Disappearing Act — Tal Yahalom's Generous Guitar Moves

Tal Yahalom's latest album, Mirror Image, makes his philosophy clear from the get-go. It's chamber music that happens to feature guitar, sometimes prominently, and sometimes woven into the texture of the other musicians to facilitate a transcendent whole. Working with saxophonist David Leon, percussionist Rogerio Boccato, and string players Ledah Finck and Irene Han, Yahalom has created something that feels intimate rather than a showcase for his fretboard talents.

The Israeli-born composer has been quietly building this methodology since moving to New York in 2014. His resume includes the impressive jazz credentials—competition wins, prestigious teachers, collaborations with heavy hitters like Dan Weiss and Caroline Davis—but his real work has been figuring out how to surprise with the guitar. He's drawn to the technical challenge of distributing musical ideas across different instruments, creating what he calls "mirror images" of the same material in different voices. It's something more emotional, what Yahalom describes as "meditative" spaces where both musicians and listeners can simply exist within the sound.

The nine tracks on Mirror Image reflect influences from Maurice Ravel to Guillermo Klein to various South American folk traditions, but the music is never academic or overly cerebral. Yahalom's writing makes complex harmonic and rhythmic ideas feel natural, even inevitable. And there's enough room in the arrangements for genuine astonishment—moments where the composed material gives way to something spontaneous. The careful architecture often opens up to let the musicians breathe.

Tal Yahalom was recently a guest on Lawrence Peryer's Spotlight On podcast. The two discussed how Mirror Image came together, Yahalom's relationship to his Israeli roots, his thoughts on the guitar's role in contemporary jazz, and his ongoing project of challenging what it means to be a "guitar slinger" in 2025. You can listen to the entire conversation in the Spotlight On player below. The transcript has been edited for length, clarity, and flow.

Lawrence Peryer: I am intrigued by the album title. What's behind it? What is the ‘mirror image’ that we're talking about here?

Tal Yahalom: An album title for me, or titles in general, is always kind of tricky because that's a thing that you meet before you meet the music. The title, the image—they have a lot of power, and I think that at the end of the day, Mirror Image came from the kind of combination of the nature of the music that ended up being this collection of material. And when I mean nature, it's more about the sentiment or the state of mind that it puts me in to write this music and play it live.

Something meditative and reflective in a lot of ways—a more contemplative place to play from, compared to trying to go to many places. I think that a lot of the music has its own cyclical nature, which may give us more time to simply exist within the piece. So I think that was part of it.

And then it was also related to the actual techniques that ended up being essential to construct some of this music, where instead of thinking of different instrumental parts as completely independent or contrasting in some way, it was more about how can I distribute the same information, the same musical material, in inversions or opposites or shadows of one another. And then I was like, "Oh, I like that idea." When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see yourself in a different direction, as your opposite, and it all fits together in a really natural way, to me.

Lawrence: A lot of times, when I speak with artists and they have a concept or a construct like that, it's an attempt almost to have a prompt or maybe something to spur the creative process. Were you dealing with writer's block or anything?

Tal: So for me, it was the other way around. I named the album after the collection of songs had already materialized and I had the entire set list, so it wasn't necessarily a prompt to get me going. It was something technical and creative that was spiraling around in my psyche, and also a lot of music that I was listening to at the time. It was more like, "Okay, I have these pieces in hand already. What could I say about this to tie it together more and maybe paint a closer picture for the listener of the intention behind it," even if it’s mysterious.

So that was part of it. But I'm also very curious in the future to start from that departure point of being like, "Oh, whether I'm stuck or not, maybe I should take a very clear theme at the onset of writing music for an album," because so far it's been the opposite.

Lawrence: I hear a lot, especially from artists who work in various improvised realms, that having that construct present can be a guiding force for sure. You talked about the cyclical nature and other aspects of the actual compositional structure. Is this where the Ravel influence is coming in?

Tal: Interesting. I never really thought of Ravel as a cyclical thing necessarily. I think the Ravel influence may come in a lot more in the harmonic language that I'm bringing into a more jazz context. Although maybe the piece that demonstrates it the most is the first one on the record, "Prelude." I believe he has a profound influence on this type of harmonic writing and color orchestration. However, I think the cyclical aspect stems from several factors. I think it comes first of all from being drawn to the idea of a core groove.

I didn’t want to create a pattern that was overly obvious or repetitive throughout, but still find a balance in, "Okay, how does that core exist and give a driving force and a focus for the band and the listener?" But I can jump in and out of it or put in a few quirks to make it sound a little more unusual in some ways.

I think someone who contributed—that I honestly give a lot of credit for the music that came out for this record—is Guillermo Klein. He's an Argentine pianist and composer, an incredible person as well, who I took a composition workshop with before I started writing for the band. He has pieces that are rhythmically very complex and unusual, but he and his bandmates make it sound very natural and still grooving. It's a lot of material that kind of loops around itself in interesting ways. Even if it's just rhythmically, it has that idea of mirroring.

