Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet: Come To Me

7

The Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet: Come To Me

By

Sign in to view read count
The Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet: Come To Me
Led by drummer Asaf Sirkis and vocalist Sylwia Bialas, the International Quartet is completed by pianist Frank Harrison (a long-time collaborator with Sirkis in Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble) and bassist Patrick Bettison. Come To Me is the band's debut, a collection of original compositions by Sirkis and Białas that heralds the arrival of a strong and original writing partnership as well as a musically inventive quartet.

The International Quartet is a genuinely multinational ensemble: Sirkis was born in Israel, Białas in Poland, Bettison grew up in Australia and Harrison is British. The quartet recorded Come To Me in England and Germany during 2014—the sound mixes elements of mainstream jazz with East European folk to create music that achieves its impact with an understated grace.

Białas divides her contributions almost equally across the 10 tracks between wordless vocalising ("Orgon" or "Magnolia," for example) and the delivery of her own lyrics, sung in Polish. She's a vocalist of impressive range, both technically and emotionally—"Orgon" features an anguished wail of primal intensity, on "Orbs" she sings with gentleness and fragility of a love ..."strangled by banality," on the more optimistic "Come To Me" she communicates this optimism and positivity with subtlety.

Sirkis, Bettison and Harrison share duties pretty equally as rhythm players, lead players and soloists. Bettison favors the electric bass guitar, his warm-toned and fluid style complementing Sirkis' fluid percussion and Harrison's spacious, lyrical piano. The bassist also contributes chromatic harmonica to four tracks. The addition of this distinctive instrument adds a plaintive quality to the songs when it does appear—his introduction to "Mandragora," in duet with Harrison, sets the scene for one of Białas' most affecting vocalisations.

Track Listing

Come To Me; Dreams Dreams; Vortex; Ismael; A Hymn; Mandragora; The One; Magnolia; Orbs; Orgon

Personnel

Asak Sirkis: drums; Sywia Bialas: vocals; Frank Harrison: piano, keyboards; Patrick Bettison: bass guitar, chromatic harmonica.

Album information

Title: Come To Me | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Stonedbird Productions

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.