GUELPH – Ilios Steryannis and Babylonia Ensemble are set to return to Silence Sounds in Guelph on May 17.
Born in Toronto in 1972, Greek-Jewish Canadian musician Steryannis started drumming at age 12.
Inspired by the power and artistry of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, he pounded on a practice pad and an old set of bongo drums until his father lovingly presented him with a brand new Tama Royalstar drumset, with Paiste cymbals, for his 13th birthday.
Since then, Steryannis and the drums have been inseparable.
Steryannis’s newest release, Babylonia Suite will be available at the show.
“Babylonia Suite is an emotionally-rich and finely-calibrated release that straddles multiple genres and brings together a plethora of musical talent and conceptual collaborations,” wrote reviewer Mary Delia in the Jazz Music Blog.
“The highly visual and deftly-produced compositions take the listener to far flung corners and evoke sensory bliss that is at times stratospheric and transcendent.”
Steryannis’s latest project, the Babylonia Ensemble, pays tribute to his Iraqi Jewish and Greek roots with a six part suite of Middle Eastern jazz.
“The instrumentation is an entrancing mix of clarinet, violin, piano, bass and drums,” organizers state in a press release.
“A variety of moods and rhythms are explored, and there is traditional Iraqi Jewish music in the mix as well, composed by the legendary Al-Kuwaity brothers of Baghdad.”
The Babylonia Ensemble features Paul Pacanowski on woodwinds, Tania Gill on piano, Natalie Wong on violin, Henry Heillig on bass and Ilios on drums.
Tickets are available for $20 at eventbrite.ca/e/ilios-steryannis-babylonia-ensemble-tickets-868041313937, and a limited number will also be available at the door for $25.
More information can be found at iliosjazz.ca
