World Heart Beat’s Jazz in the Gardens 2026 series continues its summer run on 26 June 2026, welcoming Zeeks and the Brotherhood to the stage for a 7:30 pm performance that promises contemporary London jazz with real weight behind it.
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At the centre of the project is Ezekiel Ajie, better known as Zeeks — a former boxer turned double bassist and electric bassist whose story carries the same grit and discipline you hear in his playing. Now firmly established as one of the UK scene’s most versatile and in-demand musicians, Zeeks moves with ease through jazz, R&B, soul, funk, Latin, and gospel, anchored by a strong grounding in straight-ahead tradition and a sharp instinct for modern improvisation.
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A World Heart Beat alumnus, Zeeks also honed his craft under the guidance of Julian Joseph at the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy. That lineage shows in the clarity of his musical voice: solid time, a clean melodic sense, and the kind of adaptability that makes a band breathe. Over the years, he has shared stages with leading figures including Wynton Marsalis, Tony Kofi, Byron Wallen, Leon Garner, Andy Davies, and Jas Kayser, building a reputation not just as a bassist who can hold it down, but as an artist who can shape the direction of a room.
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Beyond the club circuit, his credits speak to a musician comfortable in bigger worlds too — from the 2023 Manchester orchestral performance of A Story Called Black People by Gary Washington, to The Night Before (2022), a short film produced by Burberry featuring Burna Boy. Each project adds another layer to the same core truth: Zeeks is an artist with range, depth, and a strong connection to the tradition — but never trapped inside it.
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For further information on the artist and the show, visit the World Heart Beat website.
Image provided, courtesy of World Heart Beat
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