Christos Asonitis Quintet
Christos Asonitis is a Greek drummer, who was born in Athens in 1974. Following his active career in music, he left behind the local jazz scene and moved to Munich in 2012. His own debut album - “Ode To The Light” (Timezone Records) - features him not only as a drummer but also as composer and arranger. His compositions were inspired by his knowledge of Greek history and mythology as well as his personal experiences in his homeland. Apart from containing contemporary jazz elements, his music is also in symbiosis with folk music – incorporating lyrical polyphonic elements and occasionally complex rhythms.
Members of the quintet:
Christos Asonitis (GRE) – drums, composition
Christian Eberhard (DEU) – trumpet
Mark Pusker (HUN) – alto saxophone, clarinet
Maruan Sakas (DEU) – piano
Lorenz Heigenhuber (DEU) – double bass
Past Members:
Bastien Rieser (DEU) – trumpet
Discography: An Ode To The Light (2018)
“Everything in “An Ode To The Light” reflects quality. It is dense and impenetrable jazz, built by extraordinary virtuosity and exquisite use of space. At the same time it is also transparent jazz, open to different interpretations by the listener; sensitive to feelings, and generous in images.” (Antonis Kalamoutsos, Againstthesilence, January 2018)
“An album that adorns the contemporary Greek jazz discography (...) Asonitis knows how to prepare and build uniquely beautiful pieces, taking all of his musicians.” (Fontas Troussas, Vinylmine, October 2018)
“This album is particularly characterized by sensitivity in relation to the musical stylistic devices and also the expressive possibilities of the instruments. One can feel that this music has a message – and not just via the accompanying words!” (Michael Schmidt, Bayerischer Rundfunk, June 2018)
“The focus of this album is community, humanity and interaction (...) unity of expression (...) Even passages of more than ten minutes remain interesting and unencumbered by annoying lengths!” (Oliver Fraenzke, The New Listener, March 2018)
