Yoni Rechter ( he, יוני רכטר; born 18 November 1951) is an Israeli musician, composer, pianist, arranger and singer.

Biography

Yonatan (Yoni) Rechter was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

, Israel. He is the son of Israeli architect Ya'akov Rechter and stepson of Israeli actress

Hanna Meron Hanna Maron ( he, חנה מרון; 22 November 1923 – 30 May 2014) was a German-born Israeli actress, comedian and theater personality. She held the world record for the longest career in theater. Life and career Hanna Meierzak was born i ...

. He attended Tichon Hadash high school. At sixteen, he composed the music for the hit song "Tears of Angels" (דמעות של מלאכים, "Dma'ot Shel Mal'achim"), written by his high school classmate

Dan Minster Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

. Rechter served in the

Israeli Artillery Corps , ''Tih'cum Ve'otzma'') , song= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= * War of Independence * Sinai War * Six-Day War * War of Attrition * Yom Kippur War * First Lebanon War * Second Lebanon War * Operation Cast Lead * Operation Pro ...

band. In 1972, after his release from the army he joined the Israeli band

Kaveret Kaveret ( he, כוורת, lit. "beehive"), also known as Poogy ( he, פוגי, nickname of band drummer Meir Fenigstein chosen for their performances abroad), was an Israeli Rock music, rock band, which operated originally from 1973 to 1976. Repr ...

as a keyboardist, collaborating with

Gidi Gov Gideon "Gidi" Gov ( he, גידי גוב; 4 August 1950) is an Israeli singer, TV host, entertainer, and actor. He was married to the late Anat Gov with whom he had three children. Biography Early life Gov was born in Rehovot, Israel, to Da ...

Danny Sanderson Danny Sanderson ( he, דני סנדרסון; born November 30, 1950) is an Israeli musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist. In 2005, Sanderson received a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Israeli music. Biography Sanderson was ...

, Alon Ole'archick and others.Flowing in our musical bloodstream

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

When Kaveret represented Israel in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, the rules only allowed for 6 on-stage performers (Kaveret had 7 members), so Rechter was asked to be the conductor of their entry. He stayed with the group until it disbanded in 1976.

Music career

Apart from playing the keyboard in Kaveret, he formed the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

duo "14 Octaves" with

Avner Kenner In the Hebrew Bible, Abner ( he, אַבְנֵר ) was the cousin of King Saul and the commander-in-chief of his army. His name also appears as "Abiner son of Ner", where the longer form Abiner means "my father is Ner". Biblical narrative Ab ...

and arranged and wrote songs for leading Israeli singers, among them

Arik Einstein Arieh Lieb "Arik" Einstein ( he, אָרִיק אַייְנְשְׁטֵייְן, ; 3 January 1939 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli singer, actor, comedian and screenwriter. He was a pioneer of Israeli rock music and was named "the voice of Is ...

. One of the most famous songs he composed for Einstein was "Your Forehead is Ornamented" (עטור מצחך in Hebrew, "Atur Mitz'chech"). Its first version was arranged by Rechter, and was sung by Arik Einstein with Corinne Allal and

Yehudit Ravitz Yehudit Ravitz ( he, יהודית רביץ; born December 29, 1956) is an Israeli singer-songwriter, multidisciplinary artist, composer and music producer. She is one of the most successful and famous Israeli rock musicians, with a career spannin ...

. He later produced albums for Gidi Gov,

Esther Ofarim Esther Zaied, better known by her married name Esther Ofarim ( he, אסתר עופרים; born June 13, 1941), is an Israeli singer. She came second in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "T'en va pas", representing Switzerland. After ...

