Alice Zawadzki, a vocalist & violinist with considerable repute as “a genuine original” teams up with two long-term collaborators – sought-after multi-instrumentalist Fred Thomas and award-winning jazz bass player Misha Mullov-Abbado.
In association with Sheffield Jazz
Three singular voices collide in Za Górami, the captivating trio of Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas and Misha Mullov-Abbado. Za Górami (“Beyond the Mountains”) draws on fragments of half-forgotten melodies that have echoed through centuries and across borders, once passed from mouth to mouth, reshaped by trauma and joy. Collected from their unique lineages, and honed over a decade of working together, the trio carry these songs with reverence but never politeness, summoning the past to brush viscerally against the present.
An ancient and cryptic rallying cry, Za Górami summons something transcendental, reminiscent of “Once upon a time…” In this spirit of openness, these tales unfold, invoking the moon, the madness of humans and the prophecies of birds.
At the heart is award-winning singer and fiddle player Alice Zawadzki. Described by MOJO Magazine as “something of a phenomenon”, her voice glides between whispered intimacy and feral power, at once siren and folk oracle. With “extreme sensitivity to colour and nuance” (BBC Music Magazine), Fred Thomas shapeshifts as pianist, percussionist and player of the medieval vielle, an ancient bowed string instrument descended from Byzantine and Arabic ancestors. The “unfailingly inventive” (The Telegraph) double-bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado draws the music earthward with deep, physical grooves that pulse and flicker.
Inhabiting the rich crossroads between folksong, jazz improvisation and classical chamber music, they are intimate one moment, explosive the next. Live, the trio blur the lines between gig, ritual and late-night confession and have been described as a “a model of cliché-free beauty and gossamer-fine communication” (Bayerischer Rundfunk), qualities that led them to Manfred Eicher and the iconic ECM Records, with whom they released this exquisite collection in 2024. Since that release, the word continues to spread about their electric live performances, with London Jazz News declaring them “a supergroup trio of mesmerising intensity”.
Doors 7pm
