer Avital initially trained on classical guitar before moving to double bass when he developed his love for jazz. He started playing in professional bands at the age of 17 where he gained skills and industry knowledge before moving to New York in an attempt to further his career.
In New York he quickly developed a reputation for being a great jazz double bassist and soon he was working with big names like Walter Bishop, Roy Haynes and Jimmy Cobb. He played in small jazz clubs building his name and in 1997 Impulse Records released a compilation album called 'Jazz Underground: Live at Smalls' featuring Avital playing on several tracks. He released his debut album 'Think With Your Heart' in 2001 and later returned to Israel to study composition. After two years studying he moved back to New York and released three albums within a year: 'Arrival', 'Asking No Permission' and 'The Ancient Art of Giving'. He formed the side project Yemen Blues with Ravid Kahalani and released an album under the band name. Yemen Blues went their separate ways in 2012 after just three years, and Avital joined up with Aaron Goldberg and Ali Jackson to form the trio Yes! and released 'Suite of the East' and also collaborated with his mandolinist brother Avi on 'Avital Meets Avital', a duet album.
