Asaf Sirkis is a drummer/percussionist and composer, working mainly in the field of jazz but incorporating influences from rock, Jewish and Middle Eastern music. He was born in Israel in 1969, began drum lessons at the age of 12, and studied for seven years with David Rich. He started playing professionally in the early 90s with many jazz, rock, and free jazz artists in Israel such as Harold Rubin, Albert Beger, Ari Brown, and Emmmanuel Bex. He was also involved in a variety of ethnic musics, playing with different klezmer groups and Middle Eastern music artists such as Yair Dalal and Eyal Sela. From 1994 he recorded and toured Europe with the Amir Perelman trio. While still in Israel Asaf formed his own band, The Asaf Sirkis Trio, with which he toured Israel and recorded his first album, One Step Closer. His second project, a unique trio of drums, electric guitar and church organ named The Inner Noise, was partly commissioned by the department of arts of the Tel-Aviv City Council, and performed around Israel in 1997-8. In April 1999 he moved to London where he soon became a part of the UK jazz and world music scene. During that year he started working with Adel Salameh, a Palestinian Aud player/composer, as well as forming a new lineup of The Inner Noise with Steve Lodder and Mike Outram which has released three albums. In 2000 he met Gilad Atzmon and they formed the Orient House Ensemble, recording 7 albums together before Sirkis left to concentrate on his own projects in 2009. Their album Exile won Best CD at the BBC Jazz Awards 2003 and they were nominated for Best Band the following year. Other major collaborations include Tim Garland's Lighthouse Trio with Gwilym Simcock, Nicolas Meier and Larry Coryell's 'Power Trio'. In 2007 Sirkis formed a new trio with guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos and bassist Yaron Stavi, releasing albums The Monk in 2008 and Letting Go in 2010. http://www.asafsirkis.co.uk
