Sasi Shalom (Jazz, fusion, Israel)

Just a few days after JAZZIS Records released the debut "Modus' album in 1990, Sasi Shalom left Israel to pursue his academic studies in Boston. All I had left were fond memories of a young and eager jazz musician and of course the record, which I decided to release mainly as a credit to Sasi's talent as a composer. We kept in touch and finally a decision was made to bring over to Israel the current version of "Modus", comprising of musicians who were Sasi's fellow students.
The recording sessions were a delight, mainly due to the amazing level of musicianship displayed by the participants, but the greatest surprise was how much progress Sasi managed to accomplish, both as a composer and a player, in such short time. There is no doubt in my mind that today he's the best Israeli jazz composer. His enchanting and mesmerizing compositions are truly outstanding.
This record is full of inspiring moments and electrifying solos, great ensemble playing and superb arrangements, all this in addition to being a perfect presentation of the Sasi Shalom's Songbook. I hope to share the pleasures of this record with many more jazz lovers worldwide.
Adam Baruch May 1p93

Sasi Shalom composes, arranges and performs his own stylized jazz rock. A rich spectrum of texture and mood, his music is a rhythmical montage of his own middle eastern background with influences from the Weather Report and Debussy. Actually, it is difficult to classify Shalom's music; he wants to excite his audience with the fusion of many different styles. "I'd like to reach a diverse crowd with my music, not necessarily just a typical jazz audience."
In a small town in the Israeli desert, Sasi Shalom began playing classical piano at the age of four. His mentor was a Berklee alumnus who inspired Sasi to come to the States, where he now studies jazz piano performance and music synthesis at Berklee College of Music.
At age 22, Sasi's Israeli band, Modus, recorded a CD (Jazzis Records) and toured Israel (Red Sea Jazz Festival, The Saddle '90 Jazz Festival, and clubs throughout the country), both were received with critical acclaim from the Israeli press and audiences.
In the summer of 1992, Sasi recorded a second CD entitled Sasi Shalom's Modus "The Way I See It" also on Jazzis Records. The Israeli record company sponsored an Israeli tour which included a group of Boston musicians who traveled to the middle east to record and tour with Sasi. This multinational group was met with enthusiastic response from the press, and in a very short time, managed to etch a place in the Israeli jazz scene.
Sasi Shalom hopes that his work will reach as many people as possible without compromising the quality of the music, and he plans to continue to express his melodic messages through a unique array of "colors."