'If someone comes up to me afterwards crying, then I've done my job'

Zoe Rahman can't wait to bring her acclaimed show to Liverpool.

The jazz musician has enjoyed a successful career in the industry and will perform her new album, Colour of Sound, with a special show at the Yoko Ono Lennon Centre tomorrow. Zoe will perform inside the state of the art Tung Auditorium alongside an all star jazz octet in what is the last official show on the tour.

The 52-year-old can't think of a better place to end the tour as she told the ECHO the diversity of jazz means it goes hand in hand with a diverse Liverpool audience she is always able to relate to. The 52-year-old said: "Liverpool is a cultural melting pot with it being a port town. The vibrancy of the city is down to that melting pot of cultures.

"There's always a warm audience in Liverpool.

"My mum's English and I'm partly Irish as well on her side. On my dad's side I'm Bengali. All those elements come into my music as well as my life."

Zoe will be joined on stage with seven other musicians, including the Dave Brubeck Quartet member Alec Dankworth, and she said there's no comparison to seeing jazz performed live.

She said: "What I love about jazz is there's freedom of expression to say what you really mean and how you're feeling at that moment. It's a proper live experience. This is a way for audiences to come in and really experience the vibrations of music."

The genre is in the midst of a boom as the Ezra Collective became the first jazz band to win the prestigious Mercury Music Prize this year. Zoe was nominated for the award in 2006 and is relieved jazz is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

She said: "Attitudes have changed, Youngsters coming through have access on the internet through different platforms to hear and see what jazz is about." Zoe explained audiences can often be intimidated by the idea of attending a jazz concert but the musician wants to dispel the idea the genre is a complicated art form.

She said: "You just have to make that first step and come into the space and hopefully be surprised. It's something that can appeal to everyone."

Zoe cites female jazz legends such as Alice Coltrane and Mary Lou Williams as her main influences. However, she is also inspired by 80s pop music and said she has enjoyed a long career in the industry because her main aim is to provoke an emotional response from the crowd.

She said: "I like it when people focus on the emotional side of the music. If someone comes up to me afterwards crying, then I've done my job. Music has the ability to move people in ways they didn't expect and didn't know they could be moved."

Zoe will perform tomorrow at 7.30pm at the Tung Auditorium. You can find more details on how to get tickets here.

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