Women in Jazz Media presents: Kicking Down the Door
19th November 2025 - The Crypt, St Martins In The Fields
In partnership with Talent Banq, get ready for an exhilarating night with the women kicking down the door on the global jazz scene. Presented by the award-winning organisation Women in Jazz Media, a one-of-a-kind line up, bringing together the leading jazz women for a special night celebrating female empowerment and community . Expect to be inspired and energised by the technical virtuosity and energy of award-winning saxophonist Hannah Horton, Mexico’s women of year drummer Migdalia Van Der Hoven, trombonist Laura Impallomeni, harpist Tara Minton and rising star championed by the legendary China Moses, vocalist Mary Sho. This will be a night to remember!
Hannah Horton is an artist who goes her own way. As an award-winning, Selmer endorsed saxophonist and composer, a bandleader, and a successful recording artist, her strong, clear tone, powerful rhythmic sense and compelling sense of melody make her an unmistakeable voice on the scene. Recognition from the the musical establishment has come in the form of awards, endorsements and diplomas, but it’s the way that audiences respond to her unashamedly positive, uninhibitedly personal music, and the emotional honesty of her accessible, engaging take on jazz that delivers the definitive accolade.
“Hannah makes the big beast baritone sax sound like an angel” Ian Shaw
“Rising star Hannah Horton is turning heads” BBC Music Magazine ****
Migdalia van der Hoven is an international award winning Mexican-British drummer who is currently working in the UK's musical theatre, jazz and function scene. Credit highlights include: The Royal Shakespeare Company, Little Shop of Horrors UK Tour 2024, SIX the Musical International Tour and West End; Operation Mincemeat (Deputy - Fortune Theatre, London); Cake the Musical (Lyric Theatre, London); Billie The Kid (Vaudeville Theatre, London); The Smith's Show (Soho Theatre, London); Cinderella (Watford Palace Theatre); Defying Gravity UK Tour (Deputy) with further West End projects coming soon; and drummer for the The Coronation Prom held at the Royal Albert Hall with The All Souls Orchestra. Migdalia is an endorsed artist for Vater Percussion, Remo USA, Bosphorus Cymbals, and RTOM Corporation. A Berklee College of Music alumna, she studied under Jackie Santos, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Mark Walker. She now serves as the UK Ambassador for "Women in Jazz Media".
Renowned for her groove, sensitivity, and versatility, Migdalia excels across genres such as funk, jazz, Latin, pop, and musical theatre. Migdalia leads the "The Migdalia van der Hoven Quartet". The band released the EP "Girl Facing South" in 2021, followed by their debut album "Point of Departure" recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Performances supporting the album have included renowned venues such as Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, The Crypt at St.Martin's-in-the-Fields, Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club as well as appearances at the EFG London Jazz Festival.
Migdalia has performed across the UK with Yolanda Brown OBE, The Kingdom Choir, Scott Stroman, Mawaan Rizwan, Russell Brand, Adam Glasser, The All Souls Orchestra and has made multiple appearances on the BBC and ITV. She was part of the Cornbury Festival in 2022 and billed alongside artists such as Bryan Adams, Jools Holland and Ronan Keating.
As a member of the National Jazz Orchestra of Mexico, Migdalia supports young women through scholarships to continue their studies in jazz. She has hosted drum masterclasses in the UK and Mexico and presented internationally; Migdalia was named "Woman of the Year" in Mexico in 2022 for her contributions to arts and culture. She has also been selected to join the Drumset Committee at the Percussive Arts Society, the world’s largest percussion organisation in the world.
Championed by China Moses, Mary Sho, a singer and songwriter hailing from South London with a worldwide sound which transcends time and space, offering a home to lovers of authentic, live sounds. Sho’s sound drops you into the late 70’s and early 80’s with tinges of contemporary soul infused with funk origins, creating sounds similar to if Lizzo met Solange met Childish Gambino met Sly and The Family Stone with Thundercat on additional bass!
Armed with live instrumentation and striking, self-directed and self styled visuals, Sho’s spacey vocals float over bass-heavy, funk-soul sounds. while highlighting the experiences of Black women and owning the power of her identity, mind, body and soul. Mary Sho has been featured on BBC London Radio multiple times and has recently performed at Brixton House (Soho Friends) ans Cafe KOKO. Last year she was one of the recipients of Women in Jazz Media 2023 and released her debut Album titled ‘WOMAN RISING’ in the world.
Woman Rising is an Album that captures the intricacies of being a woman. In Mary Sho’s case it captures being black woman, a plus size woman and a creative woman navigating life and relationships. Throughout the Album interludes which she has interview her friends from all different walks of life noticeably draw to the same conclusions when asked the same question which is a comforting common ground. Sonically it takes you though late 70's jazz funk to 80's soul groove with elements of rock, pop and afro jazz. She is an amalgamation of all her musical influences growing up. Ultimately this Album is empower and comfort all women, young and older and for the music to get anyone bopping their heads. Woman Rising is just the beginning its Mary Sho taking flight, rising from girlhood into womanhood.
Championed by the legendary Maxine Gordon, inspirational Laura Impallomeni brings the trombone to the fore, with an exciting evening of exhilarating music that will leave you wanting more.
Laura plays in a plethora of diverse projects, from swing to jive, reggae, afro beat and Latin music, as well as various experimental music projects. She recently took part in the ‘Sophisticated Giants’ event celebrating the work of Melba Liston and has been named ‘one to watch’ by award winning legend, Maxine Gordon.
Laura Impallomeni studied Jazz Trombone at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance during which she regularly performed in venues such as Ronnie Scott’s with Mark Lockheart’s Contemporary Big Band, and various other smaller jazz ensembles. Laura plays in a plethora of other musical projects and genres including ‘Barnacles’, an experimental jazz quintet, and Latin Jazz ensemble 'The Voodoo Love Orchestra'. She has also toured with the renowned ‘Giffords Circus’ and runs an 11-piece afro-jazz band ‘Yamäya’ that recently reached the final 8 bands (out of 5600 entries) in the Glastonbury emerging talent competition. Supported by the Arts Council England ‘Develop Your Creative Practice’ grant to explore her own contemporary jazz compositions and to continue studying under various renowned UK trombonists and composers, her new album is set for release in 2025.
Tara Minton is an Australian born harpist, vocalist and composer. She is proudly endorsed by Camac Harps and holds a master's degree in jazz performance from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Tara is well established as both an improvising harpist and vocalist and has worked with The Australian World Orchestra, Björk, Tom Walker, Miranda Mulholland, “Kitty, Daisy and Lewis”, SuRie, Stan Sulzmann, Tony Kofi and Geoff Gascoyne. She leads her own original project as a harpist/vocalist and sings with “The Blues and Roots Ensemble” - a London based nine-piece band celebrating the music of Charles Mingus.
In 2020 Tara released her critically acclaimed album ‘Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid’ exploring themes of climate change and mer-myth. She consolidated the album's success with an intimate duo album released in January 2022 - ‘Two For The Road’ with bassist Ed Babar. The album was produced by Geoff Gascoyne and features Stan Sulzmann on tenor saxophone.
Tara is a passionate music educator and advocate for the harp in jazz and improvised music. She was appointed Professor of Jazz Harp at the London Performing Academy of Music in 2021 and has given masterclasses in jazz and improvisation at many of the country’s top music colleges.
Tara is also one of the three Directors of SpiceJazz Soho alongside Paul Pace and Clement Reger and co-hosts The Jazz Podcast with saxophonist Rob Cope.
“An otherworldly collection that brings the harp centre stage” - The Sunday Times