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Leo Asal, a drummer from Germany, has made a name for himself in the jazz and pop genres with his versatile playing style. As a winner of several prestigious competitions, he has already collaborated with well-known jazz musicians and rap stars. His musical successes have led him to perform in various countries, including Greece, Ecuador, and Egypt. With various bands and projects, he is regularly seen on stage. Leo Asal is a rising talent who artistically explores the interface between human and machine.
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Leo Asal, born in 1999 into a musical family, discovered his talent for playing the drums at the age of four. He quickly won numerous awards, such as at the „Jugend Musiziert“ (Youth Makes Music) competition and „Jugend Jazzt“ (Youth Jazz) in both ensemble and solo categories. With his versatile playing style, the „ZIRP“ scholarship recipient established himself as one of Germany’s rising young drummers in the jazz and pop genres. His music projects and tours have taken him to renowned venues and festivals in Germany, including the ELBJazz Festival, Jazz Baltica, the Old Opera Frankfurt, and also abroad, including Greece, Ecuador, Spain, Portugal, Romania, and Egypt.
From a young age, Asal developed a passion for jazz and hip-hop, which was further nurtured through his studies at the University of Music in Mainz under Hendrik Smock. There, he learned from esteemed jazz musicians such as Jesse Milliner, Sebastian Sternal, and Claudius Valk. Asal had the opportunity to perform with respected jazz musicians like Emil Mangelsdorff, Diane Schuur, Dominique DiPiazza, and Justin DiCiocco. During his time in Mainz, he was also engaged as a drummer and musician for the Loft Arts production series. Numerous related projects have since brought him together with rap and R&B stars like Megaloh, OG-Keemo, MAJAN, Monet192, Lary, Teesy, Rola, Kelvyn Colt, Manuellsen, and many others.
In 2019, Asal moved to Cologne, where he completed his studies under Prof. Jonas Burgwinkel and Alex Vesper. Since then, he has been a member of various bands such as the Jakob Bänsch Quartett, The Jakob Manz Project, and has collaborated with the singer Ketzberg. In addition, he released an album in 2021 titled „Ein Tag wie ein anderer“ (A Day Like Another) in collaboration with bassist Charly Härtel. Since 2022, Asal has been performing regularly at the Smooth Jazz Festival in Portugal and Mallorca, sharing the stage with jazz greats such as Gerald Albright, Eric Marienthal, Everette Harp, Paul Jackson Jr., Michael Lington, Tom Browne, Eric Darius, and many others.
Furthermore, Asal founded the duo YAMUNA with keyboardist and beatmaker halfpastseven, where they artistically process the connection between human and machine. Their debut album, „Focus & Distraction,“ is set to be released on 24th of November 2023.
Since the beginning of 2023, Leo Asal has also been a member of the Bundesjazzorchester (Federal Jazz Orchestra).