ASAF SIRKIS

drummer composer educator

2023 review and looking forward to 2024!

December 13, 2023  /  Asaf Sirkis

Its been a while! Here are some news:

For all of us, 2020 has been a challenge and everyone I talked to have gone through something life changing whether in music or personal life. Around August of 2020, I’ve rediscovered my love for writing music and started to create more. In September that year, I’ve started a YouTube video series called ‘Time For Space music diary’ which features new and old music written for the drums. Here’s a link to the YouTube playlist. Time For Space is a free of charge and advert free YouTube series but if you’d like to support my work, please follow this link to my Patreon page.

Since 2021, as travel restrictions eased and touring resumed, I have been lucky to form some new exciting collaborations in 2022 and 2023. Firstly, joining Emma Rawicz’ Quintet. Emma (saxophonist, composer, band leader) is a fantastic new rising star on the Jazz scene. Her band features Ivo Neam (piano), Ant Law (guitar), Conor Chaplin (bass), myself on drums. Her new album ‘Chroma’ is out now on the ACT record label. I’ll be busy touring with Emma in 2024 across Europe and the UK.

My new album ‘The Journey Is You’ featuring Frank Harrison (piano), David Preston (guitar), Kevin Glasgow (bass), Sylwia Bialas (vocals) and myself on drums has been mixed and will be out around spring of 2024. A lot of the songs on this album can be heard on my ‘Time For Space’ YouTube video series in their early, shortened versions.

In January 2023 I have joined legendary British jazz-rock band Soft Machine and been touring, recording with Softs world-wide. Needless to say, this has been a very exciting new collaboration for me and I’m hugely enjoying working (and hanging) with the band. Soft Machine was established in 1966 (before I was born!) and had some of my favorite musicians of all times such as Robert Wyatt, Allan Holdsworth, John Etheridge, John Marshall, Mike Ratledge, and many more. In 2023 we played in USA, UK and Europe as well as recording a single for My Only Desire record company which will be released in early 2024. Plans are being made for us to come back to USA in 2024 in June, July, September and October, as well as UK and Europe (more details on my tour dates page)

Huge pleasure to play again with Jeff Berlin. I’ve known Jeff for a long time and we’ve played together occasionally with guitarist Larry Coryell’s trio and his own band, the BESA quartet. This time, Jeff brought his own band to Europe in April 2023 and I was happy I could make this tour!

More Moonjune adventures! Most of you probably know that I’ve been collaborating with Leonardo Pavkovic (Moonjune record company) since 2016. In 2023 we’ve released a few albums such as the Anchor & Burden band album ‘Kosmonautik Pilgrimage’. Its always a huge pleasure for me to be a part of this new and forward looking music. Beledo’s new album featuring Gary Husband (keyboards), Carles Benavent (bass), Jorge Padro (flute), Beledo (guitar and piano) and myself on drums will be released sometime in 2024. Stay tuned for more…

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tags / soft machine, drums play along, drums, Emma Rawicz

The world is changing

January 22, 2021  /  Asaf Sirkis

Hi folks, its been a little while since my last blog entry….I hope you’re all feeling OK and healthy.

2020 has been, for all of us, a bit of a roller coaster as it was for me. As touring been my life and work since the early 90’s, its been a bit of a shocker.

But, with all that happened, I feel lucky to be alive and where I am at the moment of writing this post. I’ve found more time to write music, work on an album, write a book, make music and educational videos and just reflect on stuff.

Here are a few things I’ve been up to:

  1. I’ve started a video series on my YouTube Channel called ‘Time For Space - Music Diary’ where I make short videos of new and old tunes that where never released before. Here’s the link. I hope you’ll enjoy it. I’m very happy with this series and enjoy making these videos.

  2. Working on my next solo album ‘Solar Flash’ featuring the amazing Gary Husband on Keyboards, bass wizard Kevin Glasgow, myself on drums and also Sylwia Bialas on vocals and Mark Wingfield on guitar as guests on a few songs. The album should come out later this year on MoonJune records.

