Misha Mullov-Abbado / Effra
Release Date: 31st January 2025
CD, Digital & Vinyl Formats / UBU0185
Misha Mullov-Abbado (Photographer: Monika S Jakubowska)
Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of award-winning London-based jazz bass player, composer and arranger Misha Mullov-Abbado for the release of Effra, his next project, on 31st January 2025.
Effra is Misha’s fourth album as a bandleader and is a collection of all the music he has written in the last four years for his band of over a decade now. The word is often associated with the area of Brixton in South London which has been his home almost as long as the band has existed. It began as the name of a now-underground river that runs through the area and has more recently been used as the name of a main road and two rival pubs, as well as a smaller road which one of his tracks is named after. The album is an expression of Misha’s love for both his home and for playing jazz after a difficult period in previous years, and these pieces reflect all the personal journeys in that time.
Sam Rapley, Liam Dunachie, Misha Mullov-Abbado, Matthew Herd, Scott Chapman, James Davison (Photographer: Matthew Johnson)
Misha’s quintet consists of an exceptional array of musicians, who happen to be based in London: award-winning trumpet/flugelhorn ace James Davison, alto/tenor sax man Matthew Herd, tenor saxophone & bass clarinet player Sam Rapley, pianist Liam Dunachie and drummer Scott Chapman.
Misha further explains the project: “The album contains eight original pieces written for my regular jazz sextet. The record goes on a musical journey combining many different influences from traditional jazz to swing to Brazilian samba to classical music to minimalism to modern and obscure. It is unified by the sound of the group playing together with an incredible horn section which often sounds about three times bigger, as well as inventive improvising from all members of the band. This is dedicated to Brixton, the diverse melting pot of all the sights and sounds of the exciting and vibrant city of London, where I have lived all my life.”
Liam Dunachie, Matthew Herd, Misha Mullov-Abbado, Scott Chapman, James Davison, Sam Rapley (Photographer: Matthew Johnson)
Misha comments on his new relationship with Ubuntu Music: “I am super happy to be working with Martin (Hummel) and everyone at Ubuntu Music. Martin has been extremely supportive of all my music-making in the past five years and already very helpful with all things to do with this project since we first discussed shortly after recording it. I am lucky to have appeared on several Ubuntu releases in recent years and so have witnessed for myself the practical ease and good-natured exchanges that take place in a successful album release for a touring band.”
Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, concludes: “I’ve been seriously impressed with Misha’s compositional and performance skills for a number of years now. He’s developed his own voice, while giving breathing space to his distinguished partners to express themselves seamlessly within an exceptional quintet framework. Misha’s music takes us on a multi-cultural journey, while always reassuring us that home is just around the corner. It’s a delight to bring ‘Effra’ to the world stage for all to enjoy. We’re honoured to be a part of the journey as we welcome Misha and his musicians to the Ubuntu Music Family.”
For further information, please contact:
Misha Mullov-Abbado/Artist: misha.ma@hotmail.co.uk
Emma Perry/Emma Perry PR (UK PR): emmasarahperry@gmail.com
Martin Hummel/Ubuntu Music (Worldwide): martin@ubuntumanagementgroup.com
BIOGRAPHIES:
“An unfailing inventive, artfully produced, and delightfully sunny debut”
The Telegraph on New Ansonia (UK)
“It will not be many years before Misha becomes one of the world’s leading
figures in music”
La Jornada (Mexico)
“Both his composing talents and his propulsive bass-playing are currently such
hot UK jazz news”
The Guardian (UK)
“Soul-enhancing jazz”
BBC Radio 3 on the Misha Mullov-Abbado Group
“A mouthwatering prospect”
Jazzwise on the Misha Mullov-Abbado Group
The Misha-Mullov-Abbado Group (Photographer: Matthew Johnson)
The Misha Mullov-Abbado Group is made up of some of the finest, multi-award-winning musicians in London and, under Misha’s direction, the group performs his original compositions and arrangements with a broad variety of influences. The band has performed at a broad range of prestigious jazz and classical festivals across the UK, as well as undertaking overseas ventures to France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and Mexico. London highlights include the Southbank Centre, King’s Place, Vortex and Barbican Centre.
Having been signed to Edition Records since 2014, the group released Dream Circus, produced by fellow Edition Records bass player and bandleader Jasper Høiby. The band previously released Cross-Platform Interchange (2017) and New Ansonia, the latter of which was included in “Best Jazz Albums 2015” by both The Telegraph and BBC Radio 3. All of the band’s releases have received an overwhelming amount of praise, and the group appears regularly on Radio 3 and Jazz FM.
The band’s repertoire is influenced by a broad spectrum of music in the classical, jazz and pop genres as well folk traditions from around the world, particularly from South America. Misha’s music contains chorale-based and contemporary styles that are influenced by classical giants from Bach to Bartok and beyond, and also pays tribute to jazz and groove-based music including swing, samba, funk and fusion. As a bass-led band, Avishai Cohen, Ray Brown and Charles Mingus are all important role models for this exciting sextet.
Having originally met while studying together this ensemble of old friends has a lot of history of working together in many different combinations and bands. Many of them have their own projects performing their own incredible and unique music and all play in variety of successful groups such as the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra, Seafarers, and Alfa Mist.
Misha Mullov-Abbado (double bass)
Award-winning, London-based jazz bass player, composer and arranger Misha Mullov-Abbado is a musician who combines great imagination with raw talent and a clear vision. A BBC New Generation Artist and with three critically acclaimed albums on Edition Records under his name, his most recent offering, Dream Circus, showcases his ‘melodic gift’ (John Fordham, The Guardian) and ability to masterfully combine beautifully crafted compositions with free-spirited improvisation. Written over a three-year period, the album (produced by fellow Edition Records bassist and bandleader Jasper Høiby of Phronesis) marks the arrival of an artist who has been on a voyage of self-discovery.
