Eviatar Banai
Encyclopedia
Eviatar Banai is an Israel
i musician, singer and songwriter.
and the singer and songwriter Meir Banai
, although their father, Yitzhak Banai, was a judge.
Banai studied cinema in highschool. He also studied piano for eight years. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces
he directed and wrote the screenplay and the music for a comedy
film called Six, that was shown on Israel's Channel 1
.
After his military service in the IDF
Banai lived and worked in a kibbutz in the Golan Heights. There he wrote a play, which he hoped to stage in Tel Aviv
. He moved to Tel Aviv to do that, and although the play was never staged, he stayed to live there and started writing songs. He played intimate concerts in small clubs in Tel Aviv and after some time the music producer Chaim Shemesh
, who worked at Hed Arzi Music, proposed him to record an album.
Some songs on the album were produced by notable Israeli musicians - Korin Allal and Assaf Amdursky
, and the rest were produced by Banai's friends Tzakh Drori and Ami Ayali. Most of the album was based on Banai's unique melodic singing voice accompanied by a piano, some songs had strings arrangements and a few had simpler rock guitar-and-drums arrangements. The eponymous debut album was released in 1997 and the combination of traditionalist chamber pop sound with modern sounds, emotional lyrics and intricate melodies was well-received: The reviews were uniformly positive, many songs became major radio hits and the album sold over 50,000 copies.
Overwhelmed by the success of the album, Banai, like many young Israelis, traveled to India
and upon his return to Israel, settled in the desert town of Mitzpe Ramon
, where he started working on his second album, Shir Tiyul (שיר טיול, Trip Song). The album was released in 1999. Its sound was completely different - it had very little of the piano sound that characterized the first album and was mostly based on experimental electronic music. The reviews praised Banai's boldness and innovation, but the sales were poor and Banai retreated from the public attention.
In 2004 Banai, like his cousin Ehud Banai
, returned to his Jewish religious roots and became a baal teshuva
. He moved back to Tel Aviv, married and had a son.
On Purim
day of 5765 (2005) he released his new album `Omed Al Neyar (עומד על נייר, Standing on Paper), produced by Gil Smetana. Most of the music was written by Banai. One song was an adaptation of a poem by Rachel
, some others were contributed by Etgar Keret
, Amir Lev and Gilad Kahana and rest were written by Banai. The music on the album was again a departure from his earlier albums - it was mostly played by a basic rock band of guitar, bass and drums. The album received critical praise, produced several radio hits and returned Banai to the public attention. It was certified gold in November of the same year.
Banai released his fourth album Layla Kayom Yair (לילה כיום יאיר, Night as the Day Does Shine; taken from ) on November 22, 2009. It was similar in musical style to `Omed Al Neyar, while the lyrics showed Banai's deeper involvement with Judaism. The albums was produced by Amir Tzoref. The jazz musician Daniel Zamir
contributed saxophone to three songs and Eviatar's father Yitzhak Banai sang on one song.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i musician, singer and songwriter.
Biography
Banai was born in 1973 in Beer Sheva. The extended Banai family is notable as an outstanding family of Israeli artists; Eviatar is the younger brother of the actress Orna BanaiOrna Banai
Orna Banai is an Israeli actress, comedian and entertainer.Banai was born in Beersheba, Israel. Her father was a local judge, and her mother was an education executive for the City of Beer Sheva. Many of her relatives are successful Israeli actors and singers. The next generation of the Banai...
and the singer and songwriter Meir Banai
Meir Banai
Meir Banai is a well known and respected Israeli musician, singer, and songwriter, who has been called a "veteran star" and "one of the perennial big guns of Israeli music".- Biography :...
, although their father, Yitzhak Banai, was a judge.
Banai studied cinema in highschool. He also studied piano for eight years. While serving in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
he directed and wrote the screenplay and the music for a comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
film called Six, that was shown on Israel's Channel 1
Channel 1 (Israel)
Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country...
.