  3. I’ve made a few more videos about Konnakol as a part of the ‘Mastering Rhythm With Konnakol’ video series and also been interviewing some great masters of rhythm and south Indian music such as Trichy Sankaran, Ari Hoenig, Vijay Ayer. Manjunath B C, and many more.

  4. Writing the Mastering Rhythm With Konnakol book. This is something I just started and will take some time but if you’re already a subscriber on my Patreon page you’ll see some of it there (for as little as £1.5 per month).

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Ambleside Days Festival, August 2019

September 01, 2019  /  Asaf Sirkis

It has been a pleasure to play at the Ambleside Days Festival 2019.

Five intense day of music and musicianships featuring:

Tim Garland, Gwilym Simcock, Yuri Golubev, Mike Walker, Yaron Stavi, Bernhard Schimpelsberger, Jason Rebello, Hermine Deurloo, Alice Zawadzki, Les Chiserables, John Helliwell & myself…

Photos by David Forman

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YOUTUBE CHANNEL IS BACK

April 13, 2019  /  Asaf Sirkis  /  Source

Hi Folks,

So, in January this year (2019) I’ve made a desision to revitalize my YouTube channel. Since about 2009 I’ve posted a few clips here and there and always enjoyed people’s reactions. This time, I’ve launched ‘Mastering Rhythm With Konnakol’ - a weekly tutorial series about the basics of Konnakol and about understanding rhythm for instrumentalists and vocalists of any level and genre. I’m passionate about spreading the word and bringing value to people, especially to those musicians who are struggling with their rhythm as I feel, very strongly, that rhythm is often overlooked in western music education.

Here’s a link to ‘Mastering Rhythm With Konnakol’ series. Videos are uploaded weekly

And here’s a link to the YouTube channel

Thanks and hope you’ll enjoy the new videos,

Asaf

AMBLESIDE DAYS FESTIVAL, August 2018

September 21, 2018  /  Asaf Sirkis

It was a big pleasure to join the family of these fantastic Jazz musicians at the 'Ambleside Days' Jazz Festival at Zeffirelli's and Fellinis.

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Big Thanks to :

Claire Martin OBE – Voice
Thomas Gould – Violin
Paul McCandless – Saxophones
Tim Garland – Saxophones
Nikki Iles – Piano
Jason Rebello – Piano
Gwilym Simcock – Piano
Mike Walker – Guitar
Joe Locke – Vibraphone
Alyn Cosker – Drums
Martin Berauer – Bass
Bernhard Schimpelsberger – Percussion
Mark Lockheart – Saxophones
Darryl Hall – Bass
Yuri Goloubev – Bass
John Helliwell – Saxophone


for a great musicianship and unforgettable moments.

Photos by David Forman

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Photo by Bernhard Schimpelsberger

Photo by Bernhard Schimpelsberger

INDONESIAN TOUR 2018 WITH DWIKI DHARMAWAN, AUGUST 2018

September 21, 2018  /  Asaf Sirkis

Memories from an amazing time in Indonesia. Great music, great people, great food and the magic of Indonesian hospitality.

Big thanks to:

DWIKI DHARMAWAN &

Eko Balung, Bernard Maseli, Joe Rosenberg,Dewi Gontha, Dewi Gita, Donny Hardono,Leonardo MoonJune Pavkovic, Dimawan,Dimawan Krisnowo Adji,  Peni Candrarini, Kamal Musallam and Ade Rudiana.

for a great musicianship and amazing time together!

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Casa Murada Studio Sessions, May 2018

September 21, 2018  /  Asaf Sirkis

It was an honor and again a huge pleasure to record some new albums for MoonJune Records.

Here some photo Memories from the recording with Maestros: Gary Husband on keys & drums, Kevin Glasgow on electric bass and Mark Wingfield on electric guitars…

Casa Murada Studio

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Ambleside Days - Festival 2017 in memory of John Taylor

September 21, 2018  /  Asaf Sirkis

It was a real pleasure and a big honor to spend almost 5 memorable days in the beautiful scenery of Ambleside and to share the stage with those fantastic musicians: Dave Holland, Joe Locke, Gwilym Simcock, Norma Winstone, Mike Walker, Stan Sulzmann, John Helliwell, Nikki Iles, James Maddren, Darryl Hall, Mark Lockheart and Steve Watts. It was a great beginning of many musical friendships. 

