EPK
BAND BIO
Phoenician Blinds have kept a very busy schedule since their formation in 2015, making regular appearances at world renowned London venues such as Pizza Express Jazz Club (Soho), Jazz Cafe (Camden) and Kansas Smitty’s. They toured the UK following the release of their second album ‘A Second of Silence’, including shows in Manchester, Bristol, Durham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and York. In 2019 they recorded their latest and highly acclaimed third album ‘The Sight, the Seer and the Seen’ (February 2020) and toured northern European countries in fantastic venues such as the Sunset Sunside in Paris and Bb Jazz Club in Berlin.
The band comprises of Julian Knapp (Germany) on Tenor and Soprano Saxophone, Tom Sochas (France) on Piano, Rhodes and Synths , Oli Cross (UK) on Electric Bass and Filippo Galli (Italy) on Drums .
PRESS
2020
★★★ ‘They hit all the right buttons!’ - Jazzwise Magazine
‘ This release sets the bar really high and, I suspect, difficult to displace from any ‘top ten’.’ - London Jazz News
★★★★ ‘(…) and all that really matters is whether you should press play again. And of course, that answer to that is yes.’ - God is in the TV Zine
2018
‘Their latest LP ‘A Second of Silence’ is an antidote the hectic nature of the world around us. A moment’s pausem a breath stretched into eight tracks of luscious downbeat composition and delicate melody.’ - EZH Magazine
RADIO
Phoenician Blinds have been featured on national radios such as BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Scotland and Jazz FM. Online radio features include Soho Radio, Worldwide Fm and more.
They currently have a large following on Spotify with more than 25,000 monthly listeners and their track ‘Rush Hour’ featured on the Jazz-Funk playlist.
ABOUT THE BAND
Phoenician Blinds are steadily becoming a staple of the London jazz scene. Fusing modern jazz landscapes with hard hitting grooves and exploratory cinematic compositions, they bring a fresh perspective to the classic jazz outfit. London-based, yet Pan-European, Phoenician Blinds combine influences creating a sound sure to make you groove and contemplate the essence of soulful music.
ABOUT ‘The Sight, the Seer and the Seen’
‘Therefore the Seer alone is real, the object being hallucination: gold alone is real, the ‘bracelet’ is a name and a form. As long as the notion of bracelet lasts, the pure gold is not apprehended; as long as the notion of object persists the division between the seer and seen also persists. But, just as because of the consciousness in the bracelet, gold realises its goldness, the subject (seer) manifesting as the object (the seen) realized subjectivity (consciousness). One is the reflection of the other, there is no duality.’ The Concise Yoga Vāsiṣṭha.
‘Though the album name draws from a spiritual and philosophical source, what caught our imagination was the concept of perspective and how it relates to the current state of our world. One which seems to attest to both a certain lost of perspective and, hopefully, a significant shift in perspective towards a more sustainable future. This was equally important to us as our musical form is all about interaction and improvisation. This means constantly having to shift one’s perspective and awareness as to where the centre is, where the music is at its most present and spontaneous.’
The record is self released and out on all digital platforms and available on Vinyl on Bandcamp. It was launched in London at the BBE Store on the 24th of February 2020