Isabella Zufolo
Biography;
Isabella Zufolo is a UK-based jazz saxophonist known for an expressive, contemporary sound that blends traditional jazz language with modern improvisation. Having a background in both jazz and classical training, Isabella has a versatile and dynamic approach to live performance and studio recordings. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Tony Kofi, Kenny Garrett, and John Coltrane, Isabella’s playing features rich harmonic textures and rhythmic intricacy.
Studying at Leeds conservatoire specialising in Jazz performance. Isabella has performed at key venues including Ronnies Scotts and The Royal Albert hall and appeared in festivals such as We out here, Cross the tracks and Royal festival hall. This has been in both big group ensembles, smaller bands, or supporting other bands or artists. Isabella consistently delivers a passionate, high-calibre performances that resonates with a broad range of audiences.
Musical style/ skills
Jazz is Isabellas focus however she enjoys jazz fusion mixing modal, Afro beats and Afro Cuban elements into their playing. Isabella also enjoys a blend of neo soul and funk and free experimental work playing in a mixture of fusion bands and does function work too balancing deep musicality with audience connection and participation. Isabella has her own fusion band called Ecliptica which is a quartet experimenting with modal influences and Afro fusion. Skilled in improvisation, ensemble leadership, creating and working with other artists, collaborating, session work and reading. Isabella works comfortably across live and studio contexts and has an energy on stage and passion for performing with others.
Projects and performances
Performed with Kinetically Bloco supporting EZRA collective(2023),Royal Albert hall
Performed at We out here Jazz Festival (2024), Cross the Tracks (2024)
Performed at Ronnie Scotts (2024) NYJO
The royal festival hall
The Barbican Milton Court (Sun ra Re-imagined) NYJO (2024)
Hyde Park Book Club Leeds ( Romy Taylor) (2025)
Projects/bands: NYJO emerging professionals
Ecliptica ( jazz fusion)
Performing at Hyde park book club Leeds (With Romy Taylor)
Video at Royal Albert hall playing with Ezra collective (2023)
Reviews and Testimonials;
Socials & Streaming:
Instagram: isabella_zufolo
Instagram: Ecliptica._Official
YouTube: Nectarine – Romy Taylor (Live at Hyde Park Book Club 08.04.25)
YouTube: BYMT Jazz School students perform “Caravan” with tutors at Eltham Jazz Club
Supporting Romy Taylor at Hyde Park Book Club(2025) gig
Ronnie Scotts with NYJO (2024)
Contact Info
Contact & Booking:
Email: i.zufolobooking@yahoo.com
i.zufolo@yahoo.com
Phone: +44 7747591981
EPK supporting commentary and group work evidence
The purpose of the EPK is to present a compelling artistic identity while also aligns with industry expectations. It can be used as both a promotional tool and as a form of creative portfolio, showcasing my professionalism, and talent as well telling a bit about myself. This commentary allows me to explain the decisions made in the EPK’s structure and content as a jazz saxophonist. I tried demonstrating some of my work as well as my creative, collaborative, and technical skills.
The EPK has been designed to be a portable portfolio, for promoting my work within the creative industries. It is mainly targeted at other musicians and ensembles, promoters, booking agents, festival curators, venue managers, press contacts, and potential collaborators. These audiences expect a well-structured and easily accessible representation of an artist’s background and work, skill set, sound, and potential. I tried to keep my EPK short and concise but still able to demonstrate who I am and my craft. It’s important to not write too much as you want to present yourself as the best version of yourself. I found it hard to balance listing achievements and gigs as well as trying to dive into artistic depth but remaining brief. The EPK needs to ensure that it can be descriptive and practical for industry use. The first section includes a short artist biography; this introduces who I am and what I do. Then I summarised my musical skills, influences, genres, performances and collaborations. In this section I mainly mentioned bigger performances as its more draw catching and impressive to potential clients. I tried to include press quotes or reviews however struggled to have any with physical evidence. A lot of the feedback I get when performing is in person at a gig or from my peers. When filling out this section of my EPK it made me more conscious to document my feedback as it allows other people to get a second opinion on my sound. I added an Instagram message from Neneh Cherry at the Ezra collective gig in 2023 that I was fortunate to play on stage with. She commented “a night they’ll never forget” with me and ensemble (Kinetically Bloco) on stage with Ezra collective. The use of social media on my EPK allows people to reach me quickly and see an even bigger portfolio of what I do, and platforms such as Instagram and YouTube allow artists to have complete artistic freedom of what they share.
