Christos Asonitis was born in Athens-Greece on December 14, 1974. As a child and as a teenager he was drowned into rock music but he never thought that one day he would play a musical instrument. One day one of his classmates proposed him to make a rock band and everything began from that point on. At the age of 16 he bought his first drum kit and started playing with his friends making rehearsals and recordings.
When he was 20 he started drum lessons in the Conservatory of Filippos Nakas in Athens (Greek Department of Berklee College of Music). There, under the influence of his educator Spyros Panagiotopoulos, he listened to jazz music for the first time and his musical concerns were changed completely. He finished the drum course in 1999.
After many years of playing as a professional musician he decided to dedicate his musical approach to jazz and latin music. From 2007 until now he has played with the majority of Greek jazz musicians (Jazz On T.A.P., Yorgos Kontrafouris, Yorgos Psihoyios, Yorgos Krommydas, Lito Voyatzoglou, Dimitris Kalatzis, Takis Paterelis, Miranda Verouli, Petros Kourtis, Yannis Kassetas, Andreas Polyzogopoulos, Apostolis Leventopoulos, Yannis Papanastasiou, Petros Klampanis, Kostas Konstantinou, Nasia Gofa, Manos Theodosakis, Yannis Arzimanoglou, Yotis Samaras, Pantelis Benetatos, Periklis Trivolis, Manos Loutas, Antonis Ladopoulos, Yorgos Mikros etc.) participating in many concerts, recordings and workshops working at the same time as a drum educator in conservatories and schools.
In 2011 he visited Rio de Janeiro-Brazil in order to have classes in Brazilian rhythms. He attended classes of great Brazilian drummers-percussionists such as Marcos Suzano, Robertinho Silva, Kiko Freitas and Cassio Cunha but his acquaintance with Kiko changed his way of studying music and interpretation.
In 2011 and 2012 he traveled to Cuba and stayed there for a total of two months. During this period of time he had lessons in Cuban and Afro Cuban Music. There he attended many concerts capturing the taste of Cuban musical tradition, meeting great musicians and appeared in the local music scene of Havana participating in jam sessions. In Cuba he studied with the legendary drummer of Irakere, Enrique Pla, with the great educator of Cuban percussions and professor in E.N.A. (Escuela Nacionale de Artes) Jose Eladio Amat and with Ramses Rodriguez one of the best drummers of new generation in Cuba’s Latin Jazz scene.
Christos received also important musical knowledge by the American drummers Ron Savage, Billy Hart and Jeff Ballard. He took master classes for jazz drumming and improvisation.
Since 2010 Christos is an endorser of Vic Firth drumsticks and Gabriel Drums. He is an official educator of L.C.M.’s International Drum Course (London College of Music).
By the end of 2012 Christos lives in Munich-Germany.
Most important concerts: Museum of National Arts of Cuba 2011, Dubai World Music Festival 2011, 4th International Jazz Meeting Kostas Kouvidis 2011, Tinos Jazz festival 2009, Tinos Jazz Festival 2011, 1st Jazz Marathon Athens Festival 2011, Athens European Jazz Festival 2010, Limassol Music Festival 2007, Rematia Jazz Festival 2012.
Jazz Discography:
1. “Love Obsession A Jazz Sensation II…” (Yiorgos Psihoyios, Polytropon 2007)
2. “Innaxos” (participation in track no. 10 “Dark Moon”) (Antenor Bogea, EMSE 2009)
3. “Jazzium” (Yorgos Krommydas Organ Trio, Legend Records 2010)
4. “The Art of Melancholy” (Yiorgos Psihoyios, Polytropon 2011)
5. “Jazz On T.A.P.” (Jazz On T.A.P., Independent 2012)
6. "In Paris" (Yiorgos Psihoyios, Polytropon 2013)
Website:
www.myspace.com/christosasonitis
http://www.christosasonitis.com
mail :
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