Roni Ben-Hur

Roni Ben-Hur

Jazz guitarist Roni Ben-Hur has earned a sterling reputation as a musician and educator, renowned for his golden tone, improvisational brilliance, compositional lyricism and ability to charm peers, students and listeners alike.
Eminent jazz critic Gary Giddins wrote in the Village Voice: “A limber and inventive guitarist, Ben-Hur keeps the modernist flame alive and pure, with a low flame burning in every note… [He’s] a guitarist who knows the changes and his own mind.”
Roni – born in Israel in 1962 but a longtime American citizen, based in New York City – has recorded a dozen albums as leader or co-leader, with The New York Times praising his “crisp, fluid style” and Time Out New York calling him “a formidable and consummately lyrical guitarist.” He has developed a rare facility in both straight-ahead jazz and Brazilian styles, evidenced by his work with masters in both fields, from pianist Barry Harris to vocalist Leny Andrade. Roni’s latest recording project – released in spring 2018 via the Jazzheads imprint – finds him in league with bassist Harvie S. and drummer Tim Horner, exploring classics by jazz composers from Billy Strayhorn and Thelonious Monk to Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson. The album, titled Introspection, also includes Brazilian numbers by Baden Powell and Ary Barroso, plus a Jerome Kern standard. Summing up Roni’s virtues as an artist, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey said: “A deep musician, a storyteller, Ben-Hur works with a warm, glowing sound and has an alluring way of combining engaging notes with supple rhythm.”
Along with releasing acclaimed educational products – such as the instructional DVD Chordability and method book Talk Jazz: Guitar – Roni has directed international jazz camps for some 18 years. Jazz guitar star Russell Malone got it right when he said: “Everything Roni does is beautiful. He has the magic touch.”