Lawrence: At the beginning of what you were just saying, you were talking about more than just the groove, and I think about that a lot with guitar-fronted ensembles, because if you're not careful, the band ends up giving you the groove. Then it's just seven minutes of soloing. I could imagine it's easy to fall into. You'd have to be intentional not to go into that zone.

Tal: Are there certain contexts that make you think of that? Like, you know what I mean, certain instrumentations where that happens? Like, are you talking about trios more or—

Lawrence: Maybe trios. But the only thing is that you don't seem to be just about creating environments for the guitar to solo in. It seems to be important to you to leave space for the other players. Could you talk about that approach and that generosity?

Tal: First of all, the word "generosity"—that means a lot to hear that if it comes across that way. I think that guitar has a little bit of a dangerous potential to be the ‘shredding’ instrument above everything else. I think it comes from other guitar traditions, not necessarily jazz guitar—I mean rock guitar. You know what it is; it's solos above anything else. That's why I asked you about the formats, which is something I’ve also thought about a lot. Before this band, I had grown a little tired of the standard bass-drums trio for guitar. Often, the band just sounds like a guitar trio, and it's amazing. It's a great format. But because of how I play and a lot of solo practice that I put in, I wanted to give myself more opportunity not just to be that thing on top and to have more overall influence on how the band sounds, because I think that no matter in which context I play, I am attentive and occupied with how the band sounds as a whole.

I am not just thinking about my part. I'm like, "Okay, what are we missing now? What can I support now? What can I add?" And I think it's just a natural thing about how I listen to music and maybe also how I communicate with people. I'm very sensitive to the energies and dynamics around me, and I think it's important for people to feel comfortable and have a place to express themselves. So it's a combo of those things. The one thing is wanting to play more creatively and not be subject to "I'm just a guitarist on top of everything," but I could be a little texture, I could be blending with this and this instrument, and so on. But I also enjoy the band’s sound and taking a step back to let other people do their thing. I love being in a supporting role. I don't feel that taking on that supporting role would take anything away from what I'm doing.

❝ I also enjoy the band’s sound and taking a step back to let other people do their thing. I love being in a supporting role. ❞

I wrote and arranged the music. That's already plenty. I picked the people. I created a lot of this, so why do I also have to be on top of the music all the time? You know what I mean?

Lawrence: That comes from a certain confidence. Tell me about the duo work on the record, as on "Tri-Tonal.” There are a lot fewer places to hide in that duo environment.

Tal: Yes, for sure. "Tri-Tonal" is an excellent example because in the solo section, I start right away—just guitar and percussion—and it is for sure a vulnerable moment in the show and also in the recording. It was hard to get a take of it. We had to work a lot on that form because it's very tricky.

But you know what's interesting? When you take things out, when it's just guitar and percussion, there's less pressure always to be playing lines and this and that. I can give myself almost more breaks or more variety by just remembering that it's okay if I just accompany myself a little bit, just with some bass notes, and then I go into a line, and now I can have just a few chords. You are playing with more elements, but each of them can be a bit simpler. When I play solo, I think about it in the same way. You are holding onto a lot of dimensions at the same time—the groove, the harmony, the bass, the melody—but you can also play much more simple, concise things because you have these conversations between all these different elements and different sounds.

Lawrence: There's a lovely delicacy in that as well. You mentioned at the beginning of your response that you could sit out for a little while and just color or drop in, and it creates a beautiful effect.

Tal: I mean, there aren't a lot of duo moments in the record, but the duo format in general is something I love and appreciate because of how vulnerable and open it is. And I think that the more a situation has room for every decision to have a bigger impact on the music, the more I usually enjoy it. That's kind of my tendency.

Lawrence: I love it because you get to challenge the image of the guitar slinger.

Tal: Yes. I think you are onto one of my important missions in some way.

Lawrence: Oh, that's interesting. For real?

Tal: Yeah.

Lawrence: I read that you picked up the guitar at age 12. Why? And what were you into?

Tal: I think it was more of a social thing than a musical thing. I had two good friends in the grade above me who started playing maybe a year or two before me, and they were always hanging out, writing songs, and playing popular songs from Israel, as well as The Beatles and stuff like that. And it just seemed like a beautiful thing—having that environment to be together and do something together. And also, they looked pretty cool doing it. (laughter) So I think it was also a very boyish thing of like, "Oh yeah, it's cool. I just want to do that and hopefully I get to connect with more people and get some girls to look at me or something."

So it was definitely that in the beginning, and maybe the guitar, in its nature, there's a reason why it's around the campfire. That's an instrument that you can just pull out anywhere, and it already invites that setting of like, "Okay, we're about to make music together." A nylon-string guitar is portable. You can play it acoustically, and you could do it anywhere. I think that was probably also part of the reason. And you can perform the whole song—it's not a horn, for example. You know, you can play the harmony of a song and sing to it. So I guess that was a subconscious thing that drew me into it.

