Tuesday, 21 January, 2020
Sirkis / Bialas International Quartet
Asaf Sirkis – Drums & Percussion
Sylwia Bialas – Vocals, Waterphone
Frank Harrison – Piano & Keyboards
Kevin Glasgow – Electric Bass
Rhythmic world music meets contemporary jazz in this masterclass from the leaders of the Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet. Asaf is a jazz drummer whose influences include classical music, Arab music, Balkan music, Klezmer, pop, and Israeli folk music. Sylwia is a Polish singer, known for her unique vocal style from a flexible, constantly evolving timbre and instrumental approach to improvisation.
Press quote from a live gig review at the Duncairn Art Centre in Belfast
On the evidence of this concert the upcoming second album (Our New Earth) from Sirkis/Bialas IQ should help further establish the quartet as one of the most interesting of contemporary jazz ensembles. With music this uplifting, so sensitively and passionately rendered, it`s hard not to be seduced…
Ian Patterson, All About Jazz
European jazz is promised a virtually limitless future if it continues to stick close to its European roots embedded in the subsoil of specific regional cultures, and it continues to be performed by bands as imaginative as the SBIQ.
Bill Bruford, Liner notes, “Our New Earth”. Surrey 2019