His aforementioned collective features some of the most exhilarating and sought-after young musicians in London and was formed during Misha’s final year at Royal Academy of Music. An experienced bandleader and versatile sideman, Misha regularly performs all over the UK and around the world, including at top London venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, the Vortex, King’s Place and Royal Albert Hall. His vast musical travels have led him to work alongside inspiring musicians such as Alice Zawadzki, Dave O’Higgins, Fred Thomas, Tim Garland, Viktoria Mullova, Enzo Zirilli, Sam Lee, Rob Luft, Paul Clarvis, Stan Sulzmann and Nessi Gomes. In 2024 he was part of Za Górami, a release on ECM Records in a trio with Alice Zawadzki and Fred Thomas which was The Guardian's Jazz album of the month.
A prolific composer and arranger in his own right, Misha embraces his jazz, classical, pop and folk influences and writes for a variety of jazz groups, as well as various classical soloists and ensembles. Commissions include work with the Hermes Experiment, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, LSSO, Hill Quartet, Pelleas Ensemble, NW Live Arts and BBC Radio 3, the latter of which commissioned his cello concerto which was premiered at London’s Southbank Centre by Matthew Barley and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
It’s only a matter of time before Misha seals his place on the international scene at the forefront of a new generation of European creative jazz musicians.
James Davison (trumpet)
Winner of the Worshipful Company of Musicians Young Jazz Musician of the year (2018) and the Smith-Watkins Trumpet Award (Royal Academy of Music, 2016) James Davison is now pursuing a busy and varied freelance career. He is currently Lead Trumpet with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and performs regularly with the BBC Big Band, Pete Long’s Echoes of Ellington Orchestra, the Louis Dowdeswell Big Band and the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra. James’ classical and orchestral career highlights include performances as Guest Principal Trumpet with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Opera and the Hallé Orchestra, as well as tours and recordings with the Sinfonia of London and London Brass. James is also a member of the award-winning Misha Mullov-Abbado Group as well as his own bands - “Quintet-a-tete” co-led with Grammy nominated arranger and trombone player Callum Au, and "The Davison/Hemstock Quintet" with Australian clarinet and saxophonist Duncan Hemstock.
Matthew Herd (alto saxophone)
Matthew Herd is a Scottish songwriter, composer, and saxophonist living in east London. He
writes for and performs with Seafarers, a band that unites some of the most prominent voices in folk and improvised music. Their debut album, Orlando, was released in 2020 to international acclaim, and was followed by the much lauded II in 2022. Matthew can be found performing with the Misha Mullov-Abbado Group. Also, in trio with Will Glaser and Liam Noble, and in duo with pianist Tom Taylor. From time to time, he plays with DJ Yoda, and the Patchwork Jazz Orchestra. Matthew is Musician in Residence at Habs Boys’ School and co-directs the Habs Jazz Summer School.
Sam Rapley (tenor saxophone)
Sam Rapley is a composer and saxophonist living and working in the UK. He writes distinctive, unique and ear-catching music for film, television and games, and is at the forefront of the UK jazz scene as a saxophonist and clarinettist, having studied jazz performance and composition at the Royal Academy of Music. His band ‘Fabled' released their debut album Short Stories to critical acclaim in 2018 and subsequently performed across the UK as part of an Arts Council funded tour, including performances at London’s Wigmore Hall, Pizza Express Jazz Club and Manchester’s Band on the Wall. The album was featured in Jazzwise magazine and has been played regularly on BBC Radio 3. As a sideman, Rapley performs regularly with Alfa Mist, Waaju, Misha Mullov-Abbado and Maria Chiara Argirò, and with these bands has played extensively throughout the UK at venues such as The Barbican, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Maida Vale Studios and The Jazz Cafe, as well as touring across Europe and further afield to Australia, Mexico and Thailand.
Liam Dunachie (piano)
Originally from Shropshire, Liam Dunachie began his musical training as a treble chorister in Hereford Cathedral Choir and later studied music at Trinity College, Cambridge where he was a choral scholar in its world-renowned choir under Stephen Layton. After graduating from Cambridge, Liam won a scholarship to study jazz piano and arranging at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he studied with Malcolm Edmonstone, Nikki Iles and Scott Stroman among others. He has since gone on to play piano and Hammond organ in groups led by Jim Mullen, Dennis Rollins, Derek Nash, Nigel Price and Postmodern Jukebox's vocalist Aubrey Logan among others. He has performed at all of London's major jazz and commercial venues and many others across the UK, including Ronnie Scott's, Pizza Express Dean St, Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury Festival's Pyramid Stage, Wembley Arena, The Royal Festival Hall, The Palladium and many more.
Scott Chapman (drums)
Scott Chapman is a professional freelance and session drummer based in London whose versatility behind the kit has forged him a varied career and reputation of being able to cover many musical situations. He gained a strong musical grounding playing classic big band repertoire with ex-professionals every week in his younger years. Aged only sixteen, he became the principal drummer for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and later was given a place at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London to study on the undergraduate jazz course. Shortly after graduating in 2014 with a First-Class honours degree and a Yamaha Jazz Scholarship Award, Scott was picked up to join the tour of major hit musical Wicked and since then he has performed as a deputy for the London production and a handful of other major West End shows, as well as for the London Musical Theatre Orchestra. He is also involved in notable projects at the forefront of the UK jazz scene such as the Misha Mullov-Abbado Group and the Patchwork Jazz Orchestra, and as an able percussionist he has performed as an onstage actor/musician in the West End production of Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined in 2015-16, and toured with Sheridan Smith in 2018.
