Tolga During - lead guitar

Tolga was born in Istanbul in 1977 but grew up on a small island in the north of Holland. Coming from a family of artists, he started playing guitar when he was eight years old. After having played Classical Music for some years he changed his acoustic guitar for an electric and started gigging with local rock bands.

At age eighteen he moved to Amsterdam, where he discovered Jazz, and later ‘Gypsy Jazz’. By listening to CD’s of Django Reinhardt he made this music his
own, and developed what’s to become his personal approach. He soon became one of the main players in the Dutch Gypsy Jazz scene, and founded his own band, The Tolga Group.

He has recorded six CD’s under this name, played concerts all over the world, and performed with masters like Stochelo Rosenberg and Robin Nolan.

Apart from being a musician, Tolga is also painter. You can see his paintings at: www.tolgaduring.com

Jowan Zoutendijk - rhythm guitar

Born in Amsterdam, his father Dutch and his mother from Suriname (South America), Jowan lived in Amsterdam, Antwerp and eight years in Suriname
before he spent his years as a teenager back in Holland.

Having been exposed to many kinds of music since childhood, everything from Latin and Jazz to Pop and Folk, Jowan picked up the guitar first when he
was 16 but didn't get into any serious playing until he was 20.

Developing a wider interest in music but without a musical education he
learned from friends and by himself and sought his way into various projects.
The music that interested him most was jazz and gipsy music so it's not much
of a surprise that he discovered Django Reinhardt and fell for that.

Just before he joined the, by that time called "Tolga Emilio Trio", he had his
own five piece project called "Très Bien Ensemble" with his wife on accordion.
It was a finishing project so Jowan didn't hesitate to join what is now called
the "Tolga Group".

Andrea Lamacchia - double bass

Andrea Lamacchia was born in Barletta, Italy in 1980. At the age of 14 he started to play guitar, and at 18 doublebass in italian Conservatories.

He has performed with a wide range of great musicians, among many others Stefano Battaglia, Francesco Bearzatti, Francesco Bigoni, Emanuele Cisi, Francesco Ganassin, Giovanni Guidi, Tristan Honsinger, Dan Kinzelmann, Emanuele Maniscalco, Mirco Mariottini, Piero Odorici, Roberto Rossi 13th Friday Big Band, Andrea Ruggeri, SIDMA Jazz Orchestra (James Newton, Roberto Spadoni).

In Italy he was part of many different and inspiring ensembles, co-leading and recording with the quartet Rituali "Rituali" w/Stefano Battaglia, Circle Trio (Circle Trio meets Francesco Bearzatti), Mirco Mariottini 4, Barbara De Dominicis Anti-Gone. After finishing his Bachelor Degree in Music he moved to New York in the autumn of 2006. From 2004 he attends the Permanent Laboratories for Musical Research with pianist Stefano Battaglia at Siena Jazz Foundation.

and many others..