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Sirkis/Bialas IQ: Our New Earth
by Ian Patterson
A lament for our damaged earth, a prayer for a better future, Sirkis/Bialas IQ's second recording, after its well-received debut Come To Me (Stonebird Productions, 2015), is an ambitious, far-reaching work. Contemporary jazz with a world view, Our New Earth draws from Middle Eastern, Southern Indian carnatic, Eastern European folk and contemporary classical traditions. That it all flows together so seamlessly says much for the writing and arrangements of Asaf Sirkis and Sylwia Bialas. It also underlines the benefits of ...
read moreMarkus Reuter: Truce
by Mark Sullivan
German touch-guitarist Markus Reuter has been heard in a variety of contexts: with Stick Men, providing bass, lead and soundscaping as on Panamerica (MoonJune Records, 2019); and with guitarist Mark Wingfield on The Stone House (MoonJune Records, 2017) and Lighthouse (MoonJune Records, 2017). His eight-string touch guitar covers both bass and guitar ranges, often making it difficult to differentiate his parts from the other group members. No such confusion here: for its historic 100th release, MuneJune Records features ...
read moreSirkis/Bialas IQ: Our New Earth
by Mark Sullivan
Established in 2014, when this band released its first album Come To Me (Stonebird Productions, 2015; limited distribution by MoonJune Records) it called itself The Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet. It has shortened the name to Sirkis/Bialas IQ, but it's still international: Asaf Sirkis (drums) is an Israeli living in England; Sylwia Bialas (vocals) is a Pole living in Germany; Frank Harrison (keyboards) is English; and Scot Kevin Glasgow (six string electric bass) replaces American Patrick Bettison (electric bass/chromatic harmonica).
read moreSirkis/Bialas International Quartet at Duncairn Arts Centre
by Ian Patterson
Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet Duncairn Arts Centre jny:Belfast, N. Ireland March 22, 2018 Coming so soon after Belfast's annual jazz festival, Brilliant Corners, the appearance of Sirkis/Bialas IQ at Duncairn Arts Centre was a real treat for jazz fans. Better still, the concert was free, sponsored as it was by the Institute for Conflict Research. Since 1996 the non-profit ICR, which is based in Belfast, has worked with community groups in a host of ...
read moreDwiki Dharmawan: Pasar Klewer
by Dave Wayne
Another day, another two- disc set. Or so it seems. Fortunately, one does not have to wade through Dwiki Dharmawan's Pasar Klewer. Despite some odd choices in track sequence one may even wonder ..."is that all?" after the second disc has finished its spin. Dharmawan is an Indonesian jazz pianist who, like so many of his countrymen, has found a rich vein of inspiration in the folk and ethnic musics of his native land. It's worth noting that Dharmawan is ...
read moreAsaf Sirkis Trio: Shepherd's Stories
by John Kelman
It's getting to the point where it's almost impossible to pigeonhole an artist into any one category---and that can't be anything but a good thing. Sure, some people like to think of the artists they love as jazz, rock or classical musicians, but the truth is that, more and more, musicians simply want to be thought of as people who play music. Still, there's an intrinsic need to categorize music, if for no other reason than to help provide some ...
read moreAsaf Sirkis Trio: Shepherd's Stories
by Ian Patterson
Maybe it's the unfashionably hot weather that's hit the UK in recent summers, but there's something almost cheery about drummer Asaf Sirkis' Shepherd Stories. Sirkis' church organ/guitar based Inner Noise recordings wove a jazz-gothic tale, while The Monk (SAM Productions, 2008)--with guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos and bassist Yaron Stavi--balanced tantalizingly between pretty melancholy and a slightly dark aesthetic. That said, a lyrical vein has always permeated Sirkis' music Letting Go (Stonebird Productions, 2010) signaled the trio's move toward less introspective and ...
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