MINDTHEGAP is an instrumental piano trio born in Transylvania that belongs to the new generation of cross genre Romanian jazz groups, with a unique style defined by a complex sound reminding of film music, nu jazz, fusion and progressive rock.

Despite the classic format of the trio (keys, bass and drums), MINDTHEGAP’s music creates a genuine blend of varied genres by using a modern approach of playing classical instruments, but also by adding different elementsfrom electronic, rock and world music.

Created by Ştefan ORMENIŞAN (composer, keys) in 2023 together with two young musicians, Alex CIOATĂ (composer, bass) and Tamás ISZLAI (drums), MINDTHEGAP has quickly gained recognition, playing at prestigious festivals in Romania, such as Garana Jazz Fest, Electric Castle, Jazz in the Park and many others. Awarded in 2025 as Best Romanian Act at Jazz in the Park Competition,the band has released three albums so far, Distant Signals (2024), Motherland (2025/live album with Flow.Strings Quartet) and Unspoken, the second studio album released at the end of 2025.

The story of the band starts in beautiful Transylvania, where Ştefan grew up playing piano since early childhood and being part of different local bands. After a long musical sabbatical period, while he became an award-winning creative director, Ştefan decides to restart his musical career by creating his first jazz trio, trying to find the right musicians to express his artistic beliefs in music.

This is how, a very talented strings musician - Alex CIOATĂ - and a creative drummer - Tamás ISZLAI - joins MINDTHEGAP Trio to form a bold and fervent group. Weather performing on the stage or in the studio, the trio’s ability to mix together different sounds and musical influences results in imerssive experiences that are both unexpected and captivating.

Their compositions are inspired by the multicultural diversity of Transylvania, with raw and emotional harmonic schemes blending improvised solo’s and complex rhythms, allowing the audience to enjoy a diverse and unique soundscape.

MINDTHEGAP Trio stands out of the crowd on the contemporary jazz scene by showing an ensemble leading rather than the traditional single leader scheme, allowing the music to benefit from the shared creative development and the concept of unity through diversity.