Join Max Zaska and his band, a.k.a. ZASKA, with collaborators Gemma Dunleavy, shiv, Melina Malone, and jarjarjr for an exclusive world premiere of new music. Their exciting new project is grounded in jazz and blended with soul, R&B, hip-hop, and pop. This once-in-a-lifetime live concert will be recorded for a future audio and video release.

Collaboration is at the very heart of ZASKA’s music. This project began in writing sessions with Gemma Dunleavy, shiv and Melina Malone in Paris in 2022. The addition of jarjarjr to the project this year takes ZASKA’s work in new directions, capturing the spark and sound of each of these up-and-coming artists.

This project is generously supported by Triskel Arts Centre and the Improvised Music Company (IMC) as part of their WRITE RECORD PERFORM residency, awarded to Max Zaska earlier this year.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

ZASKA

Guitarist, songwriter, musical director, and producer, Max Zaska is best known for his band ZASKA’s feel-good blend of indie jazz, neo-soul, and modern funk featuring collaborations with Irish vocalists including Hozier. ZASKA has released two albums to critical acclaim and played high-profile headline sets at Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, The Button Factory Dublin, and the Mladí ladí jazz Open Air Festival in Prague.

Gemma Dunleavy
Dublin’s Gemma Dunleavy’s breakout EP and single ‘Up De Flats’ tells of her love for her North Inner City Sherrif Street community. Gemma is a songwriter and producer who experiments with integrating harp and flute together with traditional storytelling and her love for pop & club music. She has headlined Other Voices, All Together Now, Forbidden Fruit, Electric Picnic, and Longitude festivals.

shiv
shiv is an Irish-Zimbawean DJ turned singer-songwriter & producer who blends R&B and low-fi hip-hop with elements of neo-soul. Her silky voice, soulful lyrics, and warm hazy instrumentals have won over a global audience with her song ‘Golden’ amassing over 10M Spotify streams. Her most recent singles ‘Heavy Water’ and ‘Late Now’ released with Warner Music Ireland are the beginning of a new shiv era and are sure to pull on your heartstrings. shiv has performed at Body & Soul, Sea Sessions, and Forbidden Fruit festivals.

Melina Malone
Tipped as ‘one of the best voices in Ireland’ by GoldenPlec in 2021, Dublin-born alt R&B artist Melina Malone recently released ‘Lovers Sunday’, the sensual and dreamy first single from her upcoming debut album which is set for release this October. Melina was part of Irish Women in Harmony’s 2020’s breakout charity single, ‘Dreams’ which amassed over €250,000 for SAFE Ireland. Her powerful voice can be heard on Mango X Mathman’s club hit ‘Heartbreaks & Promises’. Melina co-wrote and performed the 2022 ZASKA single, ‘Just For One Day’.

jarjarjr
Cork-based beat-maker turned vocalist jarjajr amassed a huge online following as a pioneer in the SoundCloud beat scene. He mixes instrumental lo-fi hip-hop beats, spoken word, rap, and jazz elements to create a uniquely chilled sound. Jarjarjr presented Soul Service in St. Luke’s Church as part of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, a curated gathering of the most exciting and experimental voices in hip-hop, jazz, and neo-soul. jarjarjr’s 2023 release ‘Song 50,000’ is a collaboration with Dublin jazz trio Five to Two. His debut album Catch the Dusk will be released later this year.