Yossi Banai Yosef "Yossi" Banai ( he, יֹוסֶף "יֹוסִי" בַנָאי; April 13, 1932 – May 11, 2006) was an Israeli performer, singer, actor, and dramatist. Biography Banai was born in Jerusalem during the Mandate era, and grew up in the neighb ...

and Yehudit Ravitz. One of his performances with Ravitz, which was titled "Once And Forever" (באופן קבוע וחד פעמי, "Be'Ofen Kavu'ah Ve'Chad Pe'ami"), was also released as an album. In 1978, Rechter collaborated on "The Sixteenth Sheep" (הכבש השישה-עשר, "Ha'Keves Ha'Shishah Asar"), an album of poems by

Yonatan Geffen Yehonatan Geffen ( he, יהונתן גפן; 22 February 1947 – 19 April 2023), also known as Yonatan Gefen, was a prominent Israeli author, poet, songwriter, journalist, satirist and playwright. Early life and education Geffen was born in ...

set to music. Rechter's debut album "Intending" (התכוונות, "Hitkavnut") came out in 1979. It included quiet

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s, some based on the lyrics of Israeli songwriter

Eli Mohar Eli Mohar ( he, עלי מוהר; December 30, 1948 – November 30, 2006) was an Israeli songwriter and columnist. Biography Eli Mohar was born in Tel Aviv. His father was Yechiel Mohar. He was a member of HaMahanot HaOlim youth movement and stu ...

. That year, he also wrote the music for a dance performance, "A Legend in the Sands," performed by the

Inbal Dance Theater Inbal Dance Theater ( he, תאטרון מחול ענבל, ''Teatron Makhol Inbal'') is Israel's first and oldest modern dance company, started in 1949. History The company was founded in 1949 by Israel Prize recipient Sara Levi-Tanai. Under the ...

. He also composed the music for Inbal's show "Jaffa is Sleeping."Yoni Rechter, still profound after all these years
/ref> In 1981, Rechter collaborated with

Matti Caspi Matti Caspi ( he, מתי כספי) is an Israeli composer, musician, singer, arranger, and lyricist. Born in 1949, he is regarded as one of Israel's top popular musicians. His music's style is informed by classical music, Brazilian and Latin mu ...

and

Yitzhak Klepter Yitzhak Klepter ( he, יצחק קלפטר; 31 March 1950 – 8 December 2022) was an Israeli singer, composer and guitarist. Biography Yitzhak Klepter was born in Haifa and grew up in Tel Aviv. In elementary school, he was asked to give a pre ...

in the instrumental album "Lines" (קווים in Hebrew, "Kavim"). In 1982, he produced another Gidi Gov album, "40:06", and composed all of its melodies. In 1984, he produced Israeli singer

Nurit Galron Nurit Galron ( he, נורית גלרון, born March 21, 1951) is an Israeli singer.http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1214726220723&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull She is married to Israeli TV and radio journalist Rafi Reshef. Biogr ...

's album "One Soft Touch" (נגיעה אחת רכה "Negi'aa Achat Rakah"). In 1986, he took part in shows alongside Israeli comedians and performers Gidi Gov,

Moni Moshonov Shlomo "Moni" Moshonov ( he, שלמה "מוני" מושונוב; born 18 August 1951) is an Israeli actor, comedian, and theater director. Early and personal life Moshonov was born in Ramla, Israel, to a Sephardic Jewish family that immigrated ...

and

Shlomo Baraba Shlomo (, Polish: Szlomo, Szlama, Szlamek, Szloma), meaning "peaceable", is a common Hebrew male given name. The following individuals are often referred to only by the name Shlomo: * Solomon, king of ancient Israel, according to various religio ...

in the comedy show "A One-Time Evening" (ערב חד-פעמי "Erev Chad Pe'ami"), and in the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

in 1991 they did a follow-up show, "A Conventional One-Time Evening" (ערב חד פעמי קונבנציונאלי). In 1988, he composed and arranged the music for an album of songs based on the poems of

Avraham Chalfi Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the Covenant (biblical), special ...

