Born in Israel in 1963, Gilad Atzmon studied music in Jerusalem, but became increasingly angered by his country's treatment of the Palestinian people, and in the early '90s moved to England to study philosophy. Meetings with fellow Israeli exile Asaf Sirkis convinced Gilad that he could best express his feelings through music, and he has since become one of the most popular, adventurous, and often controversial figures on the UK scene. His 'Orient House Ensemble' band mixed jazz with East European and Middle Eastern influences, but at heart Gilad's own playing is firmly rooted in the legacy of John Coltrane.