Russel Walder | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1959-02-09)February 9, 1959 (age 66) Deerfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | World music,chamber jazz,ambient,contemporary classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, label owner |
| Instrument(s) | Oboe,duduk,keyboards, |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Nomad Soul |
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Russel Walder (born February 9, 1959) is an Americanjazz oboist and the founder of Nomad Soul Records.
Russel Walder was born and raised inDeerfield, Illinois. Following his graduation fromDeerfield High School, he briefly attended theUniversity of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. Russel Walder is A Grammy Nominee and Multi Platinum Selling artist and widely regarded as one of the top contemporary composers and improvisers for the oboe in the world. Russel recently performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2020 as a soloist performing his own compositions which marked one of the few times in history that an oboe player improvised with an orchestra performing a personnel composition.
In 2020 Russel worked with Grinding Gears as a composer for music for Sony Xbox Games and is currently composing music for films & TV.
He attendedThe Boston Conservatory of Music and The California Institute of the Arts. He studied privately with teachers atThe New England Conservatory of Music. At age 17, he toured Europe and North America with the United States Youth Symphony, appearing atCarnegie Hall andRoyal Albert Hall, among many other notable venues.
He appeared on the contemporary jazz scene in 1982, at the age of 23, after joiningWindham Hill Records and recordingElements with pianist Ira Stein. The pair met atNaropa Institute while studying with the jazz fusion groupOregon. He studied with Oregon'sPaul McCandless.
After the success ofElements, Walder's next recording, 1986'sTransit, again with Stein, included performances byBruce Hornsby and mixing byMark Isham. He signed toNarada, releasingUnder the Eye, again with Stein. The recording also featuredMarc Anderson, the percussionist from theSteve Tibbetts Group. The duo toured Europe and Spain numerous times with an expanded lineup of side musicians and also performed with Kurt Wortman. The pair headlined at theSpain Expo of 1992 inSeville.
Walder continued his solo career, signing with California label Real Music and recording his albumPure Joy,[1] which went on to claim the number one spot on several U.S. radio charts.[2] In 2006, after moving to New Zealand to appear as lead actor in the award-winning feature filmThe Lunatics' Ball, Walder launched his own music label, Nomad Soul Records. His first release,Rise, was launched in March 2007.
Walder released notable side projects and duets, trios, and quartets, with musicians such as Will Ackerman,[3]Suzanne Ciani,Michael Gettel, Balafon Marimba Ensemble,Andrew White,New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and many others.
He has contributed as a composer and performer to many compilations, includingThe Windham Hill Sampler 1986,Comfort Music,Meditation,Windham Hill: The First Ten years,Sanctuary,Dreamscape,Sonia Gaia Collection One,Freedom to Love, andA Winter's Solstice.
His work onA Winter's Solstice earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Instrumental Album in 1988,[4] and went on to earn him two gold records and a platinum sales award.
Walder has been touring for more than 20 years and has composed over 60 pieces.
In 2005, Walder produced and composedKura Huna with New Zealand singerWhirimako Black.[5]Kura Huna was based on stories from theTuhoe Tribe that were hundreds of years old. These laments were highly poetic and mournful. In 2011, he produced another album for Whirimako for Ode Records, calledThe Late Night Plays, her first all-English album of classic jazz and blues-related material. He producedThe Day I Met Myself by theKevin Keller Ensemble.
Russel Walder launched Nomad Soul Records in 2006 from his state-of-the-art recording studios in Auckland, New Zealand. He has scored several soundtracks for theDiscovery Channel.Rise was the first CD from Nomad Soul Records and featured Walder arranging, producing, recording, mixing, composing, and performing all of the instruments on the CD, including the middle-eastern-soundingDuduk. He played keyboards, percussion, and piano onRise, as well as extending his use of mixing and sampling technologies.
Walder is chief executive officer and founder of Connect Giant, a video connection platform that allows a global audience to connect and for things people want need and love through video and chat.
Duets
Trios
Symphonic projects and soundtracks
Collaborations
With female vocalists
Compilation appearances
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