Brio is an instrumental quartet whose music combines influences from Eastern and Middle-Eastern music, Jazz, progressive rock and Classical music.
Itai Armon - Persian Tar / Flute
Roee Lauterbach - Piano
Assaf Hakimi - Bass
Regev Ashkenazi – Drums
Itai Armon
Itai Armon is a composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. He began his musical career playing the flute and studying Western Classical music and Jazz. In his early twenties, Itai traveled the world and studied various musical traditions. Over the course of several years, he began to develop a unique compositional style influenced by the diverse cultures he encountered, along with the musical traditions of his native Israel.
Itai studied music and the Persian tar with the esteemed Piris Eliyahu (Israel), Hooshang Farahani (Iran) and Khorush Ghazavian (Iran). Throughout the past decade, he has performed with many different ensembles and has composed music for dance and theater productions.
In early 2016, Itai released his debut album of original world music: Moments.
Today, Itai writes, records and performs with “Brio”. He is also working on his second solo album which is set to be released later this year.
Roee Lauterbach
Roee Lauterbach is an Israeli pianist, composer and arranger. Roee began studying piano with his mentor, Susana Kedem, at the age of thirteen. His innate musicality and virtuoso technique were quickly discovered and honed over the next six years. After a five-year hiatus, Roee returned to the piano and ultimately completed his Bachelor of Music in Classical Piano at the Jerusalem Academy of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Ron Regev.
Apart from his work as a Classical soloist, Roee Lauterbach is an esteemed accompanist, having played in venues all over Israel with a number of up-and-coming artists. Roee's versatility allows him to play many musical genres, including folk, musical theatre, rock, pop, hip-hop, and Jazz.
Today, Roee is writing new music for Brio, as well as solo piano pieces.
Assaf Hakimi
Assaf Hakimi, bass player and composer, was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel. Assaf began to play the electric bass at age 17 and the upright bass at 22.
In 2001, Assaf moved to New York to explore the city's vast jazz scene. In 2002, Assaf received a scholarship for outstanding performance and ability from the New School University jazz program. Soon after, Assaf was chosen to represent the New School as part of the jazz outreach program. While at the New School, Assaf had the opportunity to study with Junior Mance, Reginald Workman, Jane Ira Bloom, Billy Harper, Doug Wiess, Johannes Weidenmueller, Hal Galper and Jimmy Owens.
While living in New York, Assaf had the honor to perform in some of NYC's most prestigious jazz clubs and share the stage with some of today's best jazz musicians, including: Paquito D'rivera, Junior Mance, billy hart, Clarence Penn, Aaron Goldberg, Sheila Jordan, Kevin Mahogany, Carla Cook, Paula West, Vanessa Rubin, Wyclef Gordon, Evan Christopher, Jim Rotondi, Joe Magnarelli, Katty Farmer, Fabio Morgera, and many more.
In 2009, Assaf recorded his debut album, "Some Other Day", featuring saxophonist Eli Degibri, trombone player Jonathan Voltzok, piano player Alon Yavnai, and drummer Clarence Penn. The album is available on all leading streaming services.
Following the release of his album, Assaf moved back home to Israel and performs regularly in performance spaces across the country and is thrilled to be a part of Brio Quartet.
Regev Ashkenazi
Regev Ashkenazi, 33, is a drummer, session musician, composer and teacher. He began playing the drums at age 10 and has since studied under the most prestigious teachers in Israel. In 2018, Regev received his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Drums from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
Today, Regev resides in Tel Aviv and is a core member of Brio, as well as Big Band Rehovot. He is also currently working on his first solo project. Regev has performed with a wide variety of Israeli artists, including Itai Pearl, Nadav Azulay, Dana Lapidot and Joya Band. In addition to being a well-respected and versatile performer, Regev has also mentored aspiring drummers for over 12 years, sharing his expertise and technical skills to help cultivate a new generation of drummers in Israel.
Regev's current passion is searching for new sounds and incorporating unconventional percussion instruments and objects into his playing in order to bring new tones and textures to his art.
Regev performs with DW drums and hardware, Remo heads and Vic Firth sticks.
