Biography
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Born
29 March 1977 (age 47)
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Born In
Tel Aviv, Tel-Aviv, Israel
A sought-after pianist on the international jazz scene and a regular companion of trumpeter Avishai Cohen and double bassist Omer Avital, Yonathan Avishai has made delicacy his trademark. Foreign Musician of the Year 2019 for "Jazz Magazine", the most French of Israeli virtuosos is a true narrator who could be said to write the silences and liberate the melody. In 2019 he recorded two albums for the prestigious label ECM Records, "Joys and Solitudes" as a trio and "Playing The Room" as a duet with Avishai Cohen, confirming his taste for elegance and simplicity.
Based in France, pianist Yonathan Avishai is undoubtedly one of the most original voices of his generation. Whether in concert, in a play or in a workshop, this singular musician with an atypical background, communicates his passion for sound, music and its history. Yonathan Avishai was born and raised in Israel. He studied piano at an early age and quickly developed a passion for jazz. From the age of 14, he led his own bands with which he performed in clubs and festivals across the country. He regularly accompanies American artists on tour in Israel (Walter Blanding Jr., Marcus Printup, Allan Harris) and also plays in the ensemble of saxophonist Arnie Lawrence. It is part of La rive gauche, an associative space whose objective is to promote musical creation in Tel Aviv. It was in this environment that Yonathan discovered the social and local aspect of culture. This commitment brought him, in 2001, to France, to a socio-cultural center in Alsace as part of a European exchange.
In 2002 he moved to the Dordogne and became involved in the local cultural life. He trained in music therapy at the Music Therapy Workshop in Bordeaux. Subsequently, he worked in various structures: specialized schools, primary schools and music schools. He developed a real passion for teaching and pedagogy.
The same year, he created the quartet Third World Love with the Israeli-New York musicians Omer Avital, Avishai Cohen and Daniel Freedman. The band recorded five albums and performed all over the world. In 2010, he released a duo album with percussionist Bachir Mouhali (Soledad, Fresh Sound records). In 2008, with the director Sharon Mohar, Yonathan began a research project on music and theatre. In 2010, this collaboration gave birth to the company "L'air du jeu" and a show for all audiences entitled
In 2010, he formed a duo with drummer Bertrand Noël and recorded the CD The Lost Boys, released by Cristal Records. In 2012, he moved to Yonne and joined the quintet of double bassist Omer Avital with whom he recorded 2 albums (New song and "Abutbul music").
He created his own project Modern Times with Yoni Zelnik (double bass) and Donald Kontomanou (drums). In 2015, their first album Trio was released, followed in 2016 by The Parade, a quintet. The 2 albums have been extremely well received in the media: Jazz Magazine (Choc), Jazz News (Indispensable), Mezzo (Le top jazz) and Télérama. Yonathan was also voted French Revelation of the Year in Jazz Magazine. Yonathan is now part of trumpeter Avishai Cohen's quartet with whom he recorded 2 albums for ECM Records "Into the silence" (2016) and "Cross may palm with silver" (2017).In 2019, the trio album "Joys and Solitudes" marked the beginning of his own collaboration with ECM Records, followed by "Playing the room" in duo with Avishai Cohen.
Yonathan presents today a new solo creation entitled "Pianist – A Musical and Theatrical Portrait". Inspired as much by John Lewis as by the Art Ensemble of Chicago, between tradition and modernity, Yonathan seeks to give music more depth and depth. To load the notes and make the sound "theatrical". In this way, he creates a poetic universe, rich in emotions and colours. His compositions, sober and subtle, are marked by great finesse.
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