Sumak initiated with a bond created between three fellow musicians who set out on a journey through the sound and spirit of ancient Middle Eastern traditions. The ensemble creates original instrumental music that draws inspiration from a deep connection to these traditions, which each member of the group lives, breathes and explores.
The ensemble’s secret and its singularity lie in the true, profound brotherhood between its members.
Together, they dive into joint exploration.
What is the meaning of friendship ?
Of collaborative creation?
Where does silence reside?
How do you play love on a musical instrument?
מזמינים אתכם להצטרף כאן לקהילת העוקבים שלנו ותוכלו לקבל מידע על הופעות, מוזיקה חדשה ועוד
Sumak’s music is a journey.
Sounds tell stories from along the path. Small footsteps, slow breaths.
Melodies of nature, of mountains and valleys, of travels along ancient routes.
Each musical track has us walking through diverse landscapes and wide-ranging emotions.
The music takes us and the listeners on a joint journey:
Timeless,
In deep breath,
Together.
"Ein - Sof"
new release
Sumak Trio’s debut album
Beginning in meetings that spanned late into the night, by the fireside, in the desert or forest,
Through many performances and meetings with open hearts,
Our first album was created:
“Ein – Sof”, In-Finite.
A wandering journey across continents and emotions,
Each piece with its own scent, feeling and narrative, woven into a whole,
woven into a whole,
A story that draws in both us and the listener, delving deep into the soul, into the imagination.
Listen in!
Each musical piece that we play is a space where we can connect, allowing each of us abundant freedom and fluidity of personal expression. As is custom in the Middle East, we leave room for personal expression and improvisation in every piece, into which we invite the present moment to enter, with all the unknown expanses that it holds.
Some of the tunes and melodies unravelled through joint exploration, playing and improvisation. Others were written by one of the band members and later arranged for performance as a group.
You can hear our profound connection to Eastern traditions in each and every tune and melody.
Still, we are not bound to one specific tradition, and so in every musical piece we head out travelling:
between cultures, through sounds and feelings, with our eyes on the horizon, at the pace dictated by the beating of our hearts.
Amit Menachem
Amit is a percussionist, playing a range of Middle Eastern instruments, including the Darbuka drum, Riq, Frame Drum, Dhol Drum, etc. Amit was born in Jerusalem. His musical style originates from various cultures: Arabic music, Turkish music, Greek music, Persian and Indian music. He acquired his musical education from private lessons with various teachers and masters, such as Nur Bar Goren, Erez Munk, Bijan Chemirani, Vasilis Karipis. In addition to playing percussion instruments, Amit performs and composes using the Oud.
Rei Korkus
Musician; teacher and learner; performing musician, composer and instructor. Plays the oud, guitar and Cretan lyra.
Rei Korkus is influenced by various musical genres: from Turkish, Arabic, Indian, Persian and Greek musics, through Jazz and Flamenco. He performs with several ensembles and projects dedicated to Middle Eastern Music, playing original compositions alongside traditional pieces from the classical repertoire.
As he follows the path, Rei studies and explores music, aiming to learn fore and foremost about himself. Rei adores teaching and guides numerous students in unravelling the secrets of music-making and discovering the extraordinary world of Middle Eastern music.
Rei grew up in Kibbutz Neot Semadar in the desert area of southern Israel, and strives to continue bringing the quietude of the desert landscapes into his day to day life.
“Playing with Sumak successfully embodies all the reasons for which I devote myself to music. I feel that this music, which holds such capacity and scope for expressing emotions, allows me to continually reach new peaks of emotion while actually alleviating and soothing the heart.”
Ligal Soffer
A violin player and a composer. His playing inspired and influenced by various musical genres: Arabic music, Turkish music, Greek music, Gypsy and Jazz music.
Ligal is a graduate of The Center for Middle Eastern Classical Music, Jerusalem, as well as Maqamat School of Music, Safed. He additionally studied with various teachers in Israel and abroad.
“For me, music is an amazing capability that allows me to interact and to express myself without any words at all. Playing in an ensemble is the heart and pulse of it all. Together, we can reach peaks of emotion, of sorrow and happiness. I am grateful for that”.
Our compositions are influenced by the ancient musical traditions of the Silk Road, from the Middle East to faraway India. Eastern music holds high regard for an artist’s personal and emotional expression.
The musical instrument through which a musician expresses him or herself is an ancient system of scales and melodic patterns, namely, the maqam.
Our connection creates a wide expressive space for each of us. Thus, our music is an endless source of learning for us all, and this is one of the things in our music that calls out to the listener.
