Jazz violinist Matt Holborn brings a cast of London's finest jazz musicians to Jazz Live, playing music from the Great American Songbook, compositions from his debut album as a leader, For Stuff ("this delightful album sheds a little sunlight on a rather neglected patch of jazz," Jazzwise, praised as "celestial" and "rapturous" by i newspaper), and other music inspired by his eclectic list of influences: Grappelli, Parker, Louis Armstrong, Joe Venuti and Stuff Smith.
Matt is one of the UK's leading jazz violinists. He has played extensively with musical comedian Bill Bailey, leads The London Django Collective, and is an avid educator, teaching jazz violin at summer camps across Europe as well as through his online Skool platform, Learning Jazz Violin.
He's joined by pianist and fellow Scot Fraser Urquhart (Stella Cole), and a dream rhythm section of Simon Read on bass and Joe Dessauer on drums.
Undoubtedly one of the leading harpists in the world today, Alina Bzhezhinska (a.k.a. AlinaHipHarp) is a one-woman powerhouse on a mission to bring harp to the forefront of contemporary sound.
Bzhezhinska is the creator of HipHarpCollective, who recently won the Parliamentary Jazz Award's Best Ensemble of the Year 2024. The group's double LP "Reflections" (BBE Music) won best album of the year 2023 by Preston Music and Alina Bzhezhinska's Quartet was nominated for Best Live Act of the Year at JazzFM Awards 2017.
Tony Kofi is a multi award winning saxophonists, a recording career that has seen collaborations with Donald Byrd, Cymande, Eddie Henderson, Abdullah Ibrahim and Ornette Coleman to name a few.
Kofi's solo work, in particular his 2020 album 'A Different Kind Of Soul' and his recently reissued 'Plays Monk' cement his reputation as one of the UK's most accomplished saxophonists.
This band brings together ideas and people in an attempt to speak with one voice through the language of improvisation, in all its expressions. A collective mind that hears overlapping rhythms and melodies.
Influenced by the coloured patchwork of William Parker, the earthly lyricism of Victor Jara, the dark clouds of Morphine and the gentle brilliance of Bill Frisell.
Colin Somervell grew up in Chile and studied jazz in Birmingham and London. He has played music from Greece and Turkey, prog-math-rock as well as freely improvised music.
Chris Williams: alto sax Mike Soper: trumpet Colin Somervell: double Bass Jay Davis: drums
Kevin Davy has been at the forefront of Modern UK jazz leaning towards the modal approach to jazz and improvised music. Citing influences such as trumpeters; Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Hannibal Lokumbe, Lester Bowie, and Don Cherry.
He is best known for international touring and recording with Lamb, Adam F, Two Banks of Four, Lemn Sissay (Secret Society), Afrika Afrika , Finley Quaye and Cymande as well as his own groups, KDQ and D'semble.
Kevin has performed all over the world on legendary jazz festivals such as; Montreux, North Sea, Ealing Jazz, New York's revered Summerstage, Central Park, Manhattan as well as prestigious venues.
CDavy's composition employs strong melodic content, an urban edge, and elements from Nu Jazz, harmony from blues, gospel, and the Near-East.Kevin Davy, on trumpet/flugelhorn and effects, leader compositions
Jason Simpson on double bass and Moog Bass
Sheldon Agwu on guitar
Brian Hedemann on drums
Chris Jerome on piano
TThe Maydan Ensemble of the North London Jazz Collective is a quintet that blends modern jazz with Arabic, Anatolian and Persian folk music.
Having formed at the start of 2025, they have wowed audiences, selling out multiple venues across UK and beyond, including Palestine House and the Green Note, as well as recently headlining Zoot Fest in Pairs, and Zeman World Music Festival in Serbia.
They are a fully international group comprising some of London’s busiest jazz musicians in a unique setting:
• From Egypt, the rising-star vocalist Amena
• Acclaimed Irish-Iranian jazz guitarist Kourosh Kanani
• Italian-English bassist and stalwart of the London jazz scene Lorenzo Morabito (Giacomo Smith, Peter Horsfall, Mark Kavuma etc);
• Londoner and co-founder of the NLJC, Robbie Ellison on drums.
The group explores the intersection of jazz and a bricolage of Middle Eastern musical traditions from two perspectives: that of material from the jazz canon inspired by West Asia; and that of the group's own jazz-flavoured arrangements and renditions of Arabic, Anatolian and Persian folk tunes.’Maydan’ means ‘town square’ or ‘public meeting-place’. Originating in Farsi, the word now finds usage in Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, Georgian and Ukrainian. In taking this name, the group recognises first and foremost that diverse musical traditions find commonality by their grounding in communal life and social practice, while embracing the subversive political potential of music as a collective, convivial act.
