Tomer Cohen was born in the US (1996), but spent his childhood in the countryside in Israel. He picked up the guitar at a young age and from that moment on, he knew that music was his pursuit in life. He studied jazz at the Israeli Conservatory of Music at Tel Aviv; after that, he was granted a scholarship from The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music (NYC), and then moved to New York, where he graduated from the BFA Jazz Program.

In December 2021 he finished recording his debut album “Not the Same River” along with the drummer Obed Calvaire and the bassist Matt Penman. You can hear in this album the influences Tomer had over the years – Middle Eastern, Jazz from NYC scene, Folk and Rock. It was released by Hypnote Records.

The album title, Cohen explained, relates to an expression by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus: No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. “That’s the sentence that encompasses all the compositions on the album,” he said. “We are constantly in motion, we’re always changing, and we just need to accept that. What I was trying to do on this record is connect some stories, images and life philosophies that I have into one thing.”

In January 2024, Tomer Cohen finished recording his second studio album, “Story of a Traveler,” collaborating with a stellar ensemble featuring Shai Maestro on piano, Cyrille Obermüller on bass, and Gert-Jan Dreessen on drums. Cohen embarks on a musical journey exploring emotions, memories, and cultural influences. The album is set to be released on Hypnote Records on February 7th, 2025