As a guitarist in numerous jazz, soul and latin projects and as a composer of instrumental and vocal tunes ranging from classical string quartets to big band arrangements, this outstanding musician has become an important figure in the German and European scene.
Up to now, he has played with musicians from all over the world. Whether from Brazil, Japan, Poland or the USA, to his colleagues belong artists like Tony Jefferson, Xaver Fischer, Diego Imbert, Pierre-Alain Goualch, Thomas Bachmann, Christoph Mudrich, Jörg Kaufmann, Danny Schroeteler, Martin Gjakonowski, Gustavo Casenave, Take Toriyma, Antonio Sanchez (Pat Metheny Group), Frank Aghulon, Rob Blumenthal, Derek James, Steve Hass, Rudi Engel, Yanir Rosenkranz, Max Hughes, Thomas Heidepriem, Gauitier Laurent, Dan Gottlieb, Christof Thewes, Wolfgang-Norman Dahlheimer, Tony Lakatos, Gunnar Plümer, Dave Samuel (Pat Metheny-Group, Spyro Gyra), Thomas Alkier (Vienna Art Orchestra), Stefan Rademacher (Billy Cobham-Band), Frank Haunschild, George Garzone, John Benitez, Erny Hames (Carla Bley), Rick Peckham, Jean-Yves Jung (Billy Cobham- Band), Claudius Valk, Harvie S (formerly known as Harvie Swartz) and Hal Crook.
With the band Alegria he won already in 1989 the "Landes-Jazz-Rock-Festival". He studied jazz composition and arrangement at the college of music in Cologne. Twice he won the scholarship prize at the very jazz school, i. e. the Berklee College of Music and studied there with excellent results. In 1996, he was awarded the Stephen D. Holland Award in Boston/USA for exceptional artistic performance.
John Abercrombie:
" He is an extremly versatile player and composer; well schooled in the tradition of jazz, and also
in it`s more universal applications. I recommend him most highly. "
Mick Goodrick:
" Roland has great technical prowess, excellent compositional skills and developed his own unique
voice as a guitarist"
In June 1998, the Ro Gebhardt Trio was invited by the French jazz-pope André Francis to "Jazz à la defense" in Paris. In the same year, Gebhardt's music is published on the EFA sampler "Adventures in Guitarland" on which Germany's best-known guitarists at present can be heard.
In 2000 Roland Gebhardt`s CD "Lazy Days", published by the German major label mood records, was chosen "CD of the month" by German professional journals (Gitarre&Bass, Keyboards).
Invitations from the broadcasting stations Saarländischer Rundfunk, Jazz Onyx, RTL, Hessischer Rundfunk, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Südwestrundfunk, Radio Ukraine, Radio Francaise, Bayrischer Rundfunk, Sender Freies Berlin, DeutschlandRadio Berlin, Radio Senegal and the socio-cultural Radio Luxemburg are the stages of his work within national and international media up to now.
The press calls him a "magician on guitar", "a rarity in Germany" and "awfully good".
Roland Gebhardt has many years of experience in teaching acoustic and electric guitar.
Aside from his work as a performing artist and composer, he also has appeared as a clinician at various colleges of music and conservatories (Cologne, Nuremberg, Freiburg, Luxembourg, Nancy, Mainz) and writes workshop columns for nationwide professional journals like for example Gitarre &Bass and Keyboards.
At present endorser for AER-amps, H&K-amps and for Ibanez-guitars and Yamaha-guitars.
Jazz-Fest Saarbrücken, St. Wendel, Luxembourg, Worms, Hildesheim, Heidenheim, St. Ingbert, Arnstadt, Dahn, Flein, Trier, Landstuhl, Brussels, Klagenfurt, Bonn, Aalen, Ostsee-Jazzfest, Hessen Jazzfest, Jazz de la Defense Paris, 2000 Jahr-Feier Saarbrücken, Dritter deutscher Jazz-Rock-Wettbewerb, RENDEZVOUS de l`ERDRE- Nantes, Jazzopen Stuttgart, Staatskanzlei Berlin, Jazzfest Vilshofen, Umbria Jazzfest/ Italien, Thüringer Jazzmeile, Willy Brandt-Ausstellung, Sommermusik Saarbrücken, Harlem Meer Festival, Jazzfest Leverkusen, Artparty Zweibrücken, Central Park Jazz NYC, etc.