Yonathan Avishai

Yonathan Avishai (born March 29, 1977 in Tel Aviv ) is an Israeli jazz musician ( piano , composition ). “His sound and the way he plays are radical in their own way. He takes breaks where you don't expect them to. "

Live and act

Avishai grew up in Israel and Japan. He began taking piano lessons at a young age and soon discovered jazz. At the age of 14 he founded his own bands and performed in clubs and at festivals in his country. He often accompanied American musicians such as Walter Blanding Jr., Marcus Printup and Allan Harris in Israel and became part of Arnie Lawrence's band .

He was a member of The Left Bank , a musicians' cooperative that has come together to promote original music in Tel Aviv. This led to his examination of the social and local aspects of cultural development. He took part in the organization of musical events in various institutions in the city. As a result of these activities, he came to a socio-cultural center near Strasbourg in 2001 as part of a European exchange program.

In 2002 Avishai moved to the Dordogne , where he was involved in the local cultural scene. At the same time he founded the Third World Love Quartet with Omer Avital , Avishai Cohen and Daniel Freedman . The band recorded five albums and performed worldwide. He also studied music therapy in Bordeaux , after which he led workshops in facilities for special schools, elementary schools and music schools. In 2006 Avishai recorded an album with percussionist Bachir Mouhali with Soledad ( Fresh Sound Records ).

Since 2008 Avishai has been exploring the area between music and theater in collaboration with director Sharon Mohar. For this purpose, the company L'air du jeu was created and in 2010 produced a children's show entitled Il était une fois un gribouille . In the same year Avishai founded a duo with drummer Bertrand Noël and recorded the CD Lost Boys ( Cristal Records ).

In 2012 Avishai moved to the Yonne department . He also joined the quintet of bassist Omer Avital, with whom he released two albums ( New Song and Abutbul Music ). Soon after, he founded his band Modern Times with bassist Yoni Zelnik and drummer Donald Kontomanou (son of singer Elisabeth Kontomanou ). In 2015, Modern Times released the first album entitled Trio . In 2016 Parade followed in a trio with César Poirier (saxophone, clarinet) and Inor Sotolongo (drums). Both albums were released on the French label Jazz & People and received critical acclaim in France. He also worked with Christophe Panzani , Sandro Zerafa , Joel Hierrezuelo and Michael Olivera .

He became internationally known as a pianist in the quartet of trumpeter Avishai Cohen, with whom he toured and released two albums on ECM Records . The third album of his trio Modern Times was released there in 2019 , which also received good reviews in Germany; It “relies on poetic qualities with haunting moments of surprise.” Actually, the trio “doesn't play jazz, but chamber music at the highest level.” The duo album Playing the Room with Avishai Cohen was also released in 2019 at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano .

Web links

• Web presence of Yonathan Avishai
• Yonathan Avishai at Discogs (English)
• Yonathan Avishai at Allmusic (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Le pianiste Yonathan Avishai dans une Parade musicale aux sources du jazz (FranceTV)
2. ↑ BR playlist autumn 2016
3. ↑ Meeting (Jazzthing) , Karl Lippegaus : Meeting (DLF)
4. ↑ "Joys and Solitudes" by Yonathan Avishai - an absolute discovery (SWR 2)