Rotem Sivan Trio

Rotem Sivan has for years been considered one of the most prominent jazz guitarists of his generation. Collega Peter Bernstein calls him “with no doubt, the next guitarist of our times”. Born in Israel, Rotem Sivan has lived for almost 20 years in New York, where he studied at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. He is known for his virtuoso playing technique, adventurous approach, and musical storytelling. In recent years, he has further developed his idiom into an increasingly lyrical and melodic whole, without sacrificing harmonic refinement. Sivan refers to, among others, Kenny Burrell, Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, and John Scofield as sources of inspiration, but his influences are not limited to jazz. “I’m from a jazz background but love classical, rock, folk and anything that sounds good,” he said in 2017 in The Times of India. An example of this is the cover of “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden on his ninth and most recent album, ‘Heart Thieves’ (Sonder House Music, 2025). That album was produced by saxophonist Ben Wendel, who in 2022 was the first American musician to stand on the stage of the renovated Hnita-Hoeve. Op Sivans current tour focuses on the music of ‘Heart Thieves’, an album that is intimately connected with the personal happiness and drama that he and his Belgian wife experienced in recent years. At the core of the album are eight original compositions that Sivan wrote in the 48 hours after the birth of their twins Eden and Gigi on June 27, 2024. More than half a year later, however, little Eden was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, to which he passed away early this year. “’Heart Thieves’ is a lyrical, hopeful and bittersweet exploration of the experience of new fatherhood. The record also has, at times, a startlingly prescient quality,” wrote Alexa Peters of the renowned American jazz magazine DownBeat. Rotem Sivan is coming to Heist-op-den-Berg with his regular trio, with Dan Montgomery on double bass and David Sirkis on drums. He is a guest in the club for the first time.