Roni Ben-Hur

Roni Ben-Hur is an Israeli Jazz guitarist who emigrated to the United States in 1985. His parents were Tunisian-Jewish from Tunisia.

Roni Ben-Hur
Roni Ben-Hur
Background information
Birth nameRoni Bohobza[1]
Born (1962-07-09) July 9, 1962[1]
Dimona, Israel
OriginTel Aviv, Israel
GenresJazz, Latin jazz
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsGuitar
Years active1981–present
LabelsTCB, Reservoir, Motéma
Associated actsAmy London
Websiteronibenhur.com

Biography

Roni Bohobza grew up in Dimona, Israel. He is the youngest of seven children and one of two born after the family emigrated from Tunisia in 1955.[2] His surname was legally changed to Ben-Hur via ritual at age 10.

When he was eleven, he started playing guitar. He learned about jazz from a high school's friend's record collection. In Israel he performed in clubs and at weddings and bar mitzvahs until he had enough money to move to the U.S. He arrived in New York City in 1985, spending time at Barry Harris's Jazz Cultural Theater. He took lessons from Harris, then became a member of his band.[3]

Ben-Hur's experience as an educator dates back to 1981 in Israel. In the U.S. he started jazz music programs at Professional Performing Arts School, the Coalition School for Social Change, and at the Lucy Moses School. At the request of Bette Midler, he started a jazz program for New York City high schools.[1] Ben-Hur began a jazz camp in Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne, France, with Santi Debriano. With Nilson Matta, he began a jazz and Brazilian music camp in Bar Harbor, Maine, both intended for adult jazz amateurs. He is the founding director of the jazz program at the Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Center in Manhattan where he teaches.

His book Talk Jazz: Guitar (Mel Bay, 2004) includes a CD with a removable guitar track of Ben-Hur performing the exercises in the book with Tardo Hammer on piano, Earl May on bass, and Leroy Williams on drums.

His album Anna's Dance was named by The Village Voice one of the best jazz albums of 2001. All About Jazz called him "a virtuoso guitarist with impeccable swing."[4] In 2000, he won the Jazziz reader poll for "Best New Talent."

Ben-Hur lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, with his wife, singer Amy London, and their two daughters.[5]

Discography
  • Backyard with Barry Harris (TCB, 1995)
  • Sofia's Butterfly (TCB, 1998)
  • Anna's Dance (Reservoir, 2001)
  • Signature (Reservoir, 2005)
  • Keepin' It Open (Motéma, 2007)
  • Smile with Gene Bertoncini (Motéma, 2008)
  • Fortuna (Motéma, 2009)
  • Mojave with Nilson Matta (Motéma, 2011)
  • Our Thing with Santi Debriano, Duduka Da Fonseca (Motéma, 2012)
  • Alegria de Viver with Leny Andrade (Motéma, 2014)
  • Introspection with Harvie S. (Jazzheads, 2018)

References
  1. "Ben-Hur (Roni Bohobza)". The Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians. Archived from the original on 2012-09-25.
  2. Canter, Andrea (February 9, 2011). "Guitarist Roni Ben-Hur Performs at the St. Paul JCC on February 12th". Jazz Police. Archived from the original on February 12, 2011.
  3. Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.
  4. "Roni Ben-Hur". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29.
  5. LaGorce, Tammy (April 6, 2008). "For Longtime Jazz Singer, Latest Success Is Sweet". The New York Times. Retrieved September 21, 2011. She sang in the Tony Award winning musical City of Angels from 1989 to 1992 before moving to Teaneck in 1998 with her husband, the jazz guitarist Roni Ben-Hur, and their daughters Sofia, now 12, and Anna, now 9.
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