Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series’ The Notes Between’ with Lara Eidi. Conversations exploring everything behind and about the world of songwriting! Our theme music ‘Breathe Love’ is from Lara Eidi herself available here

In this episode, Lara talks to pianist, singer and composer  Fabienne Ambuehl

Available on Spotify Apple and all major podcast platforms

Fabienne Ambuehl is a London-based pianist, singer and composer born in Switzerland. Her new album ‘Thrive‘ was released in January 2025 on the progressive label Ubuntu Music. The band successfully showcased the album at a

sold-out show at the Vortex Jazz Club in London. ‘Thrive‘ has received glowing reviews from the international jazz press. Jazzwise Magazine rewarded it four stars and it has received regular radio play in the UK, including BBC Radio 3 Jazz Record Requests, ‘Round Midnight and Night Tracks. On the Catalan public radio 3cat, there is an hour-long programme about Fabienne’s music and the single “New Ones” was featured track and on the JazzFM C playlist for several weeks. The album was also presented on Deutschlandfunkkultur and ARD Jazz - Das Magazin and was selected “Album of the Week” on both Presto Music and the German Rondo - Magazin für Klassik und Jazz.

Her band is a dynamic ensemble of brilliant musicians – Matt Ridley on bass (The Antidote, The Darius Brubeck Quartet) and Jon Scott on drums (Mulatu Astatke, GoGo Penguin, Sons of Kemet XL), with special guest guitarists Tom Ollendorff and Ant Law. Ambuehl has a strong sense of ensemble interplay and balance between individual expression and collective cohesion. As Rondo - Das Klassik & Jazz Magazin put it: “Thrive convinces with warmth, precision and excellent interplay of the band”.

Ambuehl’s music is inspired by her surroundings, from the sounds and silence of the mountains, where she finds a deep connection with nature, to the rhythms and soundscapes of the big city. Her melodic ideas and detailed arrangements are rooted in jazz, playing with a folk-tinge and showcase her expressive and supple piano playing. Her vocals “are crystal clear, distinct and refreshingly free of jazz clichés” (Neil Duggan, AllAboutJazz) and as a writer she “has a poetic sensibility and uses expertly a range of poetic techniques in her lyrics” (Trevor Hodgett, RNR magazine). Her first album, ‘Glitterwoods’ with Yuri Goloubev on bass and Asaf Sirkis on drums, was released on Traumton Records 2015. The album was very well received in the European jazz press and listed by UKvibe.com as an “Album Of The Year”. “Stripped-back minimalism and emotional depth, playfulness and maturity, and a profound jazz sensibility combined with a powerful romantic imagination, forge her unmistakable style”, wrote Norbert Krampf about Glitterwoods. In addition to leading her trio and quartet and performing solo, Fabienne has collaborated with the Noga Ritter band and worked in Senegal as an Arts Council England-supported residency. With Neele & the Soundvoyage she released an EP and the album ‘Visions’ (QFTF Berlin 2018), touring in Switzerland and Germany. She has conducted choirs herself for many years and was the soloist for Jazz Choir Freiburg who she toured in Germany and Austria and was their improvising soloist at the Eurovision Song Contest for Choirs in Riga, Latvia (2017).

Originally trained as a classical pianist, Fabienne fell in love with jazz after hearing a neighbour play the blues. At fourteen, she recorded her first album with a big band. She later completed a Master of Arts in Music from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, further developing her singing at the Complete Vocal Institute in Copenhagen. Fabienne is a winner of Friedl Wald Stiftung Price and Förderpreis of Kanton Zug. Fabienne Ambuehl website click here

Athens born to Lebanese Canadian parents, Lara Eidi is an artist that thrives on being different. As an independent artist, singer and multi- instrumentalist, she has carved a path for herself that continuously aimed at reshaping and developing her voice as a storyteller. An accomplished and reputable singer-songwriter, pianist, recording artist and jazz- folk vocalist of her own accord based in London and Athens. Her music has gained her critical acclaim as a genre bending artist (BBC Artist, 2020), described as “a singer with true gift of a voice, a kind soul, and a captivating presence.” (Jazz UK). At the heart of her being as a multi-disciplinary artist, she is sought after as a composer for vocal film scores, writes as a freelance music journalist, and is in demand as a creative workshop leader. Her music seeks to elevate and heal, and as a result, she creates genre- defying songs with a great emphasis on story telling. Her latest album ‘Sun’, her long awaited debut album, is all about pulling the threads of her folk, acoustic rock and jazz-classical upbringing to her message of hope, empowerment, and freedom. As a soloist, her recent debut performance at the infamous Royal Albert Hall, singing select pieces from Greece and Lebanon form the Medieval Byzantine Traditions sees Lara engaging on a series of select and innovative performances with the SAUDHA Indian Classical Music Association. 

Lara Eidi website