East Drive is one of the most dazzling phenomena of Europe’s jazz scene today. They combine both strong melodies and dense rhythms with a freely improvised approach in their music, yet still not being afraid of straightforwardness and clear harmonical ideas. East Drive is a band of three extraordinary voices who have grown together into a musical and intimate dialogue over many years.

Every performance becomes its own unique reality, due to their readyness to take risks and blind trust, their ability and will to pick up and perpetuate any impulse of the others, their pristine energy, pure impulse and sheer endless creativity.

Vitaliy Zolotov was born and grew up in the Ukraine and moved to Germany in order to study music. He performed with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sara Gazarek and Triosence, among many others. He is the winner of the audience award of Palmares Gibson Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition at the 42. Montreux Jazz Festival.

Polish-born drummer and percussionist Bodek Janke has been dubbed “above average”, “outstanding” and “a master of many dialects” by international journalists. After his studies and a six-year-long stay in New York City he’s been performing with Gilad Hekselman, Nguyen Le, the WDR Bigband, Bill Evans, Yo-Yo Ma & the Silk Road Ensemble and Aynur Dogan, amongst many others. In 2008 he has been awarded with Jazzpreis Baden Württemberg and in 2015 he was honored with the renowned Ruth award at the TFF World Music Festival in Rudolstadt.

Philipp Bardenberg is a true cross-over and fusion artist being at home in different genres such as jazz, pop, ethnical roots and world music. He he has been touring and recording extensively with musicians such as Sivan Perver, Xero Abbas, Arve Henriksen and Clueso.