Kings Place is proud to present the gifted bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado for the launch of ‘Effra’, Misha’s fourth album as a bandleader, to be released on Ubuntu Music on 31 Jan 2025.

Effra is a collection of all the music Misha 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 for 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.

‘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.’

Misha’s sextet consists of an exceptional array of musicians: 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.

Reviews

‘An unfailing inventive, artfully produced, and delightfully sunny debut’  The Telegraph on New Ansonia

‘It will not be many years before Misha becomes one of the world’s leading figures in music’ La Jornada

‘Both his composing talents and his propulsive bass-playing are currently such hot UK jazz news’ Guardian