Born to a family of artists in his native Israel, guitarist and composer Idan Morim found himself drawn to music as early as he can remember. By age 16, he had launched his professional career, recording and performing in Israel as a session and solo guitarist. After 3 years at the esteemed Yigon Alon High School for Arts and Sciences, he was accepted into the IDF army band as a guitarist and arranger, and subsequently traveled the country and abroad performing in shows and television/radio performances during his three year service.

With his early career as a launching point and his position in the IDF band, Morim quickly began performing and recording with many major Israeli artists, as well as contributing to smaller, local projects. At the same time, he pursued a BFA from the Tel Aviv Conservatory. Between his studies, solo work, and collaboration with others, Idan began to distinguish his own sound. Idan’s sound is shaped as equally by the tradition of jazz guitar greats as it is rock and blues guitarists, as well as a lineage of history’s great Jazz musicians. A combination of a lifetime of experiences, his style encompasses the years he spent listening and learning in the presence of masters, while driven by a distinctive tone entirely his own.

After completing his studies at the Conservatory, Idan auditioned for and was accepted to The New School’s prestigious School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he received the Provost scholarship for merit and performance. While at The New School, Morim studied with renowned musicians such as Adam Rogers, Oz Noy, Reggie Workman, Sam Yahel, Will Vinson, Vic Juries, George Cables, Steve Cardenas, and Andy Milne, amongst many others.

In the short few years since his relocation to NYC, Idan has established himself as an in-demand side-man and session player in the jazz and indie rock scene, all while cultivating his individual sound and original catalog. Since his arrival five years ago, he has played alongside artists such as Ronnie Bourage, Anat Cohen, Joe Martin, Tommy Campbell, Fima Ephron, Will Vinson, Ziv Ravitz, and Colin Stranahan, to name a few. It was while studying at The New School that Idan established I.M: the moniker under which he composes and performs original music. Beyond his endeavors as a bandleader, Idan has always been immersed in many different projects, bands, and styles of music, including composing for film and dance. Since graduating from New School, Idan has reiterated I.M in many forms, each band as unique and noteworthy as the last. The title I.M encompasses all that Idan and his music is, while leaving the sound and story of each performance open to its particular combination of players, listeners, time, and place.

After years building a name for himself playing alongside others, Idan is set to establish himself with the release of his debut album, I.M. Recorded this last year with the I.M Quintet, the album features Adam O'Farrill on trumpet, Almog Sharvit on bass, Colin Stranahan behind the drums, Micha Gilad on piano, Fender Rhodes, and synths, with Idan its helm as bandleader, composer, and guitarist. Departing off musical traditions that advocate improvisation, intensity, and stepping into the imperfection, Idan’s musical storytelling is both intricate and primal. It is in this spirit that I.M’s original works string their stories seamlessly together across the record’s 44 minutes. I.M synthesizes the sounds and experiences Idan Morim has carried with him through his already seasoned career captured within the originality of the album’s nine tracks.

While Idan already appears on many published recordings, this is his first official release as a leader. The record promises a bold statement from a performer and composer whose debut recording is anything but that: a debut.

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