Yotam Ben-Or interview

01:42 - Based in New York, but is from Israel and has a Belgian mother

02:06 - Does Belgian heritage explain affinity to the chromatic? (Due to Toots Thielemans link)

02:37 - The status which Toots Thielemans is held in Belgium

03:40 - Yotam started playing age 11, and was taught by his uncle, initially on piano but soon discovered his love of the chromatic harmonica

04:19 - Continues to play piano now, using the instrument to compose, but chromatic is main instrument

04:36 - Doesn’t see a strong similarity between piano and chromatic, thinking of them separately as he plays them

05:31 - Played alto saxophone at in middle school and high school as no teachers for chromatic available, but from age 18 chromatic was main instrument

06:16 - Also plays some percussion to help with other music genres interested in

06:30 - When recording with jazz quartet, plays chromatic and some piano

06:57 - Also has a singer songwriter project where Yotam also does some singing

07:12 - Deliberations EP has five songs with Yotam singing in Hebrew

07:47 - Went to the Tel Aviv Conservatory of Music, which has a collaboration with The New School in New York

08:12 - Received a scholarship to move to New York where he was able to formally study the chromatic harmonica

08:56 - Won scholarship for New School in New York through an audition held in Tel Aviv

09:19 - How Yotam has found the music scene in New York

09:32 - How got into playing jazz and the dream to play and live in New York

10:57 - Also deeply into other styles beyond jazz, such as Cuban music

11:33 - Yotam’s song ‘Astar’ has influences from Venezuela, where the pianist from the band is from

12:08 - The shift in time signature in the song Star

13:17 - Other South American players who have been on the podcast and how that music works so well on chromatic

13:44 - Received some mentoring from Gregoire Maret

15:06 - Yotam has lived in New York since 2014, but travelled to other places during that time, including Mexico, Israel and Europe

15:56 - Now more permanently based in New York and the number of great musicians who live there

16:35 - Mainly playing in New York at present but has a manager in Europe to arrange gigs

17:38 - Locations played in Europe

17:55 - First album Yotam appears on is with the Jupiter Group, the best young Israeli jazz, when Yotam was still a student

19:30 - Formed own band in 2015, from International players who met at The New School in New York

20:55 - First album under own name is Sitting On A Cloud, released in 2018, all original compositions by Yotam

21:22 - Yotam approaches composing by playing the piano and singing the melodic phrases, later translating those to chromatic

22:00 - Often selects the key of the piece to one which works well on the chromatic

22:30 - Only uses chromatic in the key of C, although is considering using other keys too

23:54 - Interplay with keyboard and chromatic on the Viva Hermoto Pascoal song on Sitting On A Cloud album

24:18 - Uses an octave pedal on the song Ebb and Flow and other effects Yotam uses

24:53 - Modern sound to Yotam’s compositions comes from different flavours of jazz

25:21 - Influences on his music come from singer songwriters from native Israel and also classical music

26:08 - Has learnt classical pieces on the chromatic but no recordings of them yet

28:02 - New York brought a vast world of rhythm to Yotam’s attention, which he incorporates into his music

29:20 - Speak Love song which has multiple harmonicas, recorded by Yotam

30:59 - Loose Pace is three songs Yotam was commissioned to record for a video

31:59 - Second album, released in 2022: Endless Deliberations, made up of one EP of instrumentals and one EP of vocals sung by Yotam

33:56 - Satla is an instrumental from the Endless EP

34:24 - Forza Roma is another song from the Endless EP, written after playing a gig in Rome when the football team Roma defeated Barcelona and people were on the streets celebrating

35:36 - New album currently in development, being released in 2025, with a working title of ‘Trying’

38:32 - Kafka song may have drawn inspiration from Toot’s song Bluesette

39:11 - Still adding some other musicians onto the album before releasing it in 2025

40:04 - Recorded a song on diatonic but he doesn’t really play the instrument

40:57 - When composing songs, decides the chord structure, the melody, and then leaves room for improvisation

42:13 - Has performed in prestigious venues including: Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center and The Blue Note

43:21 - Won first prize in the Rostov International Jazz competition in 2013

44:00 - 10 minute question

44:48 - Typical practise routine involves working on current repertoire, including learning the song on the piano then the harmonica, learning the melody and the chords

45:33 - Learns some conga rhythms on the harmonica

45:53 - Transcribing parts on to the harmonica from every instrument, with melodic instruments like trumpet and saxophone, and also singers and piano

48:20 - Chromatic of choice is the Suzuki Sirius 56 (14 hole) and why likes 14 hole

48:50 - Doesn’t like the sound of the lower notes on the 16 hole

49:04 - Trumpet and flute has notes lower than middle C, which are missing on a 12 hole chromatic, particularly the low G

49:42 - Used to play the Hohner 64 (16 hole) when younger

50:03 - The transition to 14 hole has been challenging at times

50:33 - Hasn’t tried the DM48 midi chromatic, but would like to

51:04 - Embouchre is puckering

51:21 - Thinks of himself as a musician and not a harmonica player and something which the world of harmonica is missing somewhat

53:54 - For live playing uses SM58 or a condenser Sennheiser mic

54:50 - For recording uses his own Neumann TLM102 combined with a Shure SM7B

55:32 - If recording in a studio likes the combination of a large condenser and a ribbon mic (to add some darkness to the sound)

56:07 - Future plans is release of album in 2025, and currently gigging in New York and plans to tour Europe in October 2024 and touring new album in Spring of 2025

56:52 - Yotam is currently thirty years old, so lots to come from him in the future