Described by Down Beat Magazine as “a remarkable talent and a welcome new voice on the scene,” guitarist Rotem Sivan has begun to turn heads on the New York jazz scene. Sivan was born in Jerusalem, a city of mixed traditions, faiths and influences. After graduating from an arts high school, he entered the The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at The Tel Aviv University where he completed his studies in classical composition with honors.

Upon his graduation in 2009, Sivan moved to New York to pursue his passion for jazz. While taking his first steps in the local scene he also studied at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Since then, Sivan has performed with world-renowned musicians, including Peter Bernstein, Ari Hoenig, Ben Street, and Ferenc Nemeth. He regularly performs at the city’s top jazz clubs, including Smalls, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery, The Bar Next Door and The Blue Note. He has appeared at international festivals such as the Montreux and Bern Jazz Festivals in Switzerland, the Sonora Jazz Festival in Mexico, and the Exposure Jazz Festival in Israel, among others.

One of today’s most exciting young jazz performers, Rotem Sivan is developing at a fascinating rate. His debut album “Enchanted Sun” (2013, SteepleChase Records) was followed by “For Emotional Use Only” (2014, Fresh Sound New Talent Records), both receiving praise from jazz critics and magazines around the world and 4.5 star reviews in Down Beat.

Sivan’s most recent release “A New Dance” (2015), with bassist Haggai Cohen Milo and drummer Colin Stranahan, was recorded at Atlantic Studio without headphones, without separation between the players, and with a gathering of friends and followers as an audience. The result, with no edits and an emphasis on rich interplay and sheer allure of sound, is one of the more organic, engaging and involving guitar trio albums you’re likely to hear.

Sivan is a guitarist for the 21st century, with an international background and border-defying interests. He is also an in-demand educator and has given numerous workshops around the world. His playing and sound are distinguished by a glowing tone and quicksilver phrasing, a sophisticated sense of rhythm, and an openhearted approach to melody.

“The gifted guitarist combines energy, ideas and undeniable chops..A remarkable talent and a welcome new voice on the scene.”
DownBeat

“He lets you hear the innate sound of his instrument, using classic jazz-guitar tone with dynamics and a searching quality to his improvising.. He attains a kind of private language.. It’s the kind of thing that makes you listen harder.”
New York Times, Ben Ratliff

Rotem Sivan is, with no doubt, the next guitarist of our times. He is a leader and a listener.”
Peter Bernstein

“I am confident in Sivan’s unique abilities to transform the jazz guitar world.”
Ari Hoenig

“His style and sound bring a fresh flair and a remarkable sophistication to jazz, which transcends audiences”
Jazz Times Magazine

“Israeli guitarist Rotem Sivan has been taking the NYC club scene by storm”
Jazz Inside Magazine

“Not only is Rotem Sivan a master of jazz guitar, he is a true artist”
Just Jazz Guitar