Ziv was born in Beer-Sheva, Israel to a family of musicians, he was drawn to music at an early age, playing the guitar, keyboard and drum. When he was 9 years old he started focusing on drums and by the age of 13 begun his professional career, playing the drums at various clubs in Beer-Sheva and Tel Aviv and acquiring experience in a variety of musical styles, such as Jazz, rock and avant-garde. In 1999 Ziv was chosen as a reserved drummer for guest performers from Europe and the United States at the Camelot Jazz Club in Tel Aviv. Ziv moved to the US in the summer of 2000 to expand his musical experience and to grow as a Jazz composer. Since then he has been performing and recording with numerous ensembles in the Boston area, both as a freelancer and as an artist using his own compositions, which reflect his individual and unique sound. Ziv had the opportunity to perform with musicians such as Hal Crook, Greg Hopkins, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Eugene Friesen, Mick Goodrick, Eli Dejibri, James Genus, George Garzone, Ben Monder, Avishai Cohen and more. In the winter of 2003, Ziv has become an official recording artist of Huber Music Management and Recording label of Cologne, Germany. In June 2003 Ziv won the Zildjian Scholarship Award. Since then Ziv had toured extensively all across Europe with various groups such as TAQ, Minsarah, Sin, Nicolas Simon Group, Iasi Romanian Philharmonic Orchestra. At Dec 2004 Ziv graduated from Berklee School of Music with a Jazz Composition Degree. Ziv is currently sign to ENJA as recording artist.
Canadian saxophonist, Peter Van Huffel, currently makes his home in Brooklyn, New York and has quickly established a reputation as one of the most exciting, unique, new voices on the New York improvised music scene. His quintet, which according to All About Jazz "features some of the most outstanding, original and innovative musicians in New York's new talent pool," performs regularly at such New York staples as the 55 Bar, and at a number of important venues in the rapidly growing Brooklyn improvised music scene like Barbes and the Tea Lounge. Peter is an apprentice of David Liebman and Pat LaBarbera, and has toured extensively throughout Canada, Europe and the United States as a leader and a sideman. He has performed alongside such world renowned musicians as Chris Potter, Clarence Penn and Donny McCaslin, and has obtained his Master's in music from the Manhattan School of Music.
Peter's Quintet will soon be releasing a brand CD, "Silvester Battlefield" on the Fresh Sound / New Talent Record label from Barcelona, Spain. They can also be heard on their 2004 live EP, "On Common Ground". Peter's first CD, "Mind Over Matter", was recorded in Canada in the summer of 2003 with his former Toronto band and features a collection of Peter's earlier compositions. In addition to the New York based PVH Quintet, which continues to perform regularly in NYC and has plans for upcoming tours around the United States and Europe, Peter is currently working on a new duo project with Canadian pianist Greg de Denus as well as numerous projects based in New York and Europe. Peter can also be heard regularly around New York and abroad with a variety of different ensembles including Kenosha Kid led by guitarist Dan Nettles from Athens, Georgia; Sherisse Rogers' "Project Uprising"; Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic's "Bomb X"; and Lily Maase's "theSuiteUnraveling" which will soon be releasing their debut CD recorded in May, 2006 on tour in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
