Academy Jazz Festival - Academy Jazz Ensemble with Zoe Rahman

Zoe Rahman piano

Academy Jazz Ensemble:

Ewan Parkin trumpet
Nick Willsher alto saxophone
Charlie Rees alto/tenor saxophone
Harvey Tongs trombone
Noah Stoneman piano
Jack Tustin bass
Alasdair Pennington drums

Zoe Rahman has established herself as one of the brightest stars on the contemporary jazz scene. She is a vibrant and highly individual pianist/composer whose style is deeply rooted in jazz while reflecting her classical background, British/Bengali heritage and very broad musical taste. Known for her powerful technique, wide-ranging imagination and exuberant performance, she has become a highly sought-after musician who has worked with the likes of George Mraz, Courtney Pine and Jerry Dammers’s Spatial AKA Orchestra.

Zoe studied classical piano at the Royal Academy of Music's Junior Academy, read music at the University of Oxford and then won a scholarship to study jazz performance at Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she studied with the inspirational pianist Joanne Brackeen.

She won a MOBO Award (Best Jazz Act 2012) for Kindred Spirits, her fifth album on her own Manushi label. Featuring her brother Idris on clarinet alongside her trio, as well as a guest appearance by UK jazz legend Courtney Pine, the album was critically acclaimed.

Her second album, Melting Pot, was nominated in 2006 for the Mercury Prize and won Jazz Album of the Year at the 2006 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.

Her fourth album, Where Rivers Meet, is a stunning collaboration with her brother Idris, exploring music from their Bengali heritage.

She has been invited to play at many international jazz festivals and has worked extensively throughout the UK and internationally, including performances in the USA, Japan, Australia, Kuwait, Sweden, Norway, Italy, France, Barbados, Romania, Hungary, Ireland, Algeria, Estonia, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

She has been a featured artist on numerous TV and radio programmes and is frequently invited to sit on high-profile panels – most notably, the Mercury Music Prize, BBC Young Jazz Musician and Nottingham International Jazz Piano competition. She shares her passion for music through teaching in a variety of contexts, inspiring musicians of all ages and abilities.