Saturday 28 November 2026
John-Paul Muir Quintet feat. Brigitte Beraha!
John-Paul Muir returns to Jazz Café POSK two years after the release of his critically acclaimed record “Home Now”. The Quintet will be premiering new compositions in addition to a selection of tunes from his past two albums, drawn together to create a memorable musical journey across the evening.
The two sets will showcase Muir’s lyrical compositional style with expressive playing of both delicate beauty and overflowing ecstasy. The tunes draw on influences from his classical background, realised in a contemporary jazz context, with ample room for the stellar ensemble to bring their improvisational talents to the fore. Influences range from the ECM “chamber-jazz” of Norma Winstone’s trio with Glauco Venier and Klaus Gesing, through to Brian Blade’s Fellowship Band.
“A convincing artistic statement from Muir that showcases several sides of his impressive all round musical talent” - The Jazz Mann
“Beautifully honest, ‘Home Now’ unfolds gently with a vulnerability that lets the light in” - UK Jazz News
Line up:
Brigitte Beraha - vocals
George Crowley - tenor sax & bass clarinet
John-Paul Muir - piano
Jakub Cywiński - double bass
Eric Ford - drums
John-Paul Muir has established himself as one of the finest pianists to emerge from New Zealand in recent years, and certainly one of the most versatile; equally at home in both classical, jazz, and contemporary genres. He has increasingly turned his focus to jazz and improvisation since his studies with leading New Zealand jazz pianist Kevin Field at the University of Auckland. He was Musical Director of the Hampstead Jazz Club in 2018, and currently hosts a weekly jazz night in Bloomsbury, featuring an ever-evolving roster of musicians from the London circuit. His latest record ‘Home Now’ was released in November 2024 on the Ubuntu Music label to widespread critical acclaim, with headline appearances at the Vortex Jazz Club, and Jazz Café POSK in London, in addition to a launch in Auckland, New Zealand at the Pah Homestead.
Brigitte Beraha, improvising vocalist and composer, is one of the leading talents on the UK jazz scene. She has recorded several critically acclaimed albums, with the latest three under her name, “By the Cobbled Path” (a solo work), “Blink” and “Teasing Reflections” (with her ‘Lucid Dreamers’ quartet), all three adventuring into the realms of electronic exploration and spoken word. She is increasingly involved in exciting cross-genre projects, featuring as a guest vocalist on Yazz Ahmed’s 2025 album A Paradise in the Hold, and appearing in projects including the recreation of Basil Kirchin’s music with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Will Gregory, Raising Hell with Henry Purcell at Kings Place led by Ethan Iverson, and Eddie Parker’s Debussy Mirrored Ensemble, cementing her reputation as a truly versatile artist with a huge range of experience and creative scope.
George Crowley is a saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and promoter based in London. As a performer he is active across a range of styles, with improvisation at the heart of his work, performing with musicians and groups such as Ivo Neame, Melt Yourself Down, Yazz Ahmed, Agile Experiments, Olie Brice and Jeff Williams.
Jakub Cywiński is a polish double bass player and composer who currently explores his interest in collaborating with various contemporary composers and jazz musicians such as Ola Onabule, Janette Mason, Andy Sheppard, Julian Nicholas, Partikel, Duncan Eagles Quartet, Przemyslaw Strączek Quartet and Piotr Damasiewicz. He studied double bass as a postgraduate at the Royal College of Music.
Eric Ford has been resident in London since late 2006, after four years in Paris. He enjoys working across the spectrum of music and has played across the globe and on around sixty albums. He performed at iconic venues such as Ronnie Scott’s and the Royal Albert Hall, and with musicians as diverse as Ronnie Laws, Marc Almond, Clare Teal, the London Jazz Orchestra, and Jason Rebello. He’s also presented drum clinics in London and Beijing and has been a member of acclaimed contemporary jazz trio Partikel since 2009.
Video 1 (“Home Now”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XL35RuWi9A
Video 2 (“Balm”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgkXYKnH7ng
