Asha Parkinson - Alto Saxophone

Rebecka Edlund - Voice

Jack Williams - Piano

Serdar Yılmaz - Qanun

Toby Yapp - Bass Guitar

Alex Taylor - Drums

Asha Parkinson makes a rare London appearance with a cut down version of her Kalpadruma ensemble. This sextet line-up features saxophone, qanun, piano, bass, drums, and voice. The group weaves together jazz, Mediterranean, Arabic, and chamber music traditions, creating a space where music crosses cultural boundaries and explores the universal search for love, devotion, and human connection.

The evening at Vortex features selections from Asha’s latest release, Possession (Ubuntu Records 2024), alongside re-imaginings of Turkish folk melodies (turku), Sephardic songs, and Arab Maqam. From urban trance to mystical devotion and obsessive love, the programme reflects Asha’s ongoing mission to find authentic and vital meeting points between traditions.

Founded in 2017, Kalpadruma began as a 14-piece mini studio orchestra, uniting a jazz quintet, string quartet, woodwinds, voice, and the distinctive sound of the qanun with Parkinson's inspired saxophone playing & compositional vision. The ensemble has since evolved into a flexible formation that highlights both individual creativity and collective dialogue. Kalpadruma, meaning ‘tree of life’ in Indian-origin religions, perfectly embodies Parkinson's approach: rooted in diverse traditions yet branching out in unexpected, transformative ways.

Asha has led the ensemble at prestigious venues including the London Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Oxford’s Jacqueline Du Pre Music Building and the Union Chapel, and collaborated with musicians from the South Asian Youth Orchestra and the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians.

Reviews of Asha's Possession album:

‘An intense, reflective work with great emotional impact’ – Jazz In Family

‘There is here a breath of life, a rage to hold the world in its arms’ – Paris Move

‘Genre-defying’ – Jazzwise

‘Her sophisticated arrangements, unpredictable melodies and inventive sax phrases are full of ideas and meticulous details’ – All About Jazz