Alina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi
Biography Alina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi
Alina Bzhezhinska
Originally from Ukraine/Poland, Alina Bzhezhinska has become one of the most innovative international harpists, based in London. She has created imaginative concert programmes and recorded with leading classical and jazz musicians: such as Django Bates, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and the Glasgow String Quartet. Alina’s London appearances include Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, live on BBC Radio 3, the London Jazz Festival and the London Film Festival. Her duo with award-winning jazz vocalist Niki King recently performed as a support act for Gregory Porter.
Alina’s critically acclaimed Quartet has appeared at Jazz Legend Festival in Birmingham and leads the celebration of Alice Coltrane 80th Birthday at many venues around the country, including top London jazz clubs, such as The Crypt and The Vortex. Alina Bzhezhinska Quartet appeared at the London Jazz Festival 2017 in a triple bill performance along with Coltrane’ s specialist Denys Baptist and the legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders.
"Alina Bzhezhinska… a modern-day supremo…among the best contemporary harpists…" - Evening Standard
"Harpist Alina Bzhezhinska is becoming a significant presence across the entire European Scene." - Downbeat Magazine
Tony Kofi
is a British Jazz multi-instrumentalist born of Ghanaian parents, a player of the Alto, Baritone, Soprano, Tenor saxophones and flute. Having 'cut his teeth' in the “Jazz Warriors” of the early 90’s, award-winning saxophonist Tony Kofi has gone on to establish himself as a musician, teacher and composer of
some authority. As well as performing and recording with Gary Crosby's “NuTroop” and “Jazz Jamaica”, Tony’s playing has also been a feature of many bands and artists he has worked/recorded with include “US-3” The World Saxophone Quartet, Courtney Pine, Donald Byrd, Eddie Henderson, The David Murray Big Band, Sam Rivers Rivbe Big band, Andrew Hill Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim, Macy Gray, Julian Joseph Big band, Harry Connick JR, Byron Wallen's Indigo, Jamaaladeen Tacuma's Coltrane Configurations and Ornette Coleman. His fluent and fiery hard-bop style makes him constantly in demand. He currently leads his own Tony Kofi Quartet, Tony Kofi Sphinx Trio, Future Passed Trio and is also the co-founder with Jonathan Gee of the Monk Liberation Front, a group that is dedicated to the music of Thelonious Monk. Tony’s latest project sees him performing with Alex Webb’s Café Society Swing, Arnie Somogyi’s Jump
Monk, Larry Bartley’s JustUS Quartet, Adrian Reid Quartet, a double leaders project with Alan Barnes called Aggregation, Orphy Robinson’s Bobby Hutcherson songbook project, Alina Bzhezhinska Quartet, Jo Harrop’s Fever, Portrait of Cannonball (Music dedicated to Cannonball Adderley) Tony Kofi and the Organisation, a recent project which he co leads on the Baritone Saxophone.
“There is so much respect in jazz circles for Tony Kofi.” – Jazzwise
“Passionate… superb… heartfelt” – The Guardian