. In the album "I Used To Be a Child" (Hayiti Pa'am Yeled") he composed and arranged all songs, some of which became very popular in Israel. In the album "The Lion, The Dove and a Blue Hen" (האריה, היונה ותרנגולת כחולה, "Ha'Arie, Ha'Yonah Ve'Tarnegolet Kchulah") Rechter composed and arranged more children's songs. In 1991, the Israel Festival and the Israeli Broadcasting Authority produced an evening of Rechter songs titled "The Main Thing is the Romance" (העיקר זה הרומנטיקה "Ha'Ikar Ze Ha'Romantika"), which aired on Israeli television and was released as an album. In 1995, Rechter and Eli Mohar released an album titled "Thoughts and Options" (מחשבות ואפשרויות, "Machshavot Ve'Efsharuiot"). In 2002, Rechter released "Another Story" (עוד סיפור). The solo album, which was divided into three sections, consisted of mostly intimate songs. The album was well received by music critics, but was not a commercial success. Rechter also took part in composing and arranging music for many theatre plays and shows. In 2005, Rechter released a best of double CD entitled "Each time I play", filled with his own recordings, as well as pieces with other singers. Rechter judged auditions for the IDF's musical troupes.

Musical style

According to

music critic Ben Shalev, Rechter's major musical influences were "Bach, Beatles and Bill Evans." Other influences are

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

and the harmonies of

Sasha Argov Alexander "Sasha" Argov ( he, סשה ארגוב, born Alexander Abramovich; Moscow, 26 October 1914 – Tel Aviv, 27 September 1995) was a prominent Israeli composer. Life and career Argov was born Alexander Abramovich in Moscow, Russia in 1914 ...

. He also cites progressive rock and jazz artists such as

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

Gentle Giant Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of their members. All of the band members were multi-inst ...

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

, Yes and

Emerson, Lake & Palmer Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percus ...

Personal life

Rechter is married to Dafna, a former art teacher, with whom he has two sons.haaretz.com
/ref>

Awards

In 2008, Rechter won the EMET Prize, awarded for extraordinary achievement in art, science and culture. יוני רכטר

Albums

* The Sixteenth Lamb (הכבש השישה-עשר, Ha'Keves Ha'Shisha-Asar) * Intending (התכוונות, Hitkavnut) * Love Has Many Faces (האהבה, פנים רבות לה Ha'Ahava, Panim Rabot La) With Arik Einstein * Regularly And one-timely (באופן קבוע וחד פעמי, Be'Ofen Kavuah Ve'Chad Pe'ami) With Yehudith Ravitz * At Eye Level (בגובה העיניים, Be'Govah Ha'Einayim) With Eli Mohar * Romance Is What Counts (העיקר זה הרומנטיקה, Ha'Ikar Ze Ha'Romantica) * Lines (קווים, Kavim) * Thoughts and Options (מחשבות ואפשרויות, Machshavot Ve'Efsharuiot) With Eli Mohar * Another Story (עוד סיפור, Od Sipur) * Right Now (ממש עכשיו, Mamash Achshav) A live recording * The Lion, The Dove and a Blue Hen (האריה, היונה ותרנגולת כחולה, Ha'Arie, Ha'Yonah Ve'Tarnegolet Kchulah) * 14 Octavas (ארבע עשרה אוקטבות, arba esre octavot) With Avner Kenner * From The Songs of Avraham Chalfi (משירי אברהם חלפי, Mi'Shirei Avraham Chalfi) * I Used to be a Child (הייתי פעם ילד, Hayiti Pa'am Yeled) With Arik Einstein * A Legend in the Sands (אגדה בחולות, Agada Ba'Cholot)

References

External links

Official Website

Lyrics to the songs of Yoni Rechter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rechter, Yoni 1951 births Living people Jewish Israeli musicians Israeli people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent 20th-century Israeli male musicians 21st-century Israeli male musicians Kaveret Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Israel Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1974 Eurovision Song Contest conductors Musicians from Tel Aviv Israeli music arrangers