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Asaf Sirkis

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Asaf Sirkis
Asaf playing the drums 2014
Asaf playing the drums 2014
Background information
Born (1969-03-22) March 22, 1969 (age 55)
Petah-Tiquah, Israel
GenresJazz-fusion, rock, world music
Occupation(s)Drummer, composer, Educator
Instrument(s)Drums, Percussionist
Years active1989–present
LabelsStonedbird Productions, ACT Music, Universal, 33 Record, Cam Jazz, Caligula
WebsiteOfficial website

Asaf Sirkis (born 1969 in Petah-Tikva, Israel) is an Israeli jazz drummer,[1] composer and educator now resident in London, UK. Sirkis is mostly known for his unique style of drumming and composition.

Early life

Sirkis spent his teens and early twenties in Rehovot, Israel where he began drum lessons aged 12. His early musical influences where classical music, Arabic music, Balkan music, Klazmer, Pop, and Israeli folk music. He completed national service 1987–1990. In 1990 he started his professional career working as an all around drummer in Israel. He has played with some of Israel's jazz and world music luminaries such as Harold Rubin, Albert Beger, Yair Dalal, Eyal Sela and many more.

Career

Sirkis moved from Rehovot to Tel Aviv in 1993, and formed his first trio in 1995 featuring Kobi Arad on keyboards and Gabriel Mayer on electric bass. After recording his first trio album One Step Closer (1996) and touring Israel with the trio he formed a new band, The Inner Noise, in 1997. The Inner Noise is a unique trio and was the first jazz/rock group to incorporate drums, church organ and drums.

He left Israel in 1998, settling in London in 1999.[2] In 2000 Sirkis re-formed the Inner Noise trio with Steve Lodder on church organ and Mike Outram on guitar. The band has recorded three acclaimed albums since 2000 (Inner Noise, We Are Falling and The Song Within). In 2000 he met Gilad Atzmon with whom he formed The Orient House Ensemble and recorded 7 albums, including Exile, which won "Best CD of the Year" at the BBC Jazz Award 2003 while the band was nominated for "Best Band" in 2004. After almost 10 years in the OHE, Sirkis left the band in 2009 to focus on his solo career and other collaborations.

Since 2006 Sirkis has been collaborating with reeds player and composer Tim Garland with whom he toured the world and recorded many albums. He has also worked with Larry Coryell, Gwilym Simcock,[3] John Abercrombie, Kenny Wheeler, Gary Husband, Kit Downes, Andy Sheppard, Bob Sheppard, Mark Egan, Soft Machine, John Etheridge, Mark Wingfield, Nicolas Meier, David Binney, Norman Watt-Roy, Wilko Johnson, Maciek Pysz, Jeff Berlin, Billy Sherwood and many more.

Since 2014, Sirkis has co-led the Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet together with Polish singer Sylwia Bialas. The Quartet features pianist Frank Harrison and USA bassist/harmonica player Patrick Bettison. Their first album Come To Me was released in November 2014 at the London Jazz Festival. The new album received some great reviews world-wide and the band has toured extensively since its release date.

Sirkis' musical influences include The Beatles, The Police, Yes, Genesis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Allan Holdsworth, Olivier Messiaen, Carnatic Music, and Weather Report.[4]

Education

In recent years, Sirkis has been studying the art of the south Indian vocal percussion (konnakol) at the Tamil centre in west London under the guidance of master percussionist Mr. Paramasamy Kirupakaran and from various other sources. Asaf has developed a simple, step-by-step method of practicing konnakol that can help any instrumentalist or vocalist of any musical genre and level to increase rhythmic awareness and focus. Nowadays, Sirkis is involved in a variety of educational work, bringing konnakol as a useful tool of understanding rhythm to western musicians. Notably he has given many workshops and seminars around the world on the subject and has a YouTube channel with some basic konnakol tutorials.

Discography

As leader and collaborator

Asaf recording at Eascote Studios, London 2014
  • (2014) The Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet, Come To Me
  • (2013) Asaf Sirkis Trio, Shepherd's Stories - selected twice as one of the best albums of 2013 by the All About Jazz website
  • (2012) Simcock/Garland/Sirkis, Lighthouse ACT
  • (2010) Asaf Sirkis Trio, Letting Go
  • (2008) Asar Sirkis Trio, The Monk - jazz CD of the week in The Evening Standard
  • (2007) Asaf Sirkis & The Inner Noise, The Song Within
  • (2005) Asaf Sirkis & The Inner Noise, We are Falling
  • (2003) Asaf Sirkis & The Inner Noise, Inner Noise - CD of the year in Australian Radio
  • (1998) Asaf Sirkis Trio, One Step Closer

Album releases with others (early years, Israel 1990-1999)