Lawrence: Also, from your online biography, you're described as "weaving a wide spectrum of aesthetic elements into a distinct musical language." Could you identify the elements that you think are essential to your musical identity or your sound?

Tal: I've never been asked to define it this way, but several things come to mind. David Leon, who appears on the quintet record as a saxophonist, and I spent a lot of time discussing versatility versus identity. Basically, for many people, it’s easier to understand who you are when you’re focused on just one thing. Then they think that they can say, "Oh, this is this person's identity." But I feel that both of us are very versatile, curious musicians around a lot of fields, and sometimes it's challenging to think about, "Wait, what are all these elements boiling down to in the end?" When people look at me from the outside, can they say, "Oh, Tal does this and he sounds like this," and is it even important? I don't think it's our job as musicians—maybe more as marketing people, but not as musicians and artists. We don't need to put boxes or words or understand everything about who we are, and I think that's okay.

❝ We don't need to put boxes or words or understand everything about who we are, and I think that's okay. ❞

When it comes to the technical question, many people ask me if I have classical training when they hear me, and I do, to some capacity. I've taken classical lessons, but maybe like ten in my life. But I think that something about my sound and my draw to specific details in playing, in expression, and arranging, really comes from the classical world and studying different guitar repertoire, just listening to certain music. For example, I think that’s a side of me that comes across, even when I play jazz or my own music. So that's definitely there.

Then some sides are very oriented towards grooves from different places. Recently, for example, I’ve been learning about the grooves from South America, specifically those from Brazil and Argentina. I know that, in my playing, that kind of rhythmic intensity is also coming out. But then, the way, for example, that I think about improvisation and how I interpret harmony is a lot more from the jazz world. It's completely from there—how I see a set of chord changes, and how I would interpret that melodically, harmonically. So, it’s a combination of all these things, and I think my curiosity tends to pull me in many different directions. It felt like a true statement.

Lawrence: It's interesting though that your comment about how people ask you if you come from a classical tradition or classical training, and then you also mentioned the affinity for South American music, Brazilian music, because to me, as an uneducated and not formally musically educated listener, I hear those commonalities in the clarity of tone and just the articulation. When you ask me to think of guitar in a Brazilian context, that's something that stands out for me—it's very similar to what I hear in, say, John Williams or something like that. Everything is very clean.

Tal: Yeah. I think that the tone and touch are crucial for me. Also, this is the first band where I play both nylon-string and electric guitars. So just to have the opportunity to create an environment for that side of me for the nylon, and to have space for that to resonate and be at the core of the band—that's the instrument that exists both in the classical and the Brazilian tradition.

Lawrence: Tell me a little bit about how your time in Israel relates to your approach in terms of composition or improvisation. I'm curious, is there a cultural dimension to your improvisation?

Tal: Man, that's something—I mean, the connection generally to my roots in Israel and how that comes into play musically is something I'm always asking myself in some ways. First of all, I would say that the college and many venues I played at in Israel when I was growing up and during that time meant a great deal to me, as they provided an environment in which to showcase my sound and experiment. The first compositions of mine that were performed were in venues in Tel Aviv, such as Beit Haamudim, which was highly significant. They booked my trio many, many times when I was 19. It allowed me to have a lab for situations like that. That was huge in terms of the confidence it gave me, as well as the opportunity to explore my compositions in front of an audience.

When it comes to how the culture affects my improvisation or composition, it's tough for me to say. Recently, I've been going back to a children's album that is very famous in Israel. It's called Ha'Keves Ha'shisha Asar. It's like ‘the 16th sheep,' like when you count sheep at night to fall asleep.

Most people are like, "Oh, a children's album. What the hell?" But the most amazing musicians gathered to make that album. And the songs and the compositions are brilliant, and the melodies are unorthodox.

There's a high level of lyricism, I think, and harmonic complexity in a lot of Israeli songwriters. A few that come to mind are Yoni Rechter and Matti Caspi, who have both jazz and Brazilian influence, and they brought that world into Israeli popular music. I think that sense of melody and lyricism is something that came to me through that music. Again, I don't think it's something super conscious.

I would also say that there are aspects of Israeli music that I don’t connect with aesthetically, and it's never really been part of my nature. Recently, I've been connecting with my Argentinian side—my grandfather was born in Argentina. That's interesting because I do have sides that naturally gravitate towards that, and I'm sure that’s because of the family relation and the culture he brought into my life. So, Israeli society is very diverse. People came from everywhere. It's tough to pinpoint what the Israeli sound is, you know what I mean?

Lawrence: That's very interesting. People came from all around and refracted all that back out.

Tal: Yeah, exactly. Even when people ask me like, "Oh, what do you usually eat for Shabbat dinner in Israel?" And I'm like, it depends on which household. It could be so broad. And it's the same musically.

Visit Tal Yahalom at talyahalom.com and follow him on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and SoundCloud. Mirror Image is out now on Adhyâropa Records. Purchase the album from Bandcamp or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice.