Israeli native Roni Ben-Hur plays a smooth electric guitar in the tradition of Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. He’s a big favorite of mine (won’t someone bring him to town for a show?), and his most recent album, Fortuna (Motéma Music), a collection of 10 Spanish-tinged tunes, burnishes his reputation. Ben-Hur, who’s from a Sephardic Jewish family that traces its roots back to Tunisia, assembled a brilliant combo for these sessions — including pianist Ronnie Matthews, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2008. If you’re a jazz music fan, or ready to get hip to one of the great unheralded artists playing today, check out Fortuna. — M.S.
