Jazz Articles about Asaf Sirkis

About Asaf Sirkis

Album Review

Soft Machine has seen many incarnations over the years. The initial iteration of the group, from roughly 1966-1980, and 13 albums, saw no two albums with the same personnel. The band was also arguably one of the first fusion bands. Soft Machine's overall approach was more experimental, incorporating elements of free jazz and minimalism in a unique blend, regardless of who was in the shifting pool. In 1984, Soft Machine finally disbanded and was reunified as Soft Machine Legacy with ...

Album Review

Markus Reuter (featuring Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis): Truce <3

Read "Truce <3" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
October 31, 2025

When German touch guitarist Markus Reuter first united with fretless bassist Fabio Trentini and drummer Asaf Sirkis for their debut album, Truce (MoonJune/Unsung Records, 2020), they established a power trio that defied conventional boundaries. The core concept was simple: three masters of their instruments, no pre-composed material and complete trust in the moment. The group's methodology, creating music spontaneously without charts, demands absolute proficiency. On this album, they anticipate one another's next move flawlessly. They are not just ...

Album Review

Mark Wingfield: The Gathering

Read "The Gathering" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
February 17, 2025

Mark Wingfield's The Gathering is not for the faint of heart or those who prefer their music neatly categorized. This is not background music--it is a sonic assault course demanding your full attention. Wingfield, a British guitar hero who clearly enjoys pushing boundaries, has assembled a supergroup of instrumentalists who seem to be having as much fun defying expectations as creating them. Gary Husband, a musical chameleon who switches from delicate piano to thunderous drums in the blink of an ...

Album Review

Tim Garland: Moment Of Departure

Read "Moment Of Departure" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
May 2, 2024

For Tim Garland, the title, Moment of Departure, describes the “dive into the fresh unknown as improvisors, leaving the solid ground of what has been composed." Many of the tracks were inspired by the free-flowing artwork of Turkish painter Esra Kizir Gokcen. Her own migrant narrative provides the alternative meaning for the title. This combination of musical control and liberty has been at the heart of the Lighthouse Trio, who will mark their 20th anniversary in 2024. The ...

Album Review

Emma Rawicz: Chroma

by Tom Spargo
September 1, 2023

There are only so many times that one can use phrases such as “emerging talent" or “upcoming star" before one must concede that the artist in question has in fact made it into the major league of jazz. With the August 2023 release of her second full-length album Chroma on the label ACT, this is precisely the point that tenor saxophonist Emma Rawicz has reached in her career. Building upon her successes from 2022, which involved featuring as a finalist ...

Liner Notes

Dwiki Dharmawan: Pasar Klewer

by John Kelman
May 10, 2023

Indonesian keyboard star Dwiki Dharmawan returns following his 2015 MoonJune Records debut, the more fusion-heavy So Far, So Close, with the even more ambitious Pasar Klewer. This vibrant, acoustic piano-driven two-CD set features the cream of Britain's younger expat crop, blending with Indonesian musicians to create a passionate, seamless cultural cross-pollination. Bassist Yaron Stavi and drummer/percussionist Asaf Sirkis form the core trio with Dharmawan, while reed multi-instrumentalist Gilad Atzmon, Gamelan musical virtuoso Aris Daryono and guitarists Nicolas Meier ...

Radio & Podcasts

Asaf Sirkis, Spherical Agenda, Shawn Glide, Nguyen Le, Karim Ziad

by Len Davis
September 3, 2021

New music from Asaf Sirkis of his release Solar Flash featuring Gary Husband. From Ohio, Spherical Agenda with their new single “Guts" from their upcoming album Arcane Wisdom and some obscure music from Turkey and the UK. A special feature, Ethnic Embraces to highlight a series on All About Jazz written by Mike Jacobs called BackTracks. Playlist Asaf Sirkis “Kinship" fromSolar Flash Moonjune) 00:00 Asaf Sirkis “Aquila" from Solar Flash (Moonjune) 06:23 Spherical Agenda “Guts" from Arcane Wisdom ...