Saxophonist Helena Kay and pianist Zoe Rahman will be appearing as a duo next month, as the first of the the new Jazz Thursdays series which she curates at Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh.
Helena Kay will relive a moment from her teens when she joins pianist Zoe Rahman onstage at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh on Thursday 19 September.
The saxophonist and Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduate first met Rahman after a concert with Courtney Pine when she was still at school.
“My mum, who is also a big fan of Zoe’s, made sure we both went to meet Zoe after the gig,” says Kay. “It was so inspiring for me to meet Zoe at that stage in my musical life. The sixteen-year-old me wouldn’t believe that we’re sharing the stage now.”Il
Rahman headlines the first in a series of concerts that Kay has curated at the Queen’s Hall over the next year under the Jazz Thursdays heading. The pianist will play a solo set before Kay joins her in a duo.
“I’ve played in Zoe’s octet, which was a fantastic experience,” says Kay. “So I’m looking forward to working with her again.”
Perth-born Kay, a former Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year who has since become a City Music Foundation Artist and winner of the Drake YolanDa Award 2023, has played on the Queen’s Hall stage frequently as a member of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.
“The Jazz Thursdays series is a fantastic opportunity to work in a venue that is so rich in jazz history,” Kay says. “When I’ve played there with the SNJO, I’ve always been aware that I’m following in illustrious footsteps. The brilliant composer and pianist Carla Bley and saxophone legend Sonny Rollins are just two of the people I admire who have appeared there. So to play on that same stage with some of my heroes is really special.”
Following the concert with Zoe Rahman, Kay has chosen several other musicians for the series who have been an inspiration, including the saxophonists Laura Macdonald and Tommy Smith and violinist Seonaid Aitken, with whose string ensemble Kay is the featured soloist. The Glasgow-based Ghanaian guitarist Nathan Somevi and folk-jazz duo Norman&Corrie (saxophonist Norman Willmore and drummer-percussionist Corrie Dick) also feature in The Jazz Thursdays programme.
Kay and Rahman took advantage of their schedules allowing them to meet up earlier in the summer and have rehearsed in advance of their debut together at the Queen’s Hall. “Zoe is so brilliant to play duos with,” says Kay. “It’s almost like playing in her octet. She puts so much energy and passion into her playing and her flow of ideas is amazing. It really makes you want to play.”
