Oded Tzur - Translator's Note

I'm glad to announce that my friend Oded Tzur's latest CD has been released worldwide today. It's even available on my online tea boutique!

He's a saxophone player using a very peculiar Indian sounding technique -raga- and applies it to jazz! The result is some kind of fusion that can be very relaxed and meditative or flamboyant and extatic at times.

I had the honor of spending a day with Oded during my trip to the US a month ago. We had  a great time drinking tea and listening to his music together. We even composed this Chaxi together.

On his first album, Oded has a song titled "the song of the silent Dragon". This mystic animal is a often source of inspiration for his music (and not just because he's also a fan of Oolong, black dragon!) The dragon has a very long body. It's like the notes that he plays, long and powerful. And this is similar to the aftertaste of great tea: it goes on for a long time, ever changing and playing with our senses!

We found many parallels between his music and my puerhs and roasted Oolongs' lingering aftertaste.

In the evening, I did an Oolong demonstration and introduction for several of Oded's friends.

I remember we had my Alishan winter zhuoyan (insect bitten) and everybody was amazed by the tea's complexity, depth and length.

I taught everybody how to pour from a tiny Yixing teapot into small porcelain cups without using a pitcher. The trick is to do a back and forth between all the cups in order to get an even concentration and volume of tea in each cup. It's not easy and it requires concentration. But this is always the case when you want to do something well in life...

It's OK to use both hands if your index can't touch the knob on the lid.
I was glad to see that everybody was willing and happy to practice. They all displayed focus and quick learning skills. You need those if you want to live and succeed in NYC, a very fast paced city that strives for excellence. And at the same time it was nice and cozy to be part of such group of talented international people in one of the most cosmopolitan city on earth! Tea and music connect so well. You almost don't need a translator...

Thank you for everything you've shared with me Oded!
Here a glimpse of his talent and 1 song from his new CD: