Throughout his development, Einav has immersed himself in musical and cultural history, laying down the bedrock to support his distinctive albeit inviting sound. Born into a musical family in the Israeli countryside in 1982, he began playing violin at age 4, moved on to the piano and settled into the saxophone in his early teens. During his adolescence he also danced with his family in a traditional Israeli troupe, which exposed him to the global spectrum of Jewish folk styles. In his mid-teens he was discovered by Arnie Lawrence, the Brooklyn-born saxophonist who numbered among jazz education’s monumental figures, first in New York and then in Israel.Lawrence was an unforgettable presence, fun and larger than life yet absolutely serious about his teachings. For his Israeli students, Lawrence facilitated clinics by legends like Max Roach and James Moody, and he drew from his own deep well of stories and anecdotes; Einav calls him the “the link to New York for us guys in Jerusalem.” After earning his bachelor’s at Jerusalem Academy and his master’s from Eastman, Einav spent more than half a decade cutting his teeth in New York.
In a 2011 profile, DownBeat called his release Opus One “a smartly played, swinging and evocative jazz album.”
Equally effusive praise met his 2016 release, the adventurous quartet date Beam Me Up, and Animi has already begun to garner accolades. “Shauli has put together a very interesting recording,” says the saxophonist, educator and NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman.
“[It’s] challenging but accessible, [and] performed by a wonderful band of young and talented artists.”