he journey of Jerusalem-born, New York-based harmonica player Roni Eytan has been anything but ordinary. By the age of 23 he was already touring the world's main stages alongside Grammy-winning pianist Danilo Pérez, and has since played with Kris Davis, John Patitucci, John Beasley, Kevin Hays, Tim Ries, Gilad Hekselman and Shai Maestro.
He is the only harmonica player ever chosen by Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, formerly the Thelonious Monk Institute, where both mentored him.
Rather than follow expected paths, he has pushed at what the harmonica can express. His work developing the world's first microtonal harmonica, built to capture the nuances of Middle Eastern maqam, opened territory previously unexplored on the instrument.
His debut album, Melody People, produced by Shai Maestro, is released 30 October 2026 on PKmusik.
