TMA149 Members

Born in Toronto, ON, on March 24th, 1972, Greek-Jewish Canadian musician Ilios
Steryannis started drumming at the age of 12. Inspired by the power and artistry
of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, he pounded on a practice pad and an old
set of bongo drums until his father lovingly presented him with a brand new Tama
Royalstar drumset, with Paiste cymbals, for his 13th birthday. Since then, Ilios and
the drums have been inseparable.
Ilios has since toured and recorded with Jane Bunnett, Tim Posgate, Levon
Ichkhanian and many more, most recently touring Greece in 2008.
Ilios released his first full length CD, Bethany Project in 2018, featuring 11 original
jazz compositions. The album was recorded at Number 9 Audio Group in Toronto,
and produced by SOCAN award winner Eric St-Laurent. It also features some elite
Canadian jazz musicians improvising with passion, fire and great sensitivity.
The June 2018 issue of Modern Drummer magazine said: “…Drummer Ilios
Steryannis keeps a firm grip on multiple styles and shows an ear not only for
conducting the group’s dynamics from the kit but for pulling choice sounds from
the drums.”
Currently Ilios performs regularly with many artists including jazz pianist Steve
Koven.
Ilios’ latest project, the Babylonia Ensemble, pays tribute to his Iraqi Jewish and
Greek roots with a six part suite of Middle Eastern jazz. The instrumentation is an
entrancing mix of clarinet, violin, piano, bass and drums. A variety of moods and
rhythms are explored, and there is traditional Iraqi Jewish music in the mix as
well, composed by the legendary Al-Kuwaity brothers of Baghdad