Bio

Bio

Pianist and Composer Anat Fort is one of Israel’s notable jazz musicians. She has published three albums of her original music under the top-notch label ECM, two of them with her international trio (Gary Wang – bass and Roland Schneider – drums), which has been active for over 25 years. She was the first Israeli to record for the label and paved the way for those who followed.

For nearly 20 years, she led a very rich musical life in New York, during which she cooperated with the best jazz musicians in the world, such as Paul Motian, Matt Wilson, Tony Malaby, Chris Cheek, and more.

In 2009, she returned to her homeland, and since then, she has been maintaining an active performing schedule worldwide and at the same time, creating and performing unique projects and collaborations locally. One of those collaborations is with Argentinian-born singer-songwriter Shlomo Ydov, with whom she has been performing in duo for many years, singing as well as playing piano. Another is one of Israel’s top rock musicians Shalom Hanoch, with whom she released a live EP from a performance at the Opera house. She also leads an Israeli trio with David Michaeli on bass and Shahar Haziza on drums, plays in duo with Ethiopian saxophonist/singer Abate Berihun, collaborating with singer/composer Ayelet Rose Gottlieb and more.

In 2018, she received the Prime Minister’s award for jazz composition and was the first (and only, up to date) woman to receive this prize. She has also received grants from “Meet the Composer”, “The Jerome Foundation”, “The Rabinovitch Fund”, the Ministry of Culture, and ACUM.

Since 2019, Anat has been recording for Sunnyside Records in New York. She released three albums on the label so far, two with her long-standing trio and the last one (2025)
with a new quartet featuring Steve Cardenas on guitar, Gary Wang on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. The album celebrates the music of legendary drummer Paul Motian and has received outstanding reviews since its release.

Alongside her performing and composing career, Anat has been mentoring young jazz musicians at the Center for Jazz Studies in Tel-Aviv (under the New School in New York), and at the Jerusalem Academy for Music and Dance, as well as in private lessons and master classes worldwide. Anat is an improviser in her soul, and her art is a source of inspiration for musicians worldwide.