Concert Ensembles

AsefaMusic includes four different concert ensembles led by Samuel Torjman Thomas: ASEFA, ASEFA-Jazz, New York Andalus Ensemble, and Traveling in Pairs. The ensemble configurations include 2-20 performers, emphasizing traditional and/or contemporary styles that highlight musical cultures from the Mediterranean World. Click on the ensemble name below to learn more.

ASEFA draws upon a pan-regional repertoire of pieces in Hebrew, Arabic, and Ladino, highlighting exchange between Muslim and Jewish cultures in Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq.

ASEFA-Jazz includes traditional and original pieces, drawing from North African, Middle Eastern, and Jazz sources. The music is a balance between respecting the authenticity of traditional styles and pushing the boundaries with modern inventiveness and innovation.

New York Andalus Ensemble is a multiethnic, multifaith large group that includes instrumentalists and a choir. The New York Andalus Ensemble performs musics of Spain and North Africa, in Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, and Ladino.

Traveling in Pairs features a duo setup of piano and oud/sax that treats a wide repertoire of Jewish music – Sephardic, North African, Klezmer, liturgical, and original compositions – to a modern treatment informed by original arrangements, jazz and maqam reharmonization, and improvisation.