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Ill Considered is a dynamic and innovative jazz ensemble from the UK, known for their spontaneous and highly improvisational approach to music. Formed in 2017, the group has quickly gained recognition for their ability to create deeply atmospheric soundscapes, blending elements of jazz, rock, and world music. Their music is characterised by free-flowing improvisation, where compositions are often developed in the moment, allowing the band to craft unique and captivating performances for each audience.
The core lineup of Ill Considered includes saxophonist Idris Rahman, drummer Emre Ramazanoglu, and bassist Liran Donin, each bringing a wealth of experience from diverse musical backgrounds. Together, they explore the boundaries of jazz, creating music that is raw, energetic, and full of emotional depth. With a series of critically acclaimed albums and live performances across Europe, Ill Considered has established itself as one of the leading voices in contemporary improvised music, appealing to jazz lovers and broader audiences alike.
SOOTHSAYERS are set to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2025. Known for their unique blend of Afrobeat, dub, reggae and jazz, the band has been a vital force in the UK’s global music scene since their formation in 2000. Over the last two decades, SOOTHSAYERS have been known for delivering vibrant, socially conscious music with a groove-driven sound that resonates across cultures and generations.
Formed by saxophonist Idris Rahman and trumpeter Robin Hopcraft, SOOTHSAYERS has created a sound that is both timeless and forward-thinking. Their live performances are an immersive experience, drawing crowds into a powerful musical journey through African rhythms, dub textures and jazz improvisations. SOOTHSAYERS have graced stages at major festivals such as Glastonbury, North Sea Jazz, Shambala, Womad, captivating audiences with their infectious energy, dynamic horn sections and deep grooves.
“a Tel Aviv-born virtuoso who, after years as a sought-after player/composer, has now made an exceptional album of his own… a treat both for those in the jazz backyard, and those looking over the fence.” Best 10 Jazz Albums of 2018, THE GUARDIAN ****
“bassist Liran Donin is all melody and emotion on this debut for his own music. Steeped in his complex Israeli background, it’s a cultural and musical statement of fierce beauty. The virtues of melody and direct emotion are their own rewards on a purging, uplifting record.” 10 Best Releases of 2018, JAZZWISE ****
A bass player and composer based in London, Liran Donin brings the bass to the forefront and directs the music via his trademark powerhouse grooving. As a composer his range is broad and incorporates poignantly melodic and contemporary indie-folk like music that binds together broad influences reflecting his background and inspirations, ranging from Sub-Saharan Africa and Jewish Ladino through to simple folk songs, and casting the five musicians in his 1000 Boats project in a highly original and intriguing light.
After releasing the 1000 Boats’ debut album 8 songs in 2018 to rave reviews, including “Best 10 Jazz Albums of 2018” from The Guardian and Jazzwise Magazine, and touring it to standing ovations at sold out shows across the UK and Europe, Liran emerged from the pandemic having recorded a seminal album ‘Liminal Space’ as one third of Ill Considered, a band that is one of the most in-demand and globally most talked about post-jazz outfits to emerge from the United Kingdom in recent years.
A second full 1000 Boats album is in the works, but meanwhile Donin’s restless creativity has seen him also release a very special duo album with revered tenor saxophonist Idris Rahman in 2022 and he remains highly in demand working with other artists right across the musical spectrum, a CV that already includes Mercury Prize Award nominees Led Bib and Polar Bear, The Unthanks, Mulatu Astatke, the late great Tabla maestro Pandit Shardah Sahai and the vocalist Aruna Sairam, Chrissie Hynde and US indie band Here We Go Magic to name but a few.
“Her sound is drenched with originality and jazz legitimacy…. a world class artist, composer and performer… Zoe shines as one of Britain’s most powerful compositional voices and important contemporary artists.” THE IVORS ACADEMY
‘This gig was arguably the highlight of the entire Festival. The writing was intelligent and imaginative and the playing superb. The brilliance of the performance was reflected in the massive line to buy CDs in the foyer after the event. I haven’t seen such a long queue for the merch desk at a jazz gig for a very long time. Says it all I think’. BRECON JAZZ FESTIVAL review in JAZZMANN, July 2023
“An outstanding, bravura set” THE OBSERVER ****
“Recent release ‘Colour of Sound’, is regarded as her most ambitious album yet. With its thrilling and unique arrangements, Zoe Rahman has responded to the losses and constraints of the last two years by going bolder and brighter. The way Rahman communicates a clear message through her performance takes each composition to a whole new level and was an honour to watch.” JAZZ IN EUROPE, album launch show, King’s Place, London.
Described in The Observer as “a remarkable pianist by any standard”, Zoe Rahman has firmly established herself as one of the brightest stars on the contemporary jazz scene. A vibrant and highly individual pianist/composer, her style is deeply rooted in jazz yet it reflects her classical background, British/Bengali heritage and her very broad musical taste. Known for her powerful technique, wide-ranging imagination and exuberant performance, she has become a highly sought-after musician.
