Music Spoken Here presents Zeñel
The Marrs Bar, Thursday 22nd June 2023
Doors 8PM, show starts 8:30PM
Tickets £12.50 adv / £15 on the door
When I first saw Zeñel perform in London last year, I knew right away they’d be on our program soon enough! This young band is packed with talent that delivers an exciting fusion of live-performance electronic dance music with jazz harmonies and improvisation.
Zeñel was originally formed in 2016 as a trio by Portuguese drummer Zoe Pascal. Son of the incredible Portuguese bassist and producer Theo Pascal. Zoe started playing before he was five, was three-times Young Drummer of the Year finalist (2015-2017) and at age 11 the youngest UK endorsee for Soultone Cymbals. Pascal had already met multi-instrumentalist Laurence Wilkins through the exceptional jazz educational organization Tomorrow’s Warriors. They met up again in the Junior Royal Academy of Music Jazz Department and added fellow student Noah Stoneman on keys with the idea of being an organ trio. Once they got together something far more exciting started to happen! The band has since been extended to a quartet, featuring both Alex Wilson and Jay Verma on keys, replacing Stoneman from the original lineup.
As with every Music Spoken Here event, you can expect the highest standard of musicianship along with original, innovative creativity. Wilkins, who plays guitar, trumpet and live electronics with Zeñel, has also performed and recorded with Alfa Mist, Pyjaen, Stamina MC, YolanDa Brown, Lucy Lu and VC Pines.
Wilson, who arrived on the London jazz scene in 2019, was awarded the Royal Academy of Music’s Scott Philbrick Jazz Prize in 2022 for his outstanding performance and is currently working on projects spanning jazz fusion, contemporary pop and straight-ahead jazz, playing the prestigious Ronnie Scott’s and The Vortex in London along with festivals in Estonia, Paris and London.
Verma is an incredibly versatile keyboard player influenced by jazz, folk, classical, grime and electronic music. BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year semi-finalist Verma was awarded a scholarship at London’s prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2017. At the Brick Lane Jazz Festival in April I saw him play in different lineups every day. He even popped up in Sam Ryder’s Eurovision Grand Final performance in 2022!
Get your tickets and let’s give Zeñel a warm Worcester welcome!