Fabian Almazan

Rhizome began making music in 2009 and although originally recorded as part of Fabian Almazan’s debut album “Personalities” [Biophilia Records], it was not until 2012 that the ensemble adopted the name “Rhizome.” The word rhizome refers to the subterranean part of a plant that is able to survive from season to season despite the harsh conditions that may exists above-ground; it provides the tree/plant with the nourishment it needs to continue living and sprout forth new shoots. With an instrumentation and musicians in the ensemble are composer and pianist Fabian Almazan, bassist Linda May Han Oh, drummer Henry Cole, singer & guitarist Camila Meza, violinist Megan Gould, violinist Tomoko Omura, Violist Karen Waltuch and cellist Noah Hoffeld. Rhizome explores a myriad of textures/improvisational settings. Although the ensemble has it’s roots grounded in jazz and classical traditions, it is harmony, timbre and rhythm rather than any specific genre that guides Rhizome through its musical journey.

Camila Meza is a rising star in the New York jazz scene and has been described by the New York Times as “a bright young singer and guitarist with an ear for music of both folkloric and pop intention”. A native from Santiago de Chile, Camila has gathered great attention from her colleagues, the media and audiences in Chile, New York and internationally, for being considered an outstanding singer, guitarist, composer, arranger and improviser, who has a very distinctive way of blending jazz with her wide musical world that includes latinamerican, brazilian, folk and pop elements.

Megan Gould is one of NYC’s most versatile performers of Middle Eastern, Greek and popular music. Her comfort within a wide range of styles, her responsiveness to other musicians on stage, and a soulful improvisational style make Megan a sought-after element in many musical projects. Since completing a Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology (with a concentration on the Middle East) from the University of London, she has performed around the world in cities as far-flung as Paris, London, Budapest, Copenhagen and Dubai, and has toured extensively throughout the US, appearing at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and on TV and radio broadcasts for NBC, PBS, MTV and NPR.

Tomoko Omura is among today’s leading voices in jazz violin. Originally from Shizuoka, Japan, she began studying the violin at a young age with her mother, and began playing jazz music while studying at Yokohama National University. In 2004, Tomoko relocated to the United States when she was awarded a scholarship to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. While at Berklee, Tomoko worked with such legendary musicians as George Garzone, Hal Crook, Ed Tomassi, Jamey Haddad, Matt Glaser and Rob Thomas. In 2005, during her sophomore year, she was awarded Berklee’s prestigious Roy Haynes award; an award given to one student for their exceptional improvisational skills. Tomoko was the first violinist in Berklee’s history to receive this award. She graduated summa cum laude in 2007.

Violist Karen Waltuch is a composer, performer and teacher living in Manhattan. She composes for television and theater as well as for small ensembles of her own. Karen has a lengthy recording history, working for such artists as Wilco, Jim O’Rourke, Beth Orton, The Walkmen and JG Thirlwell. She is an original performing member of Cynthia Hopkins’ Bessie award-winning Trilogy musicals (with the band Gloria Deluxe) and can be seen regularly around NYC.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Noah Hoffeld is a cellist and composer living and working in New York City. Equally at home in Classical Music as in Pop, Noah’s made a name for himself playing in diverse environments around the world, as a composer and producer for film and the stage, and as a creator of string and orchestral arrangements for vocal and instrumental projects. Please have a look at my website. After graduating from Juilliard, he continued his classical pursuits while performing Jazz, Rock, R&B, and World Music, playing New York venues from Carnegie Hall to The Apollo Theater and touring internationally.

Born in Malaysia, raised in, Perth, Western Australia, Linda May Han Oh started classical piano at age four and took up clarinet at eleven and bassoon at thirteen. At fifteen, Linda dabbled on electric and acoustic bass playing jazz in the high-school. In 2002 she was accepted into the W.A Academy of Performing Arts and started taking lessons on double-bass. Linda was a James Morrison Scholarship Finalist in 2003 and in 2004 was an IAJE Sister in Jazz and received the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s award in 2008. She also received an honorary mention at the 2009 Thelonious Monk Bass Competition and received the 2010 Bell Award for Young Australian Artist of the Year. In 2010 she was nominated for the Jazz Journalist’s Awards for Up and Coming Artist of the Year, and received the award of No. 1 Acoustic Bass Rising Star in the Downbeat Critic’s Poll. Ms. Oh is currently the bassist for the Pat Metheny Group.

Drummer Henry Cole is at the forefront of a growing wave of jazz innovation and cross-cultural rhythm in the 21st century. With his flexibility, grace and sheer power behind the drum kit, he has proven indispensable to the sound of some of the world’s most acclaimed jazz groups, including the Grammy- nominated Miguel Zenón Quartet (Awake, Esta Plena, Alma Adentro]), Grammy winner David Sánchez (Cultural Survival), the Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, and the all-star quartet “90 Miles” featuring Sánchez, Stefon Harris and Nicholas Payton. Henry is also asserting himself as leader of the Afro-Beat Collective, which releases its debut album Roots Before Branches this fall in the United States. Drawing on the raw groove and momentum of Fela Anikulapo Kuti as well as the depth and complexity of modern jazz, Henry strives with the Afro Beat Collective to integrate all his varied influences, including Puerto Rican folklore, funk and R&B, jazz and Afro-Caribbean rhythmic traditions.