asefa

Founded in 2001 by bandleader and composer Samuel Thomas, Asefa brings together diverse musical worlds. From the Hebrew word for "collecting," Asefa includes Samuel Thomas playing tenor and soprano saxophone, nay, vocals and percussion, Yoshie Fruchter on oud and guitar, and Noah Jarrett on bass and guimbri, Eric Platz on drums and Rich Stein on percussion. Traversing a wide musical landscape, Asefa travels from Morocco to Persia, Poland to America and back. Thomas' arrangements and original compositions, imbued with contemporary concepts in improvisation and instrumentation, reflect a fresh spirit in music making while connecting to the ancestors and the folks with whom they rubbed elbows.