‘A Ukrainian Fusion Band Made an Album During the War’, was the headline in American magazine Rolling Stone for an article about Hyphen Dash. But the foursome from Kyiv deserves more attention than a news article. Their experimental mix of hip-hop, jazz, rock and electronica sounds urgent and innovative, which prompted the jury of the first Ukrainian Jazz Prize to crown them with the Grand Prix last year. Now the group will perform with the Amsterdam-based Afro-Ukrainian saxophonist Diana Dzhabbar.

‘On the Frontlines Amidst the bombings, the group raised money for Ukraine’s army with a risky project’, says the aforementioned article. It describes how drummer Myshko Birchenko finds a basement in Kramatorsk where his band records Basement 626. This was one of the three albums of the band that came out in 2025 and this year they will again release several albums. The group takes example from groundbreaking artists such as Christian Scott, Todd Rundgren, The Mars Volta, and Robert Glasper. Hyphen Dash has previously toured Europa and appeared at Eurosonic Noorderslag 2026.

This concert is made possible by Europe Jazz Network as part of the EJN Awards 2026. More info: https://www.europejazz.net/initiatives/ejn-awards