Born in Chichester, UK, to a Bengali father and English mother, Zoe studied classical piano at the Royal Academy of Music, took a music degree at Oxford University and then won a scholarship to study jazz performance at Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she studied with the inspirational pianist Joanne Brackeen.
In a decades-long career Rahman has won many prestigious awards including the MOBO Award for Best Jazz, Jazz Album of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, an Ivor Novello Award and has been nominated for the Nationwide Mercury Prize alongside the likes of Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Arctic Monkeys and Muse.
In July 2023, Zoe released her new album “Colour of Sound”, the most ambitious, many-hued, uplifting large-ensemble music of her career. Equal parts joyful, adventurous, soulful and powerful, Rahman’s stunning octet arrangements have been rapturously received in UK concert halls and festivals such as Love Supreme Jazz Festival, Brecon Jazz Festival, Turner Sims Southampton, London’s King’s Place.
On the international stage, the Zoe Rahman trio has been invited to play at many prestigious international jazz festivals and concert halls including Rochester International Jazz Festival USA, Elbphilarmonie Hamburg Germany (NDR), Banlieues Bleues in Paris, North Sea Jazz, Cork Jazz Festival Ireland and Molde Jazz Festival Norway.
‘Julia Biel is simply jaw-dropping. Absolutely nothing conventional about her approach. She doesn’t reach for the standards, doesn’t concern herself with swinging, doesn’t scat and needs nothing more than the depth of her authenticity to charm.’ ffff TÉLÉRAMA
‘Julia Biel excelle dans l’art consommé du chant consummé…. Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Amy Winehouse… Aujourd’hui Julia les rejoint, mais plus besoin de drogue.’ ANDRÉ MANOUKIAN, FRANCE INTER
[Julia Biel excels in the consummate art of consummate singing…. Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Amy Winehouse… Today Julia joins them, but doesn’t need the drugs..]
‘Julia Biel irradie d’une lumière discrète mais profondément naturelle, instinctive – celle des chanteuses-nées, des guérisseuses.’ TÉLÉRAMA SORTIR [pandemic editorial + END OF YEAR ‘BEST OF’ LIST]
[Julia Biel radiates humility and a deeply natural, instinctive light – that of a born singer and healer.]
‘Bei Julia Biels Dresden Debüt vor fast vier Jahren sprach Tonne Chef Steffen Wilde in seinem Grußwort davon, “dass man den ersten Song hört und denkt: Das ist unheimlich gut, dann den zweiten und weiß: Das wird etwas Großes.” Das war damals schon, jetzt ist die Londonerin so gut, dass es kaum noch fassbar ist.’ DRESDNER NEUESTE NACHRICHTEN
‘When Julia Biel made her debut in Dresden four years ago, in his introduction the Jazzclub owner Steffen Wilde said that ‘you hear the first song and think: damn this is good, then the second and know: this will be massive’. That was then. Now the Londoner is so good you can hardly believe it.’
Vocalist, songwriter, and pianist, Julia Biel has been mesmerising audiences worldwide with her original and emotive songwriting, instantly recognisable voice and singular approach to music, a combination that has made her UK vocal jazz’s most successful export in recent times, and seen her performing headline shows at many of the world’s most prestigious venues and jazz festivals.
2014-2019 were incredible years for Julia, seeing her garner support from diverse household names such as Bob Dylan, Jamie Cullum and Ben Watt and play headline shows at the cream of the world’s jazz festivals and much more. Whilst the pandemic years saw her solo voice/piano album release ‘Black and White, Vol.1’ solidify her standing as an important cultural innovator redefining the classic to fit her mould, the powerful energy contained in her upcoming releases should ensure that the next few years continue to lead an army of listeners in a direction that’s all her own.
Returning with a full bag of new and deeply groove-driven songs and a classic jazz line-up of voice/piano/tenor saxophone/double bass and drums, her ‘astral soul’ sound takes listeners on an immersive, energising and intriguing journey into the parallel universe of the collective subconscious. Equally at home freely improvising in the moment as performing her written songs, the boundaries are frequently blurred resulting in exciting one-off performances coming from an outernational space.
‘Out of the old comes the new’, says Julia, ‘so it makes sense to me to approach the familiar from new angles and find the truth of the now within it. We are constantly evolving and so must the music if we’re truthfully playing it as an expression of ourselves.’
Artistic heir to the likes of Nina Simone, Alice Coltrane, Roberta Flack, Joni Mitchell and Gregory Porter, her instinctive and self-taught artistry also carries within it the unmistakable sound of her South African ancestors, connecting her to a long line of artists using music as a weapon in the quest for spiritual liberation.
