Yonathan Avishai | Modern Times
Yonathan Avishai, one of the most original voices in the global contemporary jazz scene, will arrive in Israel fo his first performance with a new and fine ensemble of musicians. The Israeli-French pianist will be supported by master percussionist Roni Ivrin, double bass player Barak Mori and drummer Amir Bresler. Together the quartet will perform original works by Yonathan alongside his own adaptations and interpretations of classical standards and other surprises.
Yonathan’s qualities as a bold, groundbreaking pianist with a unique approach manifested from a young age and he gained worldwide recognition in the early 2000s as a member of the Third World Love ensemble, a near-cult phenomenon in the global jazz scene. The Tel Aviv native pianist, who has lived and worked in France for many years, has influenced a young generation of Israeli pianists who see him as a role model and mentor. For years, Yonathan has been appearing and recording regularly in the ensembles and projects of trumpet player Avishai Cohen and bassist Omer Avital, and at the same time has released three albums as a trio leader with Israeli double bass player Yoni Zelnik and French drummer Donald Kontomanou.
The ensemble’s first two albums, Modern Times and Parade, received rave reviews. “Yonathan Avishai makes the piano sing and the rhythms dance,” reads a Muziq website review. In 2017, the Israeli pianist was crowned Jazz Magazine’s discovery of the year. The lineup’s third album, Joys and Solitudes, featuring seven original works he composed, was released two years later by the acclaimed label ECM Records and was defined by critics of DownBeat magazine as good and personal. At the same time, the German label also released Playing the Room, a joint album for Yonathan and trumpeter Avishai Cohen. In Jazz Magazine’s yearly wrap-up, Yonathan Avishai was crowned the Best Foreign Musician of 2019.
His original style is rooted in the origins of jazz: swing, blues and a lot of room for improvisation and personal interpretation. Despite the minimalist approach he espouses and the philosophy that less is more, Yonathan manages to create a rich and varied world where each note has a reason, and each sound is expressed to the fullest. Yonathan, a sophisticated performer who has made refinement and elegance his hallmark, is known as an attentive partner who sensitively complements his bandmates. The initial meeting on the festival stage with the new ensemble, promises all jazz lovers an intriguing experience. An ticket to a world of poetry, rich in emotion and color.