Ehud Banai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The music of Ehud Banai is considered by many to be the pure definition of "Israeli sound". Born in 1953 in Jerusalem to a family of many talents (many of his cousins and uncles are musicians and actors), Banai's success didn't come easy. Only in 1986 he and his band "Haplitim" ("the refugees") broke through, with the hit single "Ir Miklat" and the rock-Opera "Mami". His 1987 debut is considered by many to be one of the best and the most important albums of Israeli rock, with original mix of new-wave guitar rock with some oriental rhythms and sounds. The follow-up, "Karov" ("closer", 1989) is maybe the album that distills more than any other an "Israeli sound", with influences raging from early childhood in Jerusalem, traveling in Europe, Bob Dylan, the Banai family Afghan-Persian origins, to the Jewish prayer, among others. During the 1990's Banai released 3 albums ("The Third" was released in 1992, "In a Little While" was released in 1996, and "Tip Tipa" was released in 1998), which gained much success and established him as one of Israel's most influential and appreciated musicians. His latest studio album ("Ane' Li") was released in 2004. A triple live album, "Mamshich Linso'a" ("Keep Moving") was released in October 2006.