Biography of Zoe Rahman

Pianist and composer Zoe Rahman is one of the UK’s most distinctive contemporary jazz artists. The Observer describes her as "one of the finest pianists in Europe".

Her second album, 'Melting Pot', was nominated for the Nationwide Mercury Music Prize in 2006. It features the exciting New York born drummer Gene Calderazzo and the much in-demand bassist Oli Hayhurst. The album also includes some great guest appearances by bassist Jeremy Brown, drummer Patrick Illingworth, percussionist Adriano Adewale Itaúna and Zoe’s brother, Idris Rahman, on clarinet.

Her debut trio album, The Cynic, with drummer Winston Clifford and bassist Jeremy Brown, was short-listed for the BBC Radio 3 jazz album of the year review in 2001 and was described in Straight no Chaser magazine as “one of the best jazz albums of the year”. Following the success of her debut CD, Zoe was nominated in the ‘Rising Star’ category of the 2001 BBC Jazz Awards. In 1999 she won the ‘Perrier Young Jazz Musician of the Year’ Award, which led to her recording three tracks on a Jazz FM-produced compilation, with drummer Daniel Crosby and bassist Orlando Le Fleming.

She has been the featured artist on Radio and Television programmes such as BBC Radio 4’s ‘Women’s Hour’, BBC London’s ‘Now’s the Time’, Andrea Oliver’s ‘The Selector’ and Julian Joseph’s Jazz series for Meridian Television. She has also performed live on the BBC World Service and on Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’.

Born in Chichester, West Sussex, Zoe studied music at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, and jazz performance at Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she had lessons with the inspirational pianist Joanne Brackeen. While in America she formed her own trio which featured bassist Joshua Davis and the renowned drummer Bob Moses.

Aside from working with her own groups, she continues to perform, record and tour with a diverse range of other artists, most recently: Clark Tracey’s New Quintet; Reem Kelani; Soothsayers; Tony Bianco; Keziah Jones; Steve Williamson; JazzXchange Dance Company; Netsayi Chigwendere. She toured Pakistan in January 2001 with guitarist Mekaal Hasan and collaborated with steel pan-player David Walcott at the 2003 Holder’s Season in Barbados. In 2003/4 she co-wrote and performed in the jazz-based theatre show “I’m A Fool to Want You” with ‘Told by an Idiot’ Theatre Company and since has toured with them throughout the UK and South America.

Other recent albums/DVDs include: Clark Tracey Quintet The Calling; Tony Bianco In A Western Sense; Gary Boyle Games; Soothsayers Tangled Roots; Brigitte Escobar Brigitte; Helen Sheppard Oyster Love; Terry Hall/Mushtaq The Hour of Two Lights; Keziah Jones Live at the Elysee Montmartre DVD.