Jon Bittman

(1985)

I  grew up in America, but every summer we’d visit my Romanian grandparents in Israel. They only spoke Hebrew and Romanian, so our conversations were limited, at best. The one thing we could all enjoy together were their VHS tapes of Chaplin classics like Modern Times, where language was no barrier.

 

Jon is an American-born, Romanian-Israeli woodwind specialist with a background in Hip-hop and a Hillbilly alter ego. He studied classical clarinet at the Mason Gross School of Music (USA), before graduating cum laude with degrees in Jazz Saxophone from Conservatory of Utrecht (Bachelors) and the Conservatory of Rotterdam (Masters). Jon has performed on the stages of prestigious jazz venues and festivals like the Bimhuis, and Jazz in Duketown, toured the world with Balkan party band Amariszi and won international prizes with his Hip-hop group Panda Zooicide. Jon is also a highly touted studio musician, having played saxophone and clarinet solos on Caro Emerald’s multi-platinum “Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor” album. 

the other band members