Take Five With Guitarist / Composer Avinoam Ettun

Meet Avinoam Ettun

Avinoam Ettun is a contemporary guitarist/composer/improviser based in New York City. With a focus on creating compositions for large ensembles and his own string quartet, Avinoam combines the sounds of electric guitar and chamber music. Ettun actively collaborates with animators, painters, filmmakers, and dancers and explores the intersections of different art forms.

His album Searching for Colors has been lauded for its intricate arrangements and vibrant textures:

"Avinoam Ettun's debut EP presents a refreshingly original blend of jazz and classical influences, showcasing his exceptional ability to bridge different musical worlds." —Plastic Mag

"Ettun's album, Searching for Colors, is a masterclass in blending complex orchestration with jazz improvisation. His contrapuntal melodic approach and orchestral sensibilities create a uniquely captivating sound." —VoxWave Mag

"His skillful blending of jazz, classical, and contemporary elements is nothing short of extraordinary." —Indie Boulevard

"Exceptional compositional skill." —Roadie Music

"We have all experienced this feeling. You hear someone's songs and they immediately resonate with you. They inspire your imagination to hear beyond the notes and rhythms. The songs become part of your personal story. Avinoam's songs immediately welcomed me to that level of experience. They not only convey beauty but also allow you to find your own beauty within them." —Matt Wilson

Ettun holds a Master's from The New School.

Instrument:

Guitar. I play a great Nash Telecaster I got from the great Ed Cherry.

Teachers and/or influences?

So many. As time goes by, I understand the best teachers are the records and the scores: On the guitar side, Bill Frisell and John Scofield have been great influences ever since. Roland Dyens, Jim Hall, and Villa-Lobos also influenced me greatly. As a composer, I find myself influenced by Israeli music like Yoni Rechter and Eli Degibri, and by European classical composers like Ravel, Debussy, Tailleferre, and Scriabin. In today's scene, Maria Schneider, Hermeto Pascoal, and John Zorn have also been significant influences. These people have always served as living examples of individuals who created their own unique musical worlds. I had many teachers along the way. When I started playing, I studied with Yonatan Albalak, who opened my world to more than just guitar but also orchestration and writing. He was the first person to encourage me to write my own music. Later, I studied with the great Eli Degibri, Aaron Goldberg, Uri Caine, and Robert Sadin. One of the teachers who influenced me the most was Josef Bardanashvili, who taught me a lot about orchestration and writing.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

When I was about 15. It was my whole world.

Your sound and approach to music.

At the end of the day, my music results from the music I like listening to, learning, and discovering, as well as the people I work with. I try to keep my ears open. I'm attracted to the contrapuntal guitar world, to interesting textures and melodies, and I love the combination of string instruments with the sound of electric guitar.

Your teaching approach:

With my students, I try to keep them open-minded and show them new, exciting worlds, the same way I was introduced to them when I was young. (That's what it's all about, isn't it?) I also aim to strengthen the things they are already good at.

Favorite venue:

When I was in Amsterdam, I played in a great venue called Torpedo Theater. The audience was very small and attentive. The acoustics were fantastic, and the audience was always attentive and appreciative. It was so welcoming. I can't wait to go back there.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

"Mockingbird" by Nadav Assaf. Something exciting and real happens there. Also, Sienna Sears' "Sweet Bird" (soon to be released). There was magic in the air during those recordings.

Did you know...

My first flirtation with music was at the age of five, playing the violin; guitar came afterward.

The first jazz album I bought was:

When I was 13, I got the greatest present of my life: a $100 gift card to a record store. For a while, I used to go to the record shop every Friday and discover new music. The first CDs I bought are still a very strong part of my identity: John Scofield's Quiet, Bill Frisell's Nashville, Third World Love's Avanim, John Zorn's Masada Guitars, and Brad Mehldau's Largo.

Music you are listening to now:

Brad Mehldau's Variations on a Melancholy Theme, Ravel's Introduction and Allegro, Webber/Morris Big Band's Both Are True, Hermeto Pascoal's Natureza Universal, and Chet Baker's Chet Baker Sings.

Desert Island picks:

Ted Greene: Solo Guitar
Tigran Hamasyan: A Fable (Verve)
Keith Jarrett: Standards, Vol. 1 (ECM)
Bill Evans and Jim Hall: Interplay (Riverside)
John Zorn: The Gnostic Preludes (Tzadik)

What is in the near future?

I have an exciting recording project coming up with my Large Ensemble. I wrote a lot of music in the last two years and played it around NYC, Europe, and Canada. I performed it in duo with piano, solo guitar, guitar trios, and big band settings. I'm very excited to work on this music with a large ensemble, bringing in more sounds and colors to these tunes, and presenting them in the full, exciting way I hear them in my head. I also have an album coming out with Sienna Sears, which I co-produced and am very happy about. I have another commission for a double-bass quartet that I'm excited about.

What is your greatest fear when you perform?

To not be present.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

"Avi Boy" (Danny Boy).

What is your favorite song to whistle or sing in the shower?

"Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:

Psychotherapist. At the end of the day, music is all about people.

If I could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be and why?

Claude Debussy.

If I could go back in time and relive an experience, what would it be?

Paris, 1894. Right on time to hear Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun for the first time. Sounds like a great time to be alive.

What's the song or piece of music you wish you could hear again for the first time?

"Choro Dancando" by Maria Schneider.

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