Roni Ben-Hur is a renowned jazz guitarist, educator, and composer, born in … Read Full Bio ↴Roni Ben-Hur is a renowned jazz guitarist, educator, and composer, born in Israel in 1962 and based in New York City. He has developed a rare facility in straight-ahead jazz and samba/bossa-nova styles, evidenced by his numerous albums as leader or co-leader and his work with masters in each field. His most recent album, Stories, released in March 2021, features a poetic mix of songs and instrumentals and showcases his inspired interplay with such generationally diverse talents as pianist George Cables and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, as well as vocalists from Israel and Mexico.

Roni has long been an educator and performer and has directed the jazz program at New York’s Kaufman Music Center for over 25 years. He has also led international music camps for two decades, leading his Roni Ben-Hur Jazz Camp in Vermont and France. He has developed an international reach as an educator, encouraging students to learn music through a love of the experience, not only through theory.

Roni's newest album, Samba do Arraial, released in the Autumn of 2020, was co-led with Brazilian drummer-producer Percio Sapia. Along with bassist Marinho Andreotti and percussionist Vinicius Barros, the disc features veteran vocalist Leny Andrade on four tracks. It showcases Roni's love for the music of Brazil and his natural facility in samba and bossa-nova styles.

In spring 2018, Roni released Introspection, an exceptional trio album, via the Jazzheads imprint. He co-produced the record in close collaboration with bassist Harvie S., with whom he explored classics by jazz composers, Brazilian numbers, and a Jerome Kern standard. The album brims with subtly insistent swing and insinuating melodies, the rapport between the players intimate and conversational.

Eminent jazz critic Gary Giddins wrote in the Village Voice: “A limber and inventive guitarist, Ben-Hur keeps the flame alive and pure, burning in every note… He’s a guitarist who knows the changes and his own mind.” Jazz guitar star Russell Malone got it right when he said: “Everything Roni does is beautiful. He has the magic touch.”

Roni Ben-Hur is a sterling musician and educator renowned for his golden tone, improvisational brilliance, compositional lyricism, and ability to charm peers, students, and listeners. Through his albums, live performances, and his work as an educator, he has taken jazz and Brazilian music to new heights.