The tone of the bio aims to be professional and promoting myself with personal artistic identity. I wanted it to capture stylistic influences such as Kenny Garrett and summarise the music I make and normally play. I mentioned modern fusion, modal jazz and Afro Cuban influences which demonstrates what I play in my fusion band Ecliptica which is one of my own projects. I also added some videos taken at gigs to give industry professionals a quick but informative overview of my work. In terms of content, I used a video of me playing with Ezra collective as it is a bigger opportunity and is more impressive, but I chose it also because it shows me playing with a big ensemble showing versatility in my work. I then contrasted that with a clip focusing on me improvising to demonstrate my sound and ability. I wanted to include more insight to other music work I do including teaching however, I wanted to remain concise. If I was doing this differently, I would have made the decision to highlight more technical work and some original music for more authenticity. The use of social media handles and streaming links has great promotion as its immediate engagement. Social media platforms allow artistic freedom and can dive into more detail. EPKs are often used in digital communication when trying to get booked for festival submissions and need to be more direct especially as industry professionals will expect quick access to audio and videos of my work, greatly influencing decisions around booking.
The EPK is also great for musicians especially working freelance and the project-based nature of music careers. This means that your EPK needs to stand out and be impressive. The creative industries rely on short-term contracts and self-promotion is key. I attempted to make my EPK like a CV in the sense that it shows my biggest achievements and ability. EPKs enable visibility in a highly competitive field where opportunities for live performance, and collaboration often depend on people finding you. From a commercial standpoint, the EPK works as both a self-branding and income-generating tool. It increases the chances of engagement from promoters who regularly assess artists.
Most artists now tend to promote themselves on sites like Instagram and SoundCloud which has changed how they present themselves. The EPK is an important part of navigating the music scene and it’s important to be the able to be found digitally and after making it its inspired me to try promoting myself better on social media and be more visible. Creating the EPK made me evaluate my creative and professional skills and digital production. Summarising these within the EPK has made me more critical of my playing. Working with other musicians on different courses and comparing my ideas and content for my EPK to other peoples helped me work out what I needed to take out. Initially I wrote too much about different things I’ve done and looking at other peoples helped me eliminate unnecessary information. Working with photographers and videographers has taught me the importance of consistent visual promotion as I was able to get some shoots for my EPK. I found that having more professional pictures especially at gigs is more beneficial. The visual aspect is crucial to look professional. My photos or videos mentioned in the EPK are the result of collaborative effort with different people to make my EPK visually engaging.
In developing my EPK, I looked at examples from artists I am influenced by such as Nubya Garcia. Garcias EPK is her website which is all red following the theme of her current album. Its visually engaging and clear. For example, her website is very clear and direct focusing on showcasing her music and recent gigs. The use of cinematic visuals reflects her artistic identity and its minimal but effective with high-quality visuals. Comparing mine to hers made me think that next time I could work on visual intent, maybe having a colour scheme and more symbolism behind my work. I chose to limit my bio to under 150 words, and I added social platforms where my work can be explored more. I also looked at Tony Kofis EPK who interestingly chose to start his biography with his awards and achievements and then embellish who he has worked with and his life in his biography. When working in a group we found other EPKs to compare however I found it hard to focus my EPK on me as a performer and not mention my band. After working with other people who have made EPKs for their bands it made me realise id need to make a separate EPK for my band as well as having a personal one too. This is an example of my friend’s band called Fight the giant where they have a recognisable logo with, they’re name and descriptive biography on each band member. As a band its important each band members requirements are met. When speaking to my classmate who made the EPK he explained the necessity to add the bands tech spec and monitoring requirements. He said, “We like to incorporate plenty of improvising into their set; this means good monitoring is very important to us.” And how important it is to specify this as its essential for the band’s sound. His use of detail in his EPK motivates me to do the same when making my bands EPK.( See appendix 1)
Overall, I have explained the purpose behind my EPK and have learnt to work on artistic identity. The decisions made throughout the process were informed by research and comparisons with peers and critical self-reflection. In managing the project, I drew on a range of creative, digital, and collaborative skills that helped me develop my EPK further. I want to keep updating my EPK as I progress. As a jazz saxophonist who is based in both London and Leeds, I need to be able to network in both cities. When making my EPK it has given me more ideas for promoting and networking such as using a similar structure for a EPK on my social page. For example, posting more content that’s both content and personal. I have also been inspired by other people’s promotional ideas and the use of having a website that means people can easily search me up and find me.
Bibliography;
Garcia, Nubya. “Nubya Garcia.” Nubyagarcia.com, 2025, www.nubyagarcia.com/music. Accessed 22 May 2025.
Kofi, Tony. “Biography.” Tony Kofi, 2018, tonykofimusic.com/biography.
