Misha Mullov-Abbado Group

Misha Mullov-Abbado – bass
James Davison – trumpet
Tom Smith – alto saxophone
Riley Stone Lonergan – tenor saxophone
Liam Dunachie – piano
Scott Chapman – drums

Set to land multiple album-of-the-year gongs for new record Effra, the Misha Mullov-Abbado Group is made up of some of the finest, multi-award-winning musicians in London – so it’s a real zeitgeist moment to welcome them to Wolverhampton right now.

Under Misha’s direction the group performs his original compositions and arrangements with a broad variety of influences. The band has performed at a variety 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.

Effra, the band’s fourth album, was issued in early 2025 on Ubuntu Music. Having previously been signed to Edition Records the group released Dream Circus in 2020
(produced by fellow Edition bassist and bandleader Jasper Høiby), Cross-Platform Interchange in 2017 and Misha’s debut New Ansonia, the last of which was included in Best Jazz
Albums of 2015 lists of 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.

Named after an underground river in Brixton near Misha’s home, Effra 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 self-produced album, released in early 2025 on Ubuntu Music, marks the arrival of an artist who has been on a voyage of self-discovery.

The band’s repertoire is influenced by a wide range 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.

Misha, a BBC New Generation Artist and Royal Academy of Music graduate, has worked alongside inspiring musicians such as Dave O’Higgins, Tim Garland, Viktoria Mullova, Enzo Zirilli, Sam Lee, Rob Luft, Paul Clarvis, Stan Sulzmann and Nessi Gomes. In 2024 he was part of a release on ECM Records Za Górami in a trio with Alice Zawadzki and Fred Thomas which was The Guardian’s Jazz album of the month, memorable showcased in a gig at our venue last September.

PRAISE FOR NEW ALBUM ‘EFFRA’:

“It’s immediately obvious how tight a unit the band are, such is the frictionless nature of their improvisations … Considering the diversity of inspiration and approaches on the album it’s faultlessly cohesive … The future of the label may be uncertain at present but Hummel’s legacy is assured with the love and care that went into releasing recordings of this quality”
James Read, UK Vibe ★★★★★

“Bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado … leads a muscular and inventive, horn-rich sextet in his eight-track celebration of Brixton’s cultural melting pot and his life there”
Jim Gilchrist, The Scotsman ★★★★

“The rhythm players have a real intuitive cohesion across the various styles on offer, and the horn section sound fully at ease with Mullov-Abbado’s writing, often sounding like a much larger ensemble. Like Brixton market, there’s something for everyone”
Eddie Myer, Jazzwise ★★★★

“The way the melody expands so triumphantly over that solid groove – all sustained by Misha’s driving double bass” (on Traintracker)
“I promise you’ll find yourself involuntarily grooving along to its driving pulse” (on Rose)
Soweto Kinch, BBC Radio 3

“The eight charts demonstrate writing and playing of a high order. Mullov-Abbado’s approach to arranging, for this band at least, is one of inspired collectivity, of ensemble rigour, in which no one player can venture forth without the others in close and watchful attendance” – Jazz Journal

“The sextet succeeds in blending inspired improvisation into meticulously crafted compositions that capture the vibrancy and vitality of urban life. Through this recording, Mullov-Abbado cements his position among the UK’s top bassists and showcases his outstanding musicianship along with a creative energy that holds considerable promise” – All About Jazz ★★★★

“Effra’s eight tracks radiantly illustrate that [he can go anywhere], but typically for Mullov-Abbado, they do it with patience and craft, and a sense of confidence in how vividly his improvising partners will bring their potential to unpredictable new life” – John Fordham, UK Jazz News

“His writing is intelligent and varied and he is well served by the playing of an exceptional sextet who interpret his ideas with skill and panache. Imaginatively arranged and orchestrated the music often sounds like the work of a larger ensemble” – The Jazz Mann ★★★★

“Rapidly becoming one of the most in demand and versatile bassists, Misha Mullov-Abbado presents his fourth album as leader in a programme of original compositions that display his virtuosity on the double bass and the sense of adventure that he can conjure up in his compositions … The music is at once powerful and tender … This excellent album comes highly recommended”
Nick Lea, Jazz Views