A CERTAIN ATTITUDE - THE BAND
GREGORY RIVKIN
// trumpet & fluegelhorn
"The trumpeter, whose playing is in the tradition of Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan, would in another era be a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. His tone is quite attractive, his solos are full of surprises, and he plays with consistent passion and creativity within the hard bop and post bop tradition. Rivkin’s fiery and forward-looking playing with luck makes him one of the pacesetters of the trumpet in the present and future years” -Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz Scene, Author of the "Jazz Trumpet Kings" Encyclopedia (Third Ear)
An accomplished band-leader with robust musical individuality and a prolific sideman, trumpeter Greg Rivkin, gained his international reputation, in a jazz scene of Paris, France and New York, N.Y., U.S.A. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2006. In addition to his diplomas with excellence in classical trumpet, Gregory has won awards in several international and national competitions in a discipline of classical and jazz trumpet held in Israel, France and United States. His high light sideman work in New York credits: Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, Mingus Big-Band just to name a few. In Israel Greg leads his own groups and works as featured soloist and core member with Tel-Aviv Big-Band and Eli De-Gibri Big Band.
MATTHIAS GMELIN
// drums
Matthias Gmelin is a drummer of many colors. He embodies the influence, professional and artistic ethics of every legendary drummer, who has made the impact onto traditions of Black American Music. When Matthias "rides" the band and creatively makes his fill-ins or breaks you might hear the echoes of "Philly" Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb or Elvin Jones filling up the air. Being inspired by a complete musicianship of Tony Williams and Victor Lewis, he also develops himself as a composer. Always on a goal, Gmelin loves to use clarity, space, wide beat, power and cutting edge up-tempos as Lewish Nash, Bill Stewart, Kenny Washington or Billy Drummond, Joe Chambers or Billy Hart would or might choose to do, for instance.
Over the years he has appeared with guitarists: Peter O ́Mara, Bireli Lagrene, Alex Junge, saxophonists: Johannes Enders, trumpeters Gerard Presencer, Johannes Faber, bassists: Marc
Abrams, Ed Schuller and a pianist Jean Marie Machado and a guest artist with NDR Big Band.
TONY PANCELLA
// piano
Being basically a self taught musician and a natural talent, Pancella's exposure to jazz began very early from observing the performances of his father, who is also a pianist. At former years Tony subsequently studied piano in 1981- 82 at the Siena Jazz Clinics, and then in New York with James Williams and Larry Willis. The two of them became his main stylistic influences ,mentors and friends. He was awarded the titles “Best New Talent” in Italy (Rome 1989) in a competition organized by Rome's most prominent jazz-club: the “Music Inn” and “Best New Emerging Jazz Group” (Forli' 1990) at the 7th annual Forli' Jazz Competition.
His Discography includes over 20 CDs both as a leader and sideman, produced by YVP Music (Germany), Mapleshade Records (U.S.A.), Philology (Italy), etc. enthusiastically reviewed and distributed in many Countries all over the World.
Tony is a man of polished touch, sustained intensity, sensitive feel of groove, harmony and voice leading, syncopation, melodic and through-composed improvisations. He performed with jazz greats and veterans such as saxophonists Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, clarinetist Tony Scott, singers Deborah Brown, Helen Merrell and Miles Griffith, drummers Eliot Zigmund and Bobby Durham, trumpeters Charles Tolliver, Joe Magnarelli and Scott Wendholt, etc.
Mr. Pancella gave countless performances at the theaters and jazz-clubs, international jazz festivals all over Italy, U.S.A.,Germany, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg,France, Greece, UK, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Japan...He also participated as a guest and a host in numerous radio and television shows, which were broadcasted by Italian RAI, DeutschlandRadio, BayernRadio, Croatian Television, Israel Radio and Television, RIFF (WorldSpace Corporation USA), etc.
HENNING SIEVERTS
// bass
From 1977 to 1984 he studied cello at the Berlin Conservatory. In 1985 he moved to Munich , where he studied at the German School of Journalism and until 1990 at the Ludwig Maximilian University . He also learned the double bass and bass playing. Between 1983 and 1989 he performed with the Berlin actress Christa Lorenz in programs with texts by Kurt Tucholsky , Erich Mühsam and Paul Scheerbart .
In 1990 he became a member of the Bundesjazzorchesters . In 1991 he directed his own trio with Martin Scales and Falk Willis and was then a member of Der Rote Bereich . Between 1995 and 1997 he worked increasingly with the SDR-Bigband and recorded with Phil Woods , Slide Hampton , Frank Foster and Manny Albam . He also undertook several international tours and worked with Harald Rüschenbaum , Heinrich von Kalnein and Adrian Mears . Since 1999, he has performed with the RIAS Big Band , producing radio and CD recordings including Richie Beirach , Jim McNeely , Peter Herbolzheimer , Ack van Rooyen , John Ruocco and Jiggs Whigham . In the autumn of 1999, he undertook a European tour with the Nils Wogram Quartet .
In 2000, he joined Steffen Schorn at the SWR New Jazz Meeting and toured the Goethe Institute in Turkey, Italy, Hungary and Latin America. He was on tour with Adam Pieronczyks Amusos in 2002. He was also a member of the trio of Joe Kienemann , Larry Porter , Peter Fulda and Christian Elsässer . Since 2003, he has also regularly produced and moderated jazz broadcasts for Bavarian Radio . With his quintet Symmetry was the album Blackbird , which was strongly noticed by the criticism, for example in the Jazz Podium and Rondo magazines .Sieverts composed numerous pieces of jazz, as well as classical works, including two orchestral pieces, a string quartet and chamber music works for cello, bass and piano. His discography counts over 120 CD productions (16 as bandleader).