Big thanks to all the musical colleges, their families and a special THANK YOU to Derek Hook for making all that possible and taking care of each little detail. 

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Memories from the gig with Shri Sriram and the Hammonds Saltaire Brass Band at the Manchester Jazz Festival 2017

July 31, 2017  /  Asaf Sirkis

Shri – Just a Vibration

Shri – Just A Vibration By Duncan Lomax

Shri Sriram (bass, flute, vocals)/Jasdeep Singh Degun (sitar)/Asaf Sirkis (drums)/Members of the Hammonds Saltaire Brass Band. Conductor: Morgan Griffiths

Salon Perdu

A powerful and innovative meeting of musical minds and imaginations, in which Indian classical and street music meets the British brass band tradition, with jazz, drum‘n’bass and dubstep thrown in for good measure. Composer-producer Shri Sriram creates a fascinating and enjoyable ‘Bombay mix’ of styles in this big-sounding, fun, lively BASCA-prize winning crossover work. Shri is joined by seventeen members of the Hammonds Saltaire Brass Band. 

“Just a Vibration is about bringing Indian classical and street music, melodies and concepts to the Brass Band to make engaging, dynamic music with the very unusual, cross-cultural combination of brass band, sitar, bass and drums. The influences range from Bombay street music, jazz, brass, Indian classical, Bollywood, R.D. Burman, Wagner, drum’n’bass, dub-step, Mariachi and more. They all seem to exist harmoniously in the same space – as it is all nothing more than just a vibration!”

“It’s a powerful & innovative meeting of musical minds and imaginations, in which Indian classical and street music meets the British brass band tradition with jazz, drum ‘n’ bass & dub step thrown in for good measure. It’s a compelling ‘Bombay mix’ of styles that works because it is the brain child of one man, the multi-instrumentalist, writer and producer Shri Sriram”
British Bandsman, Paul Hindmarsh

“An entertainingly varied set that would make great film music.”
The Guardian

“The set was amazing – I’m still tapping my foot! What an epic concept!”
East London Radio

“This was like drinking a huge pot of the most indulgent creamy hot chocolate, splashed with a heavy dose of brandy combined – 10/10.”
Huddersfield Examiner

PHOTOS BY SYLWIA BIALAS:

Shri Sriram – Just a Vibration (review by Adrian Pallant)

The visual spectacle of sitar player, drummer and electric bassist surrounded by brass band stands and pennants might well have been sufficient to tempt onlookers to stay – and the opening, widescreen grandeur of Shri Sriram’s music would surely have rooted them to the spot. Melding Indian classical music from the sitar of Jasdeep Singh Degun and the evocative Yorkshire brass vibrato of the Hammonds Saltaire Band with Sriram’s thunderous bass and Asaf Sirkis’s skilled drumming might, on the face of it, have been an unlikely concept. But Sunday’s evening slot presented the bassist/producer’s 2015 album Just a Vibration to enthusiastic festival-goers. 

The unusual body shape of Sriram’s self-made electric bass allows him to explore arco sounds alongside traditional methods, his looped effects filling the air with sweet fragrances in-between vast soundscapes. The subtle vibrato of Saltaire’s brass, under the direction of Morgan Griffiths, created intense, visceral drama (experienced, for us all, in genuine inner physicality) through deeply sustained resonance, brassy stabs and the kind of textural panoramas that seem unique to a traditional British brass band sound – and their focus was spot-on. 

Sriram’s programmatic balance was excellent, the extraordinary delicacy of Degun’s sitar so sweetly executed before it mesmerically intensified; in-demand drummer and percussionist Sirkis (the anchor of so many jazz and jazz-rock productions these days) was given free rein to underpin with heavy energy; and Sriram’s combination of adept konnakol and limitless fretboard exploration with effects was fascinating to witness. An unexpected delight for an attentive, rapt audience – and perhaps the biggest movie score of all time!