Alina Bzhezhinska and Tony Kofi with Interplay

Presented by: In The Moment

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0	LEAMINGTON SPA: Victoria House
P	Sunday 5th May, 2019
N	7:00pm

Event information

Promoters In the Moment are thrilled to announce the visit of Alina Bzhezhinska and Tony Kofi, leading exponents of the music of Alice and John Coltrane, and whose work has been described as “mesmerizing beauty and elegance” by Roger Farbey (All About Jazz). They will play with popular band Interplay in celebration of this year’s International Jazz Day.

Now based in London, Ukrainian Alina Bzhezhinska is an internationally renowned, exciting and accomplished harpist. She has performed with leading classical and jazz musicians and her critically acclaimed Quartet, with saxophonist Tony Kofi, led the 80th Birthday celebrations for Alice Coltrane around the UK in 2017. Their appearance at the EFG London Jazz Festival in a special triple bill featuring Denys Baptiste and Pharoah Sanders - 'A Concert for Alice and John' - was nominated for Best Live Experience of the Year at the 2018 Jazz FM Awards. The Quartet’s album, Inspiration, was released in June 2018. “I set myself on a mission to tell Alice and John Coltrane’s story in my own words, through my own interpretation of their music and my compositions,” explains Alina.

Having 'cut his teeth' in the “Jazz Warriors” of the early 90’s, award-winning saxophonist
Tony Kofi is well established on the international jazz scene. He has worked with many leading bands and artists including The World Saxophone Quartet, Donald Byrd, Abdullah Ibrahim, The David Murray Big Band, Ornette Coleman and Jazz Jamaica. His fluent and fiery hard-bop playing is constantly in demand and his recent projects include A Portait of Cannonball Adderley and Tony Kofi & The Organisation.

Accompanying them will be the experienced bassist Adrian Litvinoff’s highly respected group, Interplay, now celebrating its tenth anniversary. Its members include long standing Mike Westbrook associate Alan Wakeman sax/flute, inventive and sought-after trombonist Richard Baker, versatile and forceful pianist Neil Hunter, and multifaceted Dave Balen on drums and percussion, in performances of their own and Alina’s compositions, as well as jazz standards.

Alina will give a short informal Q&A session at 6.30pm prior to the concert, admission free.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The concert starts at 7.30pm (doors open at 7.00pm). The talk only starts at 6.30 and will run for up to 30 mins.

"Bzhezhinska has a formidable technique which includes conjuring an unusually wide range of timbral qualities... She is further equipped with something you cannot learn: soul, which she has in spades." Chris May, All About Jazz 2018

“There is so much respect in jazz circles for Tony Kofi.” – Jazzwise
“Passionate… superb… heartfelt” – The Guardian