Alina Bzhezhinska’s HipHarp Collective ft. Tony Kofi

The Yard (NQJazz)

Alina Bzhezhinska harp / Tony Kofi saxophone / Larry Bartley bass / Joel Prime drums

Undoubtedly one of the leading harpists in the world today, Alina Bzhezhinska is a one-woman powerhouse, on a mission to bring the harp to the fore of contemporary sound – as a performer, composer, band leader and founder of the contemporary music platform HipHarpCollective. Together, they create a sound that can penetrate any size venue, any genre, any generation, and any musical taste; drawing as much from 90s Triphop and Afrobeat as Dorothy Ashby’s ‘Afro-harping’ and Alice Coltrane & Joe Henderson’s free form jazz experimentation.

Having studied both classical and jazz music across Europe and the USA, Bzhezhinska stormed to prominence in the UK jazz scene when her quartet appeared at the Barbican during the EFG London Jazz Festival 2017, alongside Denys Baptiste and Pharoah Sanders – nominated for ‘Best Live Experience of the Year’ at the Jazz FM Awards.

Bzhezhinska went on to produce her critically-acclaimed debut album, Inspiration (Ubuntu Music), featuring award winning saxophonist Tony Kofi, going on to represent the UK with her quartet at the WOMADelaide Festival in Australia, and giving performances for BBC Radio 3, Edinburgh International Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, the Royal Albert Hall, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Cadogan Hall and the Jazz Cafe to name but a few. A truly genre-defying musician, her collaborators include Kamaal Williams, DJ Spinna, Shabaka Hutchings, Ursula Rucker, Ben Marc, Niki King, Django Bates, The Third Orchestra – there’s no limits to where Alina’s music can go!

Presented by NQ Jazz in partnership with mjf

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