Ivo Neame / Zettalogue
Release Date: 25th October 2024
CD & Digital Formats / UBU0183
Ivo Neame (Photographer: Monika S Jakubowska)
Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of Ivo Neame, an exceptional pianist, composer and arranger, for the release of Zettalogue, his upcoming album on Ubuntu Music.
This recording is a documentation of some of the work Ivo has created with the Ivo Neame Quartet over the last three years. The band features some of the finest jazz musicians in the UK - George Crowley (saxes), Tom Farmer (bass) and James Maddren (drums). Together, they have developed a band identity by performing Ivo’s original material in an improvised manner. As a unit, they have created a level of trust that allows them to reinterpret the music by finding new paths through it every time.
Ivo Neame, George Crawley, Tom Farmer, James Maddren (Photographer: Monika S Jakubowska)
Ivo explains the idea behind the music from Zettalogue: “There are new pieces and also new interpretations of older pieces. I recorded my piece, ’The Rise of the Lizard People’, for a 2021 release called ‘Glimpses of Truth’. As a result of the lockdown restrictions and the way this particular album was made, there was only space for one solo on that version. It was great to be able to revisit this piece and include a piano solo on it. As a quartet, we performed this material many times all over the UK and always managed to explore new areas in the music - it feels great to have captured the development of this music. Apart from that, we also recorded new pieces of mine. I am hugely grateful to the members of my quartet for the time and effort that they have dedicated to this process.”
Ivo continues, describing his new relationship with Ubuntu Music: “I have known Martin for many years - he is a warm and encouraging presence on the jazz scene and I have always enjoyed hanging out with him after gigs or at events. He is motivated by a real love of this music and has a genuine desire to support musicians. I’m delighted to be working with him on my first release for Ubuntu.”
Ivo Neame (Photographer: Monika S Jakubowska)
Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, concludes: “I was first introduced to Ivo and his immense talent during the time he was with Phronesis…one of the most gifted jazz trios in Europe. He is a special artist – for me personally and for the label. Ivo possesses that rare talent to fit into a range of musically challenging situations as side man, whether it’s with Marius Neset or Emma Rawicz. However, when the stage is his, it opens up a whole new world of musical freedom. ‘Zettalogue’ is just that, providing the platform to share new interpretations of earlier compositions and to deliver new material in his unique voice, backed up by a stellar line-up. We are thrilled to be representing Ivo’s latest project and welcome him to the Ubuntu Music Family.”
For further information, please contact:
Ivo Neame (Artist): ivo@ivoneame.com
Matt Fripp/Jazzfuel (International Publicity): matt@jazzfuel.com
Martin Hummel/Ubuntu Music (Worldwide): martin@ubuntumanagementgroup.com
IVO NEAME BIOGRAPHY
Ivo Neame is an internationally renowned pianist, composer, and bandleader who has established himself as one of the most innovative and dynamic figures in the contemporary jazz scene. He regularly performs at jazz festivals worldwide, collaborating with ensembles as diverse as the Frankfurt Radio Big Band and the London Sinfonietta. He is best known for his work with the award-winning bands Phronesis and the Marius Neset Quintet, as well as collaborations with numerous other artists, including Hermeto Pascoal, Kenny Wheeler and Gilad Hekselman. Ivo's music is characterised by a stunning mix of virtuosity, sophistication, and playfulness, and his performances are known for their dynamic energy and emotional depth. His ninth album under his own name, Live at Turner Sims, was released in September 2023. In 2023 he was also made ‘artist-in-residence’ with the Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra.
"Some of the most engaging jazz you’ll hear this year"
--LONDON JAZZ SCENE
“Ivo Neame is one of the very best jazz pianists on the UK scene”
--BANDCAMP DAILY
“That Neame is one of the most interesting jazz pianists of his generation may be clear. The
years of almost constantly being on the road with bands has given him a prominent role in the front line of British jazz”
--WRITTEN IN JAZZ
Awards and honours include:
Album of the Year 2010, Jazzwise Magazine (Phronesis)
Album of the Year 2010, MOJO Magazine (Phronesis)
Best Jazz Act 2011, MOBO Awards (Kairos Quartet)
UK Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year 2012 (nominated) Jazz FM Awards
Jazz Ensemble of the Year 2017, Parliamentary Jazz Awards (Phronesis)
Jazz Composition for Large Ensemble 2021 (nominated) IVORS Composer Awards
Ivo is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, an Associate Member of PRS and a Professor of Jazz Piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is also a member of the Featured Artists’ Coalition and a member of the Ivors Academy Jazz Committee.
