Avinoam Ettun is an Israeli composer and guitarist living in New York. He has a rich experience working with renowned musicians from Europe and Israel. His views on the world, life experiences, and personal stories are encapsulated in his debut album “Searching for Colors”. This album features four tracks where classical orchestral music and jazz are intertwined, revealing Avinoam’s soul.

This album is his own musical language, where original compositions convey stories of love, separation, desires, and passions. Although the album contains only four compositions, each possesses a unique energy. Ettun drew inspiration from masters like Alexander Scriabin, Bill Evans, Hank Mobley, and Claude Debussy. This work is undoubtedly complex but performed with elegance and attention to detail.

photo by Liri Agami

This is distinctly heard in “A Tale of Three Balloons”. A classical orchestral sound with delicate strings. This composition slowly blossoms like a bud, revealing the beauty of love and life. It’s the perfect start, with an unfolding melody, twists, and an entire story in one track. Avinoam Ettun’s guitar has a special voice and plays a leading role. Always diverse, it leads the sound, constantly changing the atmosphere.

In the next track, “The World Needs Healing”, thanks to an extended duration of 7:41 minutes, the melody has time to transform. This hypnotic sound captivates, and each attentive listener will find their own story here, especially during the interplay of instruments and voices. This composition possesses a special Ettun charm, especially when the guitar solo starts and resonates with the saxophone.

A pause comes with “Ear Illusion” featuring gentle piano chords and the light sound of a guitar. This piece seems to speak of something distant, reachable only through the subconscious. Its slow pace is conducive to reflection, dreams, and stories. I appreciate how Avinoam Ettun plays with contrasts, developing the melody like a theatrical performance. In this track, everyone can find something personal.

I can’t ignore the cover, especially when it involves abstract art and jazz. The cover of “Searching for Colors” is a true whirlwind. The watercolor spirals out, where each shade reaches toward the next as if searching for something in this chaos. Warm tones transition into cool ones, creating a mood that provokes thought. It seems each color on this painting seeks its own path, its place in the world. This could captivate anyone drawn to understanding the depths of human emotions and perspectives. The album resonates in the same way, and the final composition “Melodically Involved” convinces me to start the record over. This slow farewell leaves a sense of melancholy. A light sadness slips between the measures, but then blooms into hope. This is a characteristic of Avinoam Ettun’s music—each composition transforms and takes on new emotions. The flawless lyricism of “Melodically Involved,” changing its pace and structure, is undoubtedly my favorite on this album.

photo by @avinoame

My verdict is that everything here is different. You might be in for a journey that you can undertake without any noise or hustle, leaving behind everything that’s considered mundane at your doorstep. “Searching for Colors” offers a palette of emotions that provoke thought, invite meditation, and perhaps even help recall something long forgotten. Each track is a story that doesn’t require words to express all the nuances of feeling. This isn’t the type of music that blasts in your ears from every corner. It’s a quiet conversation that starts softly and mesmerizes, drawing you in further and further.

The sincerity of the sound, oh, and no, this isn’t just a description of the album. It’s how Avinoam Ettun touches the strings, how carefully and precisely he chooses each note, creating an ambiance through his music. Indeed, under Ettun’s music, one could wander through an autumn park, watching leaves dance in the air before settling on the damp earth. Or sit by the window on a rainy day, with a book in hand, forgetting the day’s worries. Maybe this album won’t make your heart race wildly, but it will certainly invite you to pause, breathe, and momentarily forget the endless race. “Searching for Colors” is for connoisseurs, loners, and those ready to reflect. Avinoam Ettun offers a way to see the world anew, through a prism of sounds that can be as real and vivid as the colors on a canvas.

Connect with Avinoam Ettun via Instagram

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