Biography
Internationally acclaimed harmonica player and composer Yotam Ben-Or is “playing at a level that, in my opinion, matches Stevie Wonder himself״ (Bass Musician Magazine). The Israeli-Belgian musician was born and raised in Nataf, a small village in the Jerusalem area. He started taking piano lessons at the age of 9 with his uncle who gifted him a harmonica and showed him how to play it. Ben-Or was intrigued by the unique instrument which quickly became his main focus in life.
After graduating high school, Ben-Or moved to Tel-Aviv to attend the collaborative program of the Tel-Aviv Conservatory and The New School for Jazz in New York. During his studies, Ben-Or performed throughout the country with the scene’s finest musicians, received the AICF Grant between 2014-2016, won the first prize in the Rostov International Jazz competition (2013), and recorded with his group “Jupiter” for the album “All Original” presented and produced by Avishai Cohen (2013).
In August 2014, Ben-Or moved to NYC after receiving a full scholarship to study at The New School, where he graduated in May 2016. In March 2015 he attended Betty Carter Jazz Ahead at The Kennedy Center, directed by pianist Jason Moran. Since moving to NYC, Ben-Or has performed with his group at the most prestigious venues and festivals in town such as: Jazz at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Bric JazzFest. He has also toured and performed at well-known venues and festivals in Europe such as: Le Duc des Lombards, Festival Da Jazz St. Moritz, Tel-Aviv Piano Festival and more.
Photo by Liam Rosenthal
Ben-Or is the chair harmonica player of the show ‘Floyd Collins’ on Broadway, presented at the Lincoln Center in the spring of 2025. He also performed with artists and bands such as Edmar Castañeda, Silvana Estrada, Shai Maestro, Sonex at venues such as Blue Note NYC and SummerStage in Central Park. Ben-Or had the privilege of being mentored by harmonicist Gregoire Maret since he was a teenager. Since 2015, he has been making frequent trips to Central America to study and play different Afro Caribbean styles of music with masters such as Manley “Piri” Lopez. In June 2018 Ben-Or released his debut album ‘Sitting on a Cloud’. In early 2022 he released two EP's, ‘Endless’ and 'Deliberations', on which he worked simultaneously. His third album ‘Impermanence’ is scheduled to be released on June 6th 2025 and is featuring Swedish musician, Lars Danielsson.
Photos by Dimitri Mais