J.A.M String Collective
J.A.M. is an exciting new contemporary jazz string trio, featuring Julia Dos Reis (viola), Annalise Lam (violin), and Miranda Lewis-Brown (cello). The trio plays their own re-imaginings of works by jazz heavyweights, such as Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk and Kenny Wheeler, alongside their own compositions. Their arrangements leave space for moments of freeness, with a heavy focus on interaction and improvisation.
Julia and Miranda have been playing together since 2015 through the Tomorrow’s Warriors (Shabaka Hutchings, Moses Boyd, Zara McFarlane) jazz string project, StringTing, when they were mentored by The Queen’s Medal for Music recipient, Gary Crosby OBE. They have gigged extensively with StringTing across the UK and Europe and have toured with NuCivilisation Orchestra and Jazz Jamaica All Stars. They have also played their own gigs (as trio and quartet) in key London venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Jazz Club and The Purcell Room at Southbank Centre. In 2019 they toured the UK with legendary saxophonist, Steve Williamson, garnering a 4-star review from the Financial Times.
Annalise joined StringTing in 2021, having met Julia at a Tomorrow’s Warriors workshop led by jazz violinist extraordinaire, Benet McClean. Julia and Annalise struck up a relationship which continued through their Masters studies at Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
J.A.M. brings the trio together in an exciting new musical enterprise; they will be releasing their debut EP in Spring 2023.
Tereza Catarov
Tereza Catarov is a London-based singer and composer. Having a wide dynamic range of sounds and a varied colour palette, Tereza’s compositions are based on jazz music stylistics with alternative world music hints and an indie soul flavour.
Together with Christos Stylianides (trumpet and electronics) Innes Yellowlees (piano), Giovanni Cresseri (bass) and Floyer Syndenham (drums), this project depicts stories that Tereza has experienced on her journey as a foreign artist in different countries as well as songs which have emerged from her Romanian and Bulgarian cultural heritage. All of these are expressed through intricate melodies, odd meter time signatures and lyrics which have a major role in her creative process.