  • (1990) Biological Madness - Biological Madness
  • (1991) Odeon - Odeon
  • (1992) Tact - Downtown
  • (1993) Harold Rubin - Trialog
  • (1993) Changes - Changes
  • (1994) Rami Shuler - With One Breath
  • (1994) Return To Zero - Return To Zero
  • (1994) Fantasy Jazz Trio - F.J.T.
  • (1995) Albert Beger - The Primitive
  • (1995) Return To Zero - Back For More
  • (1996) Harold Rubin - Blue Bag
  • (1997) Albert Beger - This Life
  • (1997) Amir Perelman Trio - Trio 97 Vol. 1
  • (1998) Eyal Maoz & Asaf Sirkis - Freedom Has Its Own Taste
  • (1999) Christoph Spendel - The Three Worlds

Album releases with others (London, from 1999)

  • (1999) Adel Salameh - Nuzha
  • (2000) Gilad Atzmon & the Orient House Ensemble - Orient House
  • (2001) Eyal Sela - Sela
  • (2001) Gilad Atzmon & the Orient House Ensemble - Nostalgico
  • (2001) Various Artists - The More We Know: 30 Years of Enja Records
  • (2001) Nick Homes - Not Tonight''
  • (2002) The Meier Group - Ribbon in the Wind
  • (2002) Simon Fisher Turner - Swift
  • (2002) Phil Robson - Impish
  • (2002) Mark Latimer - Unhinged, Take 2
  • (2002) Lee Gibson - Songs Of Time And Place
  • (2003) Gilad Atzmon and the Orient House Ensemble - Exile
  • (2003) John Williams - Tenorama
  • (2003) Nick Homes - Indian Summer
  • (2004) Gilad Atzmon & the Orient House Ensemble - MusiK
  • (2005) Tim Garland's Lighthouse - If The Sea Replied
  • (2005) Nicolas Meier Group - Orient
  • (2005) Simon Fisher Turner - LANA LARA LATA
  • (2005) Tassos Spiliotopoulos Quartet - Wait For Dusk
  • (2005) John Donaldson Trio - Music Box
  • (2006) Alcyona Mick - Around the Sun
  • (2006) Gilad Atzmon Presents Artie Fishel & The Promised Band - Artie Fishel
  • (2006) Klaus Gesing - Heart Luggage
  • (2007) Nicolas Meier - YUZ
  • (2007) Glauco Venier & Yuri Goloubev - Homage a Duke
  • (2007) Sirkis/Venier/Goloubev - Intermezzo
  • (2007) Tim Garland - The Mystery (featuring Chick Corea)
  • (2007) Law/Burgess/Sirkis - The Art of Sound Volume 1
  • (2007) Gilad Atzmon & The Orient House Ensemble - Refuge
  • (2007) Dan Stern - Traces
  • (2007) Tim Garland - The Northern Underground Orchestra
  • (2008) SGS Group (Sirkis/Goloubev/Simcock) - Presents...
  • (2008) Nicolas Meier - Silence Talks
  • (2008) Massimo Colombo Trio - Il Goico Delle Forme
  • (2009) Sarah Gillespie - Stalking Juliet
  • (2009) Tim Garland Lighthouse Trio - Libra
  • (2009) Yuri Goloubev - Metafore Semplici
  • (2009) Gilad Atzmon - In Loving Memory of America
  • (2009) Polly Scattergood - Polly Scattergood
  • (2009) John Law's Art Of Sound Trio - Volume 4, Congregation
  • (2009) Nicolas Meier - Journey
  • (2009) Simon Fisher Turner - Music From Films You Should Have Seen
  • (2009) Nicolas Meier Trios - Breeze
  • (2009) Asaf Sirkis & Eyal Maoz Duo - Elementary Dialogues
  • (2010) Asaf Sirkis/Sassi Mizrachi/Kobi Arad - Vagabond
  • (2010) Jonathan Cohen's Time Loves Changes Octet - Life Cycles
  • (2010) Tassos Spiliotopoulos - Archipelagos
  • (2011) Alex Hutton Trio - Legentis
  • (2011) Yuri Goloubev Trio - Titanic for a Bike
  • (2011) Carlo Magni Quartet - Notturni
  • (2012) John Law Congregation Featuring Asaf Sirkis & Yuri Goloubev - Three Leaps Of the Gazelle
  • (2013) Nicolas Meier Group - From Istanbul to Ceuta With a Smile
  • (2013) Maciek Pysz Trio - Insight
  • (2013) Norman Watt-Roy - Faith & Grace
  • (2014) Tim Garland's Lighthouse - Songs For The North Sky
  • (2014) Fabienne Ambuhl Trio - Glitterwood
  • (2015) Mark Wingfield - Proof Of Light
  • (2015) Alex Hutton Trio - Magna Carta Suit
  • (2015) Noel Langley - Edentide
  • (2015) Maciek Pysz - A Journey
  • (2016) Marco Cortesi - Spring Thing

References

  1. ^ Auftakt für Internationales Palatia Jazz Festival in Speyer, Welt Online, 6 June 2012
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Jazz breaking news: Gwilym Simcock, Tim Garland and Asaf Sirkis shine as luminous Lighthouse fill the Forge, by Stephen Graham, 16 May 2012
  4. ^ [2]

Selected reviews

Selected interviews

Other

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