DATE: Tuesday 6 October, 2026

TIME: 7pm / Bar 6pm

COST: $45 / $40

Details

Alice Zawadzki – voice, violin
Fred Thomas – piano, drums
Misha Mullov-Abbado – double bass

ZA GÓRAMI LIVE brings London-based Trio Alice Zawadzki (voice, violin), Fred Thomas (piano, drums) and Misha Mullov-Abbado (double bass) together for a live performance of their acclaimed ECM album ZA GÓRAMI – named The Guardian’s Jazz Album of the Month and one of its 10 Best Jazz Albums of 2024.

Inhabiting their own stylistic realm which encompasses Mediterranean folk song, chamber music, improvisation and the world of acoustic jazz. Their acoustic chamber music is guided by a special emphasis on intimacy, delicacy of sound and space, and subtle interaction – qualities which have led them to ECM Records, whose founder Manfred Eicher produced their debut album Za Górami in June 2023.

Describing their Tuggeranong concert, the London-based trio say audiences can expect to hear music… “Collected on our travels and taught to us by our friends, these are songs we have learnt and loved together. Though our musical and cultural backgrounds encompass Europe, Russia and South America, we were all three born in England. This happenstance was the product of love, war, exile, the arbitrariness of borders and the yearning for a new life – all themes which are themselves woven through the narratives you’ll hear within. Gathered from Argentina, France, Venezuela, Poland and the deep well of Sephardic culture, these folk tales speak to the moon, the mountains, the rain, the madness of humans and the prophecies of birds.”

This trio of classically trained musicians create music that is both intricately crafted and profoundly expressive. Their debut album Za Górami received 4.5 stars from Downbeat and was named The Guardian’s jazz album of the month, praised for its, “delicate and deeply expressive sound” and “extraordinary debut”.

Presented in partnership with the Sydney Opera House Utzon Chamber Music Series, this performance brings to life the music of their critically acclaimed album, offering richly textured music performed with breathtaking sensitivity and dynamic power—shifting effortlessly from the most delicate moments to sweeping intensity.

About the Artists

Alice Zawadzki

Vocalist, violinist, and composer Alice Zawadzki is a distinctive presence on the European creative scene. Her rich musical background and “whimsical hyper-creativity” (MOJOMagazine) draw upon her early exposure to New Orleans jazz and gospel, an extensive classical training as a violinist, and a continuous exploration of improvisation, poetry, and folk music from diverse traditions, “all propelled in a voice of velvet suppleness and gutsy emotional power” (The Arts Desk). Alice is Jazz FM’s Vocalist of the Year 2025, a year in which she was also shortlisted for the Parliamentary Jazz Awards Vocalist of the Year. Among many other nominations and accolades in recent years, she was also shortlisted for the RPS Singer of the Year 2024. 

Alice’s debut solo album China Lane (2014) was received to great critical acclaim, bringing her to the attention of the industry as well as jazz lovers across the UK and beyond. Her second solo album, Within You Is A World Of Spring (2019), was described by Jazzwise Magazine as ‘a cornucopia of delights’ and featured both Fred and Misha. It was named ‘Contemporary Album of the Month’ by the Guardian and included in both John Fordham and Jazzwise Magazine’s ‘Top 20 Albums of 2019’.

Performing extensively as a soloist and collaborator all over the world, Alice is a celebrated interpreter of new and unusual work. In 2023 she took her bewitching new theatrical composition ‘Bag Of Bones’, commissioned by the Manchester Collective, on tour to venues including the Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Southbank Centre, Ronnie Scott’s, Taipei International Jazz Festival, Sűdtirol Jazz Festival, Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Musicá Impopular and Usina Del Arte. Alice trained in Jazz voice and composition at the Royal Academy of Music and in violin at the Royal Northern College of Music.

 “A genuine original” – John Fordham, The Guardian

“A force to be reckoned with” – Jamie Cullum

Fred Thomas

Fred Thomas is one of London’s most sought-after multi-instrumentalists and composer/arranger/producers, known for his breadth of musical styles as well as for specialising in creative re-interpretations of J.S. Bach. ‘Za Górami’ is his fourth album on ECM Records. Fred’s ECM debut as a leader came on the New Series with Three or One (2021), 24 pieces by Bach transcribed for trio and solo piano by Fred himself, released to great critical acclaim. The album was described as “a revelation” (Apple Music), “mesmerising” (BBC Music Magazine) and “a world of soulful dreaming that enraptures with its poetic images” (Das Bach Magazin). Fred had previously appeared as sideman on the ECM albums Lost Ships (2020) and A Time to Remember (2023), with Elina Duni, Rob Luft and Matthieu Michel.

Of British and Argentinian heritage, Fred has collaborated with a huge variety of artists across many genres, including Brian Eno, Yo-Yo Ma, Jarvis Cocker, Meredith Monk, Hilary Hahn, Abel Selaocoe, Shabaka Hutchings, Lianne Le Havas, Ethan Iverson, Larry Grenadier, Gerry Hemingway, Olivia Chaney, Kees Boeke and Rachel Podger. With a discography of over fifty albums, his arrangements and transcriptions are published by Edition Wilhelm Hansen. He works regularly as Musical Director at Shakespeare’s Globe and his compositions have been performed at the Royal Opera House London and internationally.

As a producer, Fred’s work includes the highly-lauded debut album from cellist Abel Selaocoe, ‘Where is Home’ (Warner Classics, 2022) and the follow-up album ‘Hymns of Bantu’ (Warner Classics, 2025). 2025 saw collaborations with Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque, as well as a trio project with Paolo Pandolfo and Max Baillie. Record label collaborations as producer and performer include ECM, Universal, Warner Classics, Harmonia Mundi, Channel Classics and Realworld Records.

 “A boundary-blurring composer and improviser” – Gramophone Magazine

“An astonishingly fine musician” – The Arts Desk

Misha Mullov-Abbado

Award-winning, London-based jazz bass player, composer and arranger Misha Mullov-Abbado is a musician who combines great imagination with raw talent and a clear vision. A BBC New Generation Artist and with three critically acclaimed albums under his name, his most recent offering Effra (Ubuntu Music) showcases his ‘melodic gift’ (John Fordham, The Guardian) and ability to masterfully combine beautifully-crafted compositions with free-spirited improvisation. Written over a three-year period the self-produced album, released in January 2025, marks the arrival of an artist who has been on a voyage of self-discovery.

Misha is an experienced bandleader and versatile sideman and performs regularly all over the UK and around the world. His vast musical travels have led him to work alongside inspiring musicians such as Alice Zawadzki, Dave O’Higgins, Fred Thomas, Tim Garland, Viktoria Mullova, Enzo Zirilli, Sam Lee, Rob Luft, Paul Clarvis, Stan Sulzmann and Nessi Gomes.

A prolific composer and arranger in his own right, Misha embraces his jazz, classical, pop and folk influences in composing for a variety of jazz groups, as well as classical soloists and ensembles. Commissions include work with the Hermes Experiment, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, LSSO, Hill Quartet, Pelleas Ensemble, NW Live Arts and BBC Radio 3, the latter of which commissioned his cello concerto which was premiered at London’s Southbank Centre by Matthew Barley and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

“Both his composing talents and his propulsive bass-playing are currently such hot UK jazz news” – The Guardian

“It will not be many years before Misha becomes one of the world’s leading figures in music” – La Jornada (Mexico)

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