MaxMantis plays the soundtrack of these three musical superheros inspired by Marvel, DC and jazz.
Individually, the three members of MaxMantis are virtuosic – together they are musical superheroes. The Switzerland-based trio has three albums to its name and has played countless club dates and international festivals since it came together in 2015. Some highlights include the Perth International Jazz Festival and Melbourne International Jazz Festival in 2017, and Circuito de Jazz, Festival Tour (Colombia), and Suisse Diagonales, Festival Tour in 2019.
MaxMantis is made up of three players, Lukas Gernet (JeffMantis) on piano, Rafael Jerjen (RexMantis) on bass, and Samuel Buettiker (BobMantis) on drums. As well as being accomplished players, each player is an experienced educator and in-demand performer for a number of international acts.
Lukas grew up in a musical family active in the Swiss folk-music scene, which urged him to start playing and exploring this music at an early age. Today he is a prominent figure in the Swiss folk scene as a member of the Laendler band Glaeuffig, with which he has had numerous live television dates on Swiss radio and TV.
Lukas studied Jazz under Hans Fiegenwinter, Colin Vallon and Bert Joris at the Hochschule Luzern and Hochschule der Kuenste Bern (Switzerland). He has performed and toured in Italy, Canada, Spain, Austria, Germany and Australia and spent time living and working in Vienna.
As well as being a bass player, Rafael is also a composer and educator. Based in Lucerne, he was educated at the Australian National University (under bassist Eric Ajaye), in New York (with John Patitucci), Berlin, and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Lucerne (with Heiri Kaenzig). Rafael also studied composition with renowned composer and big band leader, Ed Partyka (USA/Austria) and Grammy Award-winning arranger/composer Bill Cunliffe (Los Angeles).
Active as a composer, arranger and bandleader, Rafael leads the Rafael Jerjen Concept and MaxMantis, and has toured extensively in South America, Australia and Europe. His creative output has won awards both in Australia and internationally and he has recorded and shared the stage with some of the biggest names in jazz in Europe, the USA and Australasia.
Samuel started his Studies on drums at the Hochschule Luzern in Switzerland and in 2014 graduated with a Masters of Arts in music pedagogy. He plays and records with various groups and bands within Switzerland and tours locally and internationally. Samuel has taken private lessons with John Hollenbeck, JoJo Meyer and Marcus Gilmore and attended the Generations in Jazz Festival in Frauenfeld in 2014 where he worked closely with Luis Nash, Don Friedman and Seamus Blake. Samuel tours and records regularly with Samuel Leipold, Toni Bechtold, Gisela Horat Trio and MaxMantis. In addition to his jazz career, he is the drummer for the indie-rock band Troimer.
