Glasgow Jazz Festival: Alina Bzhezhinska Quartet

Originally from Ukraine/Poland and now based in London, Alina Bzhezhinska is an internationally renowned harpist. She has performed with leading classical and jazz musicians such as Shabaka Hutchings, Django Bates, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and the Glasgow String Quartet. Her duo, with award-winning jazz vocalist Niki King, has supported Gregory Porter.

Alina’s critically acclaimed Quartet led the 80th Birthday celebrations for Alice Coltrane around the UK in 2017. Their appearance at the EFG London Jazz Festival in a special triple bill featuring Denys Baptiste and Pharoah Sanders - 'A Concert for Alice and John' - has been nominated for Best Live Experience of the Year at the 2018 Jazz FM Awards.

Alina has recorded a solo album called Harp Recital and is featured on recordings by the American harp ensemble Harp Fusion and the Scottish jazz group New Focus. Her new album, Inspiration, will be released in June 2018 through Ubuntu Music. “I set myself on a mission to tell Alice and John Coltrane’s story in my own words, through my own interpretation of their music and my compositions,” explains Alina.

The album was funded in part by the PRS Women Make Music Award.

"...Bzhezhinska’s superlative touch on the instrument does her role model proud..."

Kevin Le Genre, Jazzwise

 “…Bzhezhinska shares with Alice (Coltrane) a mastery of the jazz harp…”

★★★★★ Will Hodgkinson, The Times

Alina Bzhezhinska – Harp

Tony Kofi – Saxophones

Larry Bartley – Double Bass

Joel Prime – Drums / Percussion