Ilios Steryannis & Babylonia Ensemble

Doors 7:30pm

Show 8pm

$20 in advance / $25 at the door

Born in Toronto, ON, on March 24th, 1972, Greek-Jewish Canadian musician Ilios Steryannis started drumming at the age of 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, Ilios and the drums have been inseparable.

Copies of Ilios’ newest release Babylonia Suite will be available at the show. One reviewer said of the album, “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. 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. A seductive and exceptional release!” Marty Delia, the Jazz Music Blog.

Ilios’ 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. 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.

More information can be found at www.iliosjazz.ca

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