“Toward the Light” – saxophonist Igor Senderov’s quartet

On Thursday, September 24, the quartet of saxophonist Igor Senderov will perform on the rooftop of the Ilana Goor Museum in Jaffa. The museum doors will open at 19:00; guests will be invited to tour the museum, and the concert will begin at 20:00.

Tickets: Link

Igor Senderov is an alto saxophonist, composer, and improviser originally from Irkutsk, now living in Israel. He received his musical education in Rome at the Saint Louis College of Music, where he studied with the renowned Italian jazz saxophonist Rosario Giuliani. His achievements include winning the Belgian B-Jazz International Competition, and performing at European jazz festivals, including the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, Getxo Jazz Festival in Spain, Brasov Blues & Jazz Festival in Romania, and Eddie Lang Jazz Festival in Italy.

In September 2026, Senderov’s debut album, Verso la luce (“Toward the Light”), consisting of his original compositions, was released on the Italian label Alfa Music.

“Igor Senderov Quartet. ‘Verso la luce.’ B-Jazz International Competition 2024”
Link

It is this music—original pieces in which composition is combined with improvisation in the language of contemporary jazz—that the trio will perform on the museum rooftop. Senderov will be accompanied by guitarist Ran Shinar, bassist Michael Edwards, and drummer Gabriel Bar-Cohen.

The alto saxophone has repeatedly become an instrument that jazz musicians themselves describe as an extension of their own voice. Charlie Parker, one of the creators of bebop, once remarked that it was not he who played the saxophone, but the saxophone that played him—describing the moment when technique gives way to pure expression. John Coltrane, in turn, called alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges the best saxophonist in the world—an assessment by one of jazz’s most demanding musicians of his fellow instrumentalist. These words, spoken decades apart, confirm one thing: for those who play jazz, the saxophone remains an almost vocal instrument—a way of saying what cannot be said otherwise.

Igor Senderov’s quartet program continues this long tradition: composed music becomes the foundation, while improvisation is a way of experiencing it anew each time.

Photo: Yana Vitkovskaya