Emma Rawicz Quartet & Tony Kofi Quartet
A very special concert, a double bill to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sheffield Jazz and its predecessors. It features two great all-star bands led by multi-award winning British Jazz musicians, one of whom is a longstanding favourite with Sheffield audiences and another who has made a huge impression in the past couple of years.
Described as “an astonishing new talent” by Jamie Cullum, rising star saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz is already making waves on the UK scene. She has a unique sound, fusing many influences from lilting Afro-Cuban inspired grooves to modern jazz and funk numbers. Emma has already recorded two albums of original compositions, with her second, ‘Chroma’, released on the prestigious German label ACT, garnering numerous 4 star reviews.
“a young musician who is destined to be a major voice in the music both as an instrumentalist and composer” – Jazz Views
One of the most popular jazz musicians (both in the UK and internationally), Tony Kofi is a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, whose list of collaborators reads like a Who’s Who of jazz. Having cut his teeth in the Jazz Warriors of the early 90’s, Tony has gone on to establish himself as a musician, teacher and composer of real authority. He leads and co-leads several groups, including this quartet which is dedicated to the music of Thelonious Monk.
“There is so much respect in jazz circles for Tony Kofi” – Jazzwise
Emma Rawicz: saxophones
Ivo Neame: piano
Conor Chaplin: bass
Asaf Sirkis: drums
Tony Kofi: saxophones
Jonathan Gee: piano
Ben Hazleton: bass
Rod Youngs: drums
Prices
Full – £20
Over 60, disabled, unemployed – £18
Student with NUS card – £10
15 – 17 year olds – £5
Under 15s – Free
Additional Information
Emma Rawicz won Best Newcomer at the 2022 Parliamentary Jazz Awards and was a finalist in the 2022 BBC Young Jazz Musician competition. Key figures in Emma’s musical development include Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Chris Potter and Donny McCaslin, and she takes some inspiration from 1970s heroes like Chick Corea and Frank Zappa. Her new album ‘Chroma’ is a collection of Emma’s original tunes based upon unusual colours such as ‘Viridian’ and ‘Phlox,’ inspired by her chromaesthesia, a perceptual phenomenon with a rich history among musicians which involves seeing vivid colours in response to certain sounds and frequencies. http://www.emmarawicz.com/
“…her new album confirms how inventively risk-embracing a bandleader Rawicz is becoming. …she hit the ground running …in 2022 and the warp speed of her evolution is showing no sign of slowing” – John Fordham, The Guardian, review of ‘Chroma’
“…a mature player with ideas and talent to burn far beyond her years” – marlbank.net
Tony Kofi is a multi-award winning, multi-instrumentalist, playing alto, baritone, soprano and tenor saxophones and the flute. He has performed and recorded with a range of bands and artists including the World Saxophone Quartet, Ornette Coleman, Donald Byrd, Eddie Henderson, David Murray, Sam Rivers, Abdullah Ibrahim, Macy Gray, Julian Joseph and Courtney Pine. He leads and co-leads several groups, and his 2005 album ‘Plays Monk’ (which also featured Jonathan Gee and Ben Hazleton and was reissued in December 2023) won the prestigious BBC Jazz Awards ‘Album of the Year’ tonykofimusic.com/
“Passionate… superb… heartfelt” – The Guardian