Alice Zawadzki | "Za Goromi"

Vocalist and Violinist Alice Zawadzki, Pianist Fred Thomas and Bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado Present a Rare Alchemy on Their Trio Debut, Za Górami

The Trio Fuses Folk Idioms from a Multitude of Sources with Free Flowing Interplay and Fluid Structures

Available September 20, 2024

“Collected on our travels and taught to us by our friends, these are songs we have learnt and loved together. 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.”

– Alice, Fred and Misha

Vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki, pianist Fred Thomas (who also plays the vielle and drums here) and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado present a rare alchemy on their trio debut, fusing folk idioms from a multitude of sources with free flowing interplay and fluid structures. Inhabiting their own stylistic realm, the trio encompasses folk song, chamber music, improvisation and jazz, and on Za Górami they present the full span of their reach in a mesmerizing whole.

“Our trio relies on the intimacy of deep listening and a trust in our long-standing friendship” writes the trio in a short performer’s note accompanying this release. “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.”

Half of the pieces included on Za Górami hail from the deep treasure trove of the Sephardic heritage. The subjects of these ladino songs are inhabited by love and tragedy, yet the lyrics appear codified and transfigured, revealing their true meaning and emotional depth only in synergy with the musical expression they are given, which in return is bestowed with an almost spiritual connection and much dynamic detail through the performances of Alice, Fred and Misha.

“There’s a sort of abstraction to the lyrics,” explains Alice. “A lot of metaphor and imagery that allows you to be swept into the world that these words create. They become an amazing vehicle for one’s emotions, because in a way – even though codified with symbols like water, bred, the sunrise – the songs’ meaning feels inherent as soon as the music and lyrics are fused together. We become aware that words are not our only language and these ladino songs are able to connect with you in way that one can’t verbalize otherwise.”

The opening “Dezile A Mi Amor” is a lover’s plea in the rain, “Los Biblikos” a nightingale’s song that calls on spring to awaken the soul and in the lullaby “Nani Nani” the protagonist wrestles with her lover’s infidelity. Both “Dame La Mano” and “Arvoles Lloran Por Lluvias” are wistful contemplations in which an air of melancholy, even grief unfolds with biting sustain. Each song is treated differently in the music – both Alice’s alternating but equally mastered vocal stylings and the respective instrumental choices carefully considered and adapted to the individual pieces. Simultaneously authentic and innovative, the trio handles the impassioned songs playfully, and with much thought.

“With Manfred Eicher, we strived to be both free and controlled, to tread softly and to summon the night,” says the trio. Indeed nocturnal yet also full of bright and brilliant colours, Venezuelan singer Simón Diaz’s “Tonada De Luna Llena” is a beguiling incantation in the hands of the group, with Fred Thomas’s sparkling piano accompaniment and Misha Mullov-Abbado’s firm bass work laying a moving foundation for Zawadzki’s inspired vocal flourishes. Her unique blending of both a wispy higher register with a full-bodied soprano and an equally versatile and elegant in the contralto register invokes a striking atmosphere that is just as unique here as in the trio’s take on Gustavo Santaolalla’s “Suéltate Las Cintas”.

“Gentle lady” is a Fred Thomas-original, set to the words of James Joyce. Inspired by Baroque monodies, the song unfolds with a repeating figure in the pianist’s left hand, alternating the fifth and fourth before handing the same pattern over to the bass in a drone-like effect. They frame Zawadzki’s heartfelt modal incantation. And with Nicolas Gombert’s “Je Suis Trop Jeunette” the trio draws on even earlier musical influences, once again reinforcing the agelessness of their project’s music and the unique atmosphere it commands.

The piece that gives the album its name is based on a Polish traditional, presented here in a re-imagined version of Alice’s design. “Za Górami” literally translates to “Behind The Mountains”, yet, an equivalent to the English stock phrase “Once Upton A Time”, is used to introduce stories, fairy tales or other fictions of imaginary ambition. The song is among the dramatic and dramaturgical climaxes of the record, with all three musicians at their most stirring and outgoing.

Recorded at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano, June 2023, the album was produced by Manfred Eicher.

Fred Thomas, who has been called a “boundary-blurring composer and improviser” by Gramophone magazine, made his leader-debut for the label on ECM’s New Series with the recording of Bach transcriptions for violin, violoncello and piano on 2021’s Three Or One, alongside Aisha Orazbayeva and Lucy Railton. In connection with that album, BBC Music Magazine said he “has consolidated his credentials as an illuminating, idiosyncratic Bachian.” A much sought-after pianist with qualities on a wide array of additional instruments, Fred also appears on the label as part of Elina Duni’s group, captured on Lost Ships and A Time To Remember, with contributions on piano and drums. Among his various collaborations beyond the trio with Alice and Misha, Fred regularly plays with the South African cellist Abel Selaocoe.

The Guardian has suggested that the London-based jazz bass player, composer and arranger Misha Mullov-Abbado’s “composing talents and his propulsive bass-playing are currently such hot UK jazz news”, and the bassist’s prolific output with a variety of artists in seemingly disparate genres emphasize his many talents in any given context. He has released leader recordings for Edition records and collaborated with the likes of Tim Garland, Rob Luft, the violinist Viktoria Mullova (who is his mother) and more. Za Górami marks his first time recording for ECM.

Dubbed “a force to be reckoned with,” and “loosely connected to the jazz world but realistically inhabiting her own realm” by CLASH magazine, London-based vocalist, composer and violinist Alice Zawadzki has made a mark on the improvised music scene. Trained in jazz singing and composition as well as having completed studies in classical violin at the Royal Northern College of Music, Zawadzki’s stylistic grasp bridges gaps between genres and idioms. Her rich musical background and “whimsical hyper-creativity” (MOJO Magazine) draw upon her early exposure to New Orleans jazz and gospel, the extensive classical training as a violinist, and a continuous exploration of improvisation, poetry, and folk music from diverse traditions. Her trio collaboration with Fred Thomas and Misha Mullov-Abbado has been her main vehicle for the past couple of years – reviewing their live show in 2024, London Jazz News called them “a ‘supergroup’ trio of mesmerizing intensity.”