Zoe Rahman Quartet (rehearsal)
@ the Barbican Centre
16 November 2013

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Biography

Zoe Rahman has firmly established herself as one of the brightest stars on contemporary jazz scene. Her second album, “Melting Pot”, was short-listed for the 2006 Nationwide Mercury Prize and was voted ‘Jazz Album of the Year’ at the 2006 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Her critically acclaimed debut album, The Cynic, with drummer Winston Clifford and bassist Jeremy Brown, was short-listed for the BBC Radio 3 jazz album of the year review in 2001. Following the success of her debut CD, Rahman was nominated in the ‘Rising Star’ category of the 2001 BBC Jazz Awards. In 1999 she won the ‘Perrier Young Jazz Musician of the Year’ Award, which led to her recording three tracks on a Jazz FM-produced compilation, with drummer Daniel Crosby and bassist Orlando Le Fleming.

Born in Chichester, UK, Zoe Rahman studied music at Oxford University and jazz performance at Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she had lessons with the inspirational pianist JoAnne Brackeen. While in America she formed her own trio which featured bassist Joshua Davis and the renowned drummer Bob Moses. She has been the featured artist on Radio and Television programmes such as BBC4’s ‘Women In Jazz’ documentary, Jools Holland’s BBC Radio 2 show, Charles Hazlewood’s BBC Radio 2 show, Courtney Pine’s 'Jazz Crusade’ on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4’s 'Women’s Hour’, BBC London’s 'Now’s the Time’, Andrea Oliver’s ‘The Selector’, Northern Broadcasting Internet Radio, Resonance FM and Julian Joseph’s Jazz series for Meridian Television. She has performed live on the BBC World Service and on Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’ and music from her Melting Pot album has also been featured on BBC Radio 3’s 'Jazz Record Requests’.

Aside from working with her own groups, Rahman continues to perform, record and tour (both in the UK and internationally) with a diverse range of other artists, most recently: Antonio Forcione, Clark Tracey’s New Quintet; Reem Kelani; Soothsayers; Tony Bianco; Steve Williamson; JazzXchange Dance Company; Nyika Goremsandu; Netsayi Chigwendere; Gary Boyle; Keziah Jones (2003/4 European tours); David Walcott (2008 Jazz Festival, Barbados); Mekaal Hasan (2001 tour, Pakistan). She has co-written a jazz-based theatre show ‘I'm a Fool to Want You’, about the French writer/musician Boris Vian, with ‘Told by an Idiot’ Theatre Company (UK / South American tours 2003-2005).