Changing Times performed by Sorin Zlat Trio

In 2024, Romanian pianist Sorin Zlat began working on his new album, Changing Times, which features original compositions. The project has enjoyed well-deserved success not only in Romania, but also across Europe and the United States, and has led to a new collaboration. Spanning styles from cool jazz and post-bop to Latin, flamenco, funk and avant-garde, the project stands as a testament to the universality of music. It brings together musicians from different generations and schools of thought, united by the common language of jazz.

World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens is proud be a host venue once again at EFG London Jazz Festival 2025.

About The Artists

Sorin Zlat is a Romanian pianist, clarinettist, and composer, recognised as one of the leading jazz musicians of his generation. A multi-award-winning artist, he made history in 2015 by becoming the first non-American to win the Grand Prix at the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, USA.

Other notable accolades include the Grand Prix at the Monaco Jazz Competition (2013), the Montreux Jazz Competition (2015), the Best Band and Public Prize at Getxo (Spain, 2012), and being named Best Jazz Musician twice in his home country. He has performed at prestigious venues and festivals such as Ronnie Scott’s, Blue Note, Birdland, Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, where he shared the stage with artists like Chick Corea and Gregory Porter.

In 2019, Sorin became a Yamaha Artist, representing the brand at major international events including the NAMM Show and Superbooth Berlin. He currently tours across Europe and North America with his trio or quartet, appearing in renowned clubs such as Smalls, Music Village and Jazz Station (Brussels), Vortex, Pizza Express, Ronnie Scott’s, Kings Place (London), Nardis (Istanbul), Montreux Jazz Café, and B-Flat (Berlin), and at festivals including Izmir, Brussels, Pera Fest, Getxo, Enter Enea, EUNIC Berlin, Monaco, and others.

Michele Montolli – Bass (IT) studied violin from the age of seven before later switching to electric bass. By the age of seventeen, he had taken up classical double bass at Verona Conservatory, followed by a degree in Jazz Double Bass obtained in 2009 in Graz, Austria. Michele joined the London jazz scene in 2010 and has since toured the world, performing at various music festivals across Europe, New York, Tokyo, and the Balkan Peninsula.

His portfolio includes performances and recordings with renowned artists such as Knoel Scott and Marshall Allen (Sun Ra Arkestra), Julie Dexter, Don Menza, Vladimir Kostadinovic, Seeds of Creation, Amira Kheir, Pataruco, and Charlie Stacey, as well as recordings and appearances for London’s National Television and BBC Television.

Andy Trim – Drums (UK) has played alongside legendary jazz figures such as Humphrey Lyttelton, Danny Moss, and Brian Lemon since his teenage years. Once admitted to the London jazz scene, he performed at renowned venues including Pizza Express and the 100 Club with artists like Charles McPherson, Nathan Davis, and Gene “Mighty Flea” Connors. In Italy, he met Avishai Cohen, one of the world’s most influential double bass players, who invited Andy to New York to study with Jeff Ballard, Eric McPherson, and Mark Guiliana. Regarded as one of London’s most respected drummers, Andy has developed a unique style of interpreting 21st-century jazz, bringing a fresh, neo perspective that is widely appreciated by jazz enthusiasts.

Setlist

“Changing Times” – composed by Sorin Zlat

“Involution” – composed by Sorin Zlat

“On Time” – Composed by Sorin Zlat

“Roxane” – Composed by Sorin Zlat

“Sparkling Water” – composed by Sorin Zlat

“The Land of Dreams” – composed by Sorin Zlat

“Wake Up” – Composed by Sorin Zlat

“Rimbaud & Verlaine” – Composed by Sorin Zlat

“Eternal Child” – Composed by Chick Corea

“Spain” – Composed by Chick Corea