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About us
Asefa is both a core and a collective. The core performs as part of all concert and private events, enriching the ensemble with additional instruments when the moment calls for more. |
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The core:
Samuel Thomas
Samuel R. Thomas, performer and academic, holds two Bachelor of Music degrees from Berklee College of Music in Jazz Composition and Performance, a Masters of Music from City University of New York--Brooklyn College, Masters of Philosophy from City University of New York-Graduate Center, and is currently a Ph.D candidate in Ethnomusicology at the City University of New York. Thomas is a woodwind specialist (saxophone, nay, clarinet, flute), percussionist, composer and vocalist.ÝThomas is founder and bandleader ofÝAsefa,Ýan ensemble devoted to contemporary approaches to composition, improvisation, and fusion drawn from Sephardic, north African and jazz traditions. HisÝethnomusicological research centers on north African musical traditions, Arab music, Jewish music research, Ýpopular music studies (non-western, American and jazz). Thomas is also executive director of JATM (Jewish Awareness Through Music), an applied ethnomusicology organization focused on cultural exchange through music.
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Thomas currently performs worldwide and presents programming/workshops on different music topics, including world music, jazz, composition, improvisation and instrumental performance. Thomas is currently an adjunct faculty at CUNY-John Jay College in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program and holds a select cadre of private students.Ý
Eric Platz
Eric Platz plays drums and percussion and is the featured boom boom guy in Asefa. Eric combines the mastery of jazz and pop styles together with African drumming and middle-eastern percussion. Eric creates the foundation for the house to rest upon.
A graduate of Brown University and the New England Conservatory of Music, Eric Platz has performed with pianist Michael Cain and percussionist Bob Moses. Before coming to Boston , he spent four years performing in Brazil and Brussels , Belgium . Eric continues to teach, record and actively perform in Boston and New York City in a wide array of settings.
Noah Jarrett
Bringing his deep knowledge of African bass styles to the band, Noah's grooves permeate every listener's soul. Born and raised in New Jersey, after five years studying the violin, he switched to the electric bass at the age of nine. Appreciating the communicative and communal attributes of music led him to playing jazz, reggae, Indian, African, Gnawan, and Sufi music.
He can be found accompanying the virtuosic Malian kora player, Mamadou Diabate in many group settings at festivals and events all over the world. Noah also lays down propulsive grooves in the BROOKLYN QAWWALI PARTY and leads his own group, KNU GMOON PROJECT. He also plays regularly with FAT LITTLE BASTARD, THE INBETWEENS, and in a progressive rock trio called BARKY. Noah is a graduate of New England Conservatory.
Yoshie Fruchter
Yoshie grew up in a musical family and began taking guitar lessons at age thirteen. He played in a number of rock bands throughout high school, and joined his fatherís wedding band, Kol Chayim, at eighteen. After high school, he went to a Jewish Yeshiva in Israel, concurrently playing in groups there and studying with guitarist Johnny Hill. Upon his return, he began school at the University of Maryland. After his freshman year, he began taking classes through the jazz program studying guitar, and took lessons with faculty guitarist Gerry Kunkel. During this time he also studied with area jazz guitarist, Paul Wingo. While in college, Yoshie became involved in a number of musical projects including Juez, an avante-Klezmer group in which he played electric bass, Bellflur, an ambient post rock group, and M-Theory, a jazz/fusion quintet. He also freelanced in the DC area, and had a regular gig with the James Robinsson trio at Utopia CafÈ. He now leads a new rockin/avante/jazz/ klezmer group called Pitom, and performs material from his latest record with his father, Beyond the Book. Yoshie has also gained experience as a Jewish educator teaching music in various Hebrew schools and doing shows and workshops at Jewish events.
Yoshie has performed at Carnegie hall, Drom, The World Cafe, Knitting Factory, the Black Cat, Blues Alley, The Breskaya in Moscow, Zebulon, Southpaw, Coda, Mercury Lounge, Public Assembly, The Jewish Music and Heritage Festival, The Downtown Seder, Makor, The Annex, DCJCC, The Velvet Lounge, Utopia Cafe among many others.
Rich Stein
A regular part of Asefa, Rich brings amazingly creative energy and grooves to the heavy percussion sound of Asefa's concert ensemble. Raised in Virginia Beach, Rich began his study of percussion at the age of ten, focusing primarily on Western classical, marching and rock and roll drumming under the tutelage of John Brewington and Bill Pease. Rich went on to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where his love for hand percussion was kindled by the great master drummers Carey Schervell, Joe Galeota, and Jamey Haddad. Rich received the 1999 "Outstanding Percussionist Award" from Berklee's staff and faculty, and helped create the music perfomance internship program. Through this program, Rich was given the great opportunity to travel and study in Ghana, West Africa with Ewe master drummer and dancer Emmanuel Agbeli, Dagomba, master drummer Abubakari Lunna, and Ga master drummer Shamsuddin Adeji.
After graduating from Berklee in 2000, Rich has traveled all over the world, most notably to perform and study in and around India with the world renowned mdrangam player Sri Karaikud Mani. He has also shared the stage and recorded with Academy Award nominee Lila Downs, Grammy award winning clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, Grammy award winning hip hop vocalist Lauryn Hill, master sarangi player Ustad Sultan Khan, singer-songwriter Clare Muldaur, Celtic harpist Aine Minogue, guitarist Romero Lubambo, bansuri player Joshua Geiler, guitarist John Shannon, pinanist Peter Stoltzmann, bassist Mitch Cohn, organ player Marco Benevento, drummer Joe Tomino, guitarist DP Holmes, bassist Stu Brooks, and many more. Rich currently lives in Brooklyn.
The collective:
Shanir Blumenkranz
Shanir plays bass and oud and is the featured string player in Asefa. With new conceptions in oud playing that incorporate avant-garde improvisation and southern Moroccan guimbri, Shanir brings a special spice to the Asefa collective. He is one of the founding members of the group, providing harmonic foundation and melodic interaction par excellence.
Shanir has recorded and performed extensively with Satlah, Rashanim, and Pharaoh's Daughter, all who have made many records on John Zorn's Tzadik label. Other CDs recorded for Tzadik include a compilation of music by Israeli composer "Sasha Argov", a compilation of music composed by Zorn called "Voices In The Wilderness" for the tenth year anniversary of his band Masada, a compilation of unheard Masada compositions called "Unkown Masada", a compilation of music by Brazilian composer "Jacob Du Bandolim", and "John Zorn: Filmworks XV" featuring Zorn and Cyro Baptista.
David Buchbut
David often plays with us, adding a deep knowledge and love for the middle-eastern drumming traditions. He plays riqq, bendir and darbouka. Born in Israel to a Moroccan parentage, he grew up on Middle-Eastern music and during his stay in New York started studying with Raquy Danziger, Zohar Fresco and Michel Merhej. He joined Raquy and the Cavemen on Riq (Arabic tambourine) and doumbek. David has also played with oud master Rashid Halihal, Israeli-Iraqi singer Yair Dalal, and Saxophone master Harel Shachal.
Elie Massias
A core component in Asefa's recording is the presence of Elie Massias's voice and production work. His work in the wedding ensemble brings authentic vocals to everything from Chassidishe dance tunes and Ladino ballads to Israeli Pop music.
Mattias Kunzli
Mattias's versatility as a drummer and percussionist extraordinaire are often brought to bear in an Asefa performance.
Yoel Ben-Simhon
A singer and oud player, Yoel brings a thorough song repertoire that includes Ladino ballads, Chaabi favorites and Israeli songs.
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