Inhabiting their own stylistic realm encompassing mediterranean folk song, chamber music, improvisation and the world of acoustic jazz, this trio comprises the award-winning singer, multi-instrumentalist and song-writer Alice Zawadzki, joined by two of London’s most distinguished musicians, Fred Thomas and Misha Mullov-Abbado. The clear synergy harnessed by these three musicians is the result of almost a decade’s work together, drawing upon the successes and singular abilities of its members: multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer Fred Thomas, whose recent exceptional album for ECM Records received 5 stars from Gramophone Magazine, Misha Mullov-Abbado, whose stature as bassist and composer has garnered commissions from the BBC Concert Orchestra, and Alice Zawadzki, described by The Guardian as “a genuine original”. The group plays acoustic chamber music, guided by a special emphasis on intimacy, delicacy of sound, space and subtle interaction, qualities which have led them to ECM Records, whose founder Manfred Eicher produced their debut album ‘Za Górami’ in Lugano in 2023.

“Beautiful music and absorbing stories…beautifully conveyed wistful songs, but only exploratory and jazz-immersed musicians could have delivered them this way” The Guardian – Jazz Album of the Month – 4****

“Perhaps this track best sums up the intimate beauty and expansive mystery of this exquisite trio” Downbeat Magazine

“The recordings of this trio are a model of cliché-free beauty and gossamer-fine musical communication, which thrives on Alice Zawadzki’s velvety, clear voice and yet is a triangle of equally important partners… A musical experience of lasting beauty“ Bayerische Rundfunk Radio

“It’s a delicate free-flowing, spacious, still-of-the-night affair with a sensitive less-is-more approach to ensemble dialogue…An exquisite recording that penetrates a little deeper with every listen” Jazzwise Magazine 4****

“The trio, in their debut recording together, cast a wide net reaching from Poland to Argentina and enchant with a selection of works for Zawadzki’s entrancing vocals, supported by plaintive piano, percussion, vielle and bass. Folk? Jazz? Chamber? World music? Who cares?” BBC Music Magazine  5*****

“A magnificent CD, full of a deep existential melancholy, of a timeless constructive wisdom, of a human stoicism built on the truth of contemporary living” Spettakulo

“A remarkably successful and credible genre fusion of jazz and folklore, classical and early music, and a highly musical and very profound affair that brings the listener under its spell” Jazz Podium

“A deep well of folk-inspired music and poetic lyrics that is drawn upon to create original interpretations that fit the ECM imprimatur like a glove” UK Jazz News

“Za Górami is an exceptionally compact and at the same time transparent combination of intimacy and intensity. And thus, quite independently of the lyrics of these songs, a love story of its own” Die Weltwoche

“Intimate, ad libitum, folk-rinsed and haunting music” Jazz Journal

“An extraordinary debut album from a trio of extraordinary musicians…utterly spellbinding” Jazzviews

“From start to finish the album is expansive, acting as a vessel enabling the listener to dream and contemplate. Throughout Za Górami the trio unearth fresh listening avenues for the ear, pioneering and reviving unexplored music from different pockets of the world” Presto Music

“These are lieder for a modern world in which echoes of the past are inescapable…The clarity and subtle shadings of Zawadzki’s soprano, the handsomely shaped bass sound and calm phrasing of Mullov-Abbado, and Thomas’s reflective piano and subtle percussion work together to create a pan-national music in which elegance, economy and ardour are held in perfect balance. In its quiet way, this is one of the year’s outstanding albums” Blue Moment blog

“A mix of impressive individual talents” UK Jazz News

“This is a haunting genre-busting project that deserves to be heard” The Honest Broker

“Za Górami incorporates folk songs, chamber music and improvisational jazz styles to meld a mesmerizing sound” All About Jazz

“A beautiful album full of subtle nuances” Jazz Forum

“A remarkably successful and credible genre fusion of jazz and folklore, classical and early music, and a highly musical and very profound affair that brings the listener under its spell” Jazz Podium

“The fact that it all comes together as if from a single mould is what makes this album truly magical and deserving of great interest far beyond the jazz scene!” Zeitschrift für Kultur und Gesellschaft ‘CD Tipp’ 

“The British-Polish singer and violinist Alice Zawadzki, who, together with pianist Fred Thomas and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado, takes on old Sephardic songs with great empathy and a sense of lyrical intensity on her debut album “Za Górami”, released by ECM, is truly a new voice” ORF Spielräume

“These are moments when not only the musicians, but also listeners hold their breath. Moments full of eloquence” Trouw 4****

Album Liner Notes:

Za Górami (Behind the Mountains) is much more than a geographical place, though the cautionary tale of the young Maɫgorzatka certainly paints the Polish Carpathians vividly. An ancient rallying cry, this cryptic phrase summons something transcendental, reminiscent of ’Once upon a time…’ It’s in this spirit of openness that the ten stories of our album Za Górami unfold.

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.

Our trio relies on the intimacy of deep listening and a trust in our long-standing friendship. The discovery of what each song wanted to be was a patient process of contemplation, omission and distillation of ideas, animated by the flexibility of our instrumentation: voice, piano, double bass, violin, vielle and percussion. Za Górami was recorded behind the mountains of the Lugano Alps, under the nurturing guidance of Manfred Eicher. In a concert hall whose unique acoustic encourages delicacy of sound and space, we strived to be both free and controlled, to tread softly and to summon the night.

Alice Zawadzki, Fred Thomas, Misha Mullov-Abbado