After his military service in the IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
Banai lived and worked in a kibbutz in the Golan Heights. There he wrote a play, which he hoped to stage in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. He moved to Tel Aviv to do that, and although the play was never staged, he stayed to live there and started writing songs. He played intimate concerts in small clubs in Tel Aviv and after some time the music producer Chaim Shemesh
Chaim Shemesh
Chaim Shemesh is an Israeli music producer and manager.Shemesh was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He started his way in the music business as a lighting and sound engineer. After three years of studying sound in New York, Shemesh started working as Yair Nitzani's personal assistant...
, who worked at Hed Arzi Music, proposed him to record an album.
Some songs on the album were produced by notable Israeli musicians - Korin Allal and Assaf Amdursky
Assaf Amdursky
-Music career:Amdursky began his career in Israel with the band "Taarovet Escot", and together they released one album in 1991. In 1994, he wrote and composed most of the songs in his first solo album, titled "Assaf Amdusrky", which was released in 1994. In it he played guitar, keyboards,...
, and the rest were produced by Banai's friends Tzakh Drori and Ami Ayali. Most of the album was based on Banai's unique melodic singing voice accompanied by a piano, some songs had strings arrangements and a few had simpler rock guitar-and-drums arrangements. The eponymous debut album was released in 1997 and the combination of traditionalist chamber pop sound with modern sounds, emotional lyrics and intricate melodies was well-received: The reviews were uniformly positive, many songs became major radio hits and the album sold over 50,000 copies.
Overwhelmed by the success of the album, Banai, like many young Israelis, traveled to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and upon his return to Israel, settled in the desert town of Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon is a town in the Negev desert of southern Israel. It is situated on the northern ridge at an elevation of 860 meters overlooking a sizable erosion cirque known as the Ramon Crater.-History:...
, where he started working on his second album, Shir Tiyul (שיר טיול, Trip Song). The album was released in 1999. Its sound was completely different - it had very little of the piano sound that characterized the first album and was mostly based on experimental electronic music. The reviews praised Banai's boldness and innovation, but the sales were poor and Banai retreated from the public attention.
In 2004 Banai, like his cousin Ehud Banai
Ehud Banai
-Early life:Banai, of Persian Jewish and Afghan Jewish descent, was born in Jerusalem to the actor Yaakov Banai, the eldest of the Banai siblings, and moved to Givataim at the age of four.-Music career:...
, returned to his Jewish religious roots and became a baal teshuva
Baal teshuva
Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah , sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jew who turns to embrace Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "repentant", i.e., one who has repented or "returned" to God...
. He moved back to Tel Aviv, married and had a son.
On Purim
Purim
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
day of 5765 (2005) he released his new album `Omed Al Neyar (עומד על נייר, Standing on Paper), produced by Gil Smetana. Most of the music was written by Banai. One song was an adaptation of a poem by Rachel
Rachel Bluwstein
Sela was a Hebrew poet who immigrated to Palestine in 1909. She is known by her first name, Rachel, or as Rachel the poetess .-Biography:...
, some others were contributed by Etgar Keret
Etgar Keret
Etgar Keret is an Israeli writer known for his short stories, graphic novels, and scriptwriting for film and television.-Personal Life:Keret was born in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1967. He is a third child to parents who survived the Holocaust. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife, Shira Geffen, and...
, Amir Lev and Gilad Kahana and rest were written by Banai. The music on the album was again a departure from his earlier albums - it was mostly played by a basic rock band of guitar, bass and drums. The album received critical praise, produced several radio hits and returned Banai to the public attention. It was certified gold in November of the same year.
Banai released his fourth album Layla Kayom Yair (לילה כיום יאיר, Night as the Day Does Shine; taken from ) on November 22, 2009. It was similar in musical style to `Omed Al Neyar, while the lyrics showed Banai's deeper involvement with Judaism. The albums was produced by Amir Tzoref. The jazz musician Daniel Zamir
Daniel Zamir
Daniel Zamir is an Israeli religious Jewish saxophonist. Having started on alto saxophone, Zamir is mainly known for his soprano playing.-Background:...
contributed saxophone to three songs and Eviatar's father Yitzhak Banai sang on one song.