Asaf Sirkis, born March 22, 1969, in Petah Tikva, Israel, is an Israeli jazz drummer, composer, and music educator. Sirkis began taking drum lessons at age 12 in Rehovot before pursuing a professional music career in Tel Aviv. Sirkis released his debut studio album, One Step Closer, in 1998 with his trio, before forming Asaf Sirkis & The Inner Noise, releasing studio albums Inner Noise in 2003, We Are Falling in 2005, and The Song Within in 2007. As a member of Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble, Sirkis contributed to the album Exile, which won Best CD of the Year at the 2003 BBC Jazz Awards, before departing the group in 2009. Sirkis collaborated with Tim Garland, releasing Lighthouse in 2012 alongside Gwilym Simcock, and featured on Wingfield/Reuter/Stavi/Sirkis's 2017 album The Stone House, which earned a 5-star review in DownBeat. In 2023, Sirkis joined the jazz-rock band Soft Machine, playing drums and piano on their 2026 studio album Thirteen. In 2026, Sirkis released his solo piano studio album, Letters, and received the Moonjune Lifetime Achievement in Music Award.
