ZaZoo

About

ZaZoo is an Amsterdam ensemble that mixes three worlds: the improvisational freedom of jazz, the colours and give and take of classical music, and the grooves and textures of electronic sound. The lineup is unusual. Elsa Le Moigne plays cello, Willy Becuwe trombone, Tejas Ziegler keyboards and Dane Paris drums. Le Moigne leads the band and writes the music, but the roles inside it stay loose. Depending on the moment, each player steps up as soloist, bass voice, accompanist or part of a section. The group took second prize at the Jazz in the Park competition in Romania and reached the finals of the Jonge Makers Prijs in the Netherlands. Their debut EP, Teeth Like Pearls, has four pieces, some of which grew alongside the band from the start, others written once the members had found their own sound. The music aims for honesty and simplicity, with tenderness and anger tangled together in old memories. Listeners have heard echoes of Shai Maestro, Nate Smith and Lars Danielsson.