Alice Zawadski, Fred Thomas & Misha Mullov-Abbado - Za Górami

2024

Inhabiting their own stylistic realm which encompasses Mediterranean folk song, chamber music, improvisation and the world of acoustic jazz, this trio comprises the award-winning singer, violinist and songwriter Alice Zawadzki; multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Fred Thomas; and jazz bassist and composer Misha Mullov-Abbado.

The clear empathy and synergy harnessed by these three musicians is the result of almost a decade’s work together. Their acoustic chamber music is guided by a special emphasis on intimacy, delicacy of sound and space, and subtle interaction - qualities which have led them to ECM Records, whose founder Manfred Eicher produced their debut album Za Górami in Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo in June 2023.

“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.”