Yonatan Avishai Ensemble – Walk with me

The pianist with the one-of-a-kind touch leads a colorful ensemble

Hadar Noiberg – flute | Mayo Shaviro – cello | Yonatan Albalak – guitar | Yonatan Avishai – piano, compositions | Roni Efrin – percussion | Shahar Haziza – drums

Pianist and composer Yonatan Avishai is undoubtedly one of the most original and distinctive voices on the contemporary jazz scene. As a regular collaborator on leading projects by trumpeter Avishai Cohen and bassist Omer Avital, Avishai has established his international standing as a true artistic storyteller—a musician whose delicate, precise playing creates the tangible sensation that he composes silence and sculpts sound. In recent years, Avishai has released several acclaimed albums on the prestigious German label ECM Records, alongside his latest trio album, Shapes and Sounds, released on the French label Jazz & People.

Avishai comes to the festival stage with his colorful and experimental new project, accompanied by the album Walk with Me, scheduled for release on ECM during 2026. In this project, Avishai surrounds himself with wonderful musicians from diverse musical backgrounds, and together they create a process whose goal is to build a poetic and colorful musical world rooted in jazz and blues. Within the instrumental compositions, the ensemble incorporates poetic texts that engage in a direct and honest dialogue with life, with all its joy and sadness.

At this year’s performance in Eilat, the ensemble will present a fascinating artistic evolution. While the compositions retain the thoughtful, complex, and intimate depth associated with them, the ensemble will arrive on the open-air summer stage with heightened energy and an irresistible groove. The ensemble’s unique onstage synergy will allow the festival audience to move naturally with the music, giving Avishai’s poetic journey a mesmerizing, vibrant stage dimension.

Performance duration